Surf series for sale by founder

Mike Sciacca

Eight years ago, on a cold winter weekend, an idea came to Seth

Matson while he was surfing the north side of the Huntington Beach

Pier.

“I looked up on the beach and said to myself, ‘There aren’t surf

contests here for the kids anymore,’” said Matson, who was 24 at the

time.

With that thought, Matson, with the help of friends Andy Williams

and Everett Gesford, and of Bob Hurley, president of Billabong Surf

Clothing, put the Huntington Beach Surf Series together in four short

months.

A few years later, Matson took over the surf series as its sole

owner. Since its humble beginnings, which included competition in

three divisions, he has turned the weekend contest series into a

large-scale, professional event with 11 divisions and up to 170

competitors on a single weekend.

The Huntington Beach High graduate, who has been involved with

surf contests since 1982 as a competitor and promoter, announced

earlier this week that he is putting the Huntington Beach Surf Series

up for sale.

The sale of the series opens on Tuesday.

“It’s been a rewarding eight years,” said Matson, who did all the

designing for the surf series, from advertisements, posters, custom

logos, Web sites, T-shirts, stickers and business cards. “I have met

a lot of great people and have learned so much by working in the surf

industry over the years.

Matson put himself through college while directing the

long-running series, graduating from Platt College in Newport Beach

with a degree in computer graphics.

He is selling the series because in February, he is launching his

own company, Matson Graphics.

“It’s time for me to pursue one of my other passions -- graphic

design -- on a full-time basis,” he said. “My hope is to see the

Huntington Beach Surf Series go to someone who appreciates the value

this event has to offer the surfing community and keep the ‘grass

roots’ appeal alive for years to come.”

Kyle Lindo was a city lifeguard when the series was first launched

and had given assistance to the series when needed, Matson said.

Lindo is the acting chief of lifeguards for the city of Huntington

Beach.

“I’ve watched this series grow from its infant stages,” Lindo

said. “Seth has put a lot of hard work into building the series,

which came to be a good rallying point for surfers and the community.

“I think what he did was a big boost to the surfing experience for

the younger surfers,” Lindo said.