SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Surfing is an iconic California sport, and is home to a number of world-famous surf breaks like Malibu, Trestles, Mavericks, Rincon, Steamer Lane, and Huntington, which are destinations for both domestic and international surfers. sport.
(b) It is important to recognize
that surfing traces its origins to the Polynesian people and was imported into California from indigenous Hawaii. Since its arrival in California, surfing has been embraced by the state and many Californians have made important contributions to the sport as we know it today.
(c) California is home to a number of world-famous surf breaks like Malibu, Trestles, Mavericks, Rincon, Steamer Lane, and Huntington, which are destinations for both domestic and international surfers. It is important to remember that California’s coastline is not only home to these surf breaks, but was also historically occupied by coastal native nations, indigenous to California, and that these indigenous people continue to live in these ancestral homelands today and have embraced the sport of surfing in these areas.
(b)
(d) Every year, California surf breaks host numerous domestic and international surf events, including the International Surf Festival in the Cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance, the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, and Mavericks Big Wave Surf Contest in Half Moon Bay.
(c)
(e) California is home to the Surfers’ Hall of Fame, the International Surfing Museum, and the California Surf Museum.
(d)
(f) California’s coastline spans 1,100 miles and its beaches and coastal areas generate $1.15 trillion in economic activity annually.
(g) California is the heart of the surfboard building industry, which has innovated surfboard technology and pioneered sustainable manufacturing practices and techniques.
(h) The world's first neoprene wetsuit, a modern staple of surfing, was invented in California’s San Francisco Bay area.
(i) California pioneered the science of surf forecasting at the University of California’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Surf forecasting allows surfers around the world to predict when and where to go surfing.