Surf City’s big kahunas

If there was ever any doubt as to which city should have the “Surf City USA” moniker, the 10 names included here provide a good example of why Huntington Beach comes out on top.

These members of the Huntington Beach surf community include giants in the global surfing industry and locals who have left their indelible imprint on surfing. They’ve changed the way surfers find waves and taught scores of surfers how to drop in. Sure, there are others who have had an impact on the industry, but these individuals stand out: They are the top 10 most influential members of Surf City’s surfing community.

Feel free to fire back, Santa Cruz.

1. Sean Collins, 54, owner of Huntington Beach-based Surfline

Favorite surf spot: His secret spot in Mexico

Influenced by: His dad, Corky Carroll and Dale Dobson

Seal Beach resident Sean Collins surfed all his life and, like every surfer past and present, was constantly in search of an amazing swell in places that were not always consistent. In the 1960s and 70s, the avid sailor began using some of the weather forecasting tools on his dad’s 50-foot sailboat to find the right time to hit certain surf spots.

“It just kind of grew into me, trying to find better and better information, especially for Southern Hemisphere swells,” he said. “We’d have all these storms happening in the Southern Hemisphere off Antarctica and these were the storms that would create the perfect swell for summertime south-facing spots we liked to go to in Mexico, but it was hard trying to figure out these storms down there. There were no surf forecasts or weather services around.”

He found a New Zealand shortwave radio station and was soon printing out weather charts and using a weather fax machine, and began keeping immaculate records of when swells would arrive. He then reverse-engineered the information so he would know how fast each swell was traveling ? all without extensive meteorology or oceanography training.

“It was my passion that got me started; it was purely just for myself ? I just wanted to get really, really good surf,” he said. “In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, I was the only person who really knew these swells were coming, so we’d take off and go to a secret spot in Mexico. People would be driving out saying, ‘We’ve been here for three weeks and there’s nothing,’ and then the surf would come and the guys there would just go, ‘You’re so lucky. You guys drove up and the waves came.’”

“Yep, just lucky,” Collins remembered responding.

Knowing that there had to be a market for this newfound skill, Collins began working with Surfing Magazine, giving editors forecasts of when and where to send photographers to meet the swells.

Soon, strangers began calling Collins to ask for forecasts.

“It got out of hand,” he said. “In 1983, we had our first child, and at that point I thought I’ve got to get a real job here and get going.”

So he did, and in March 1985, along with a few other guys, he launched a toll phone line called Surfline. People could call 976-SURF and they’d hear a morning and afternoon surf report.

Since then, Surfline has exploded into an international forecasting machine, with the Web site attracting about 1.3 million unique visitors per month ? more than any other surfing Web site.

Collins sees the future of the sport becoming more mainstream, and he expects to see more women dropping in, as well as big wave riders chasing more monstrous waves than ever before.

He is striving to continue improving Surfline’s technology and is working on forecasting swells three to five minutes before they hit the surf zone using a Scripps Institute buoy beyond the Huntington Beach Pier.

The Surfline office is located on Main Street, so don’t be surprised to see Collins and Surfline employees running to the pier to catch a wave they saw coming with the technology. He said this kind of forecasting is not that far out and is working on a way to get it to the public.

“I knew from forecasting and reporting everywhere ? one of the most consistent surf spots on the coast is the Huntington Pier,” he said. “It’s basically guaranteed there’s always something to surf, and having the office on the beach is pretty fun.”

2. Aaron Pai, 51, owner of Huntington Beach Surf & Sport store

Favorite surf spots: Costa Rica and Fiji

Influenced by: Bob Hurley, David Nuuhiwa, Laird Hamilton and Kelly Slater

For Aaron Pai, owner of Huntington Surf and Sport, surfing is a way of life.

“I just love surfing with my sons wherever I am,” Pai said.

He caught his first wave off the north side of Huntington Beach Pier and later learned to surf in Waikiki. Although he hasn’t been surfing as much as he would like, “It’s one of the major passions and forces in my life,” he said.

In 2001, the City Council unanimously approved installing a Surfer’s Hall of Fame in front of Pai’s Huntington Beach Surf & Sport shop at 300 Pacific Coast Highway on Main Street to honor surf legends.

Pai’s brainchild, the Hall of Fame, where famous surfers left impressions of their hands and feet in the cement, was originally inside his store.

The hall is the surfing version in the vein of Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theater. “I thought it would be a way too cool a way to honor surfers,” he said.

He’s also deeply involved with the International Surfing Museum. Pai’s new store at the Bella Terra mall in Huntington Beach will feature some antique surf boards and gear.

He admires many surfers, especially David Nuuhiwa, Laird Hamilton and Kelly Slater. “They were and are just the best in their time,” he said.

But Bob Hurley of Hurley International is his favorite.

“Hurley is just an amazing surfer on the water and an amazing businessman on land ? he rips on the water and on land,” he said.

Some of his best surfing was in Costa Rica, Fiji, Japan and Hawaii, besides other places.

“I like surfing so much because it’s becoming one with the ocean, a great family sport and it’s an adventure,” he said.

3. Peter “PT” Townend, 53, first World Champ and entrepreneur

Favorite surf spot: Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia

Influenced by: Peter Drouyn, Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, Michael Peterson, Jeff Hackman, Bob Migogna

In 1976, Aussie surfer Peter “PT” Townend became the first world champion of surfing. Thirty years later, Townend is still getting in the water trying to inspire young riders with his stories and his insight.

Townend pioneered not only surfing, but also the transitioning from professional athlete to professional businessman.

He’s worked as a journalist, professional surfer, movie double, editor, publisher, advertiser, marketer, director and president, and he seems to add more accolades to his resume every year.

Townend’s mother used to tell him to be all that he could be, no matter what he did, and he has taken that to heart and tries to disseminate the mantra to the youth he now supports. He plays in the big leagues, but is humble, never forgetting where he came from and who is the future of the sport. He’s not only the head coach of the USA Surf Team, but he continues to coach the team at Surf City’s own Ethel Dwyer Middle School.

He’s worked for Surfing Magazine, Rusty apparel and coached the legendary Tom Curren into the World Amateur Championships in 1982. He has been an announcer and served as president of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Assn.

Today, Townend likes to have control of his intellectual property and owns ActivEmpire, a brand consultancy company that specializes in a whole slew of action sports avenues. The company represents athletes, including Townend’s own son, Tosh Townend, who is quickly becoming one of the best street skateboarders in the world. He also worked with Huntington Beach resident Timmy Turner on his film “Second Thoughts,” which won Surfer Magazine’s Video of the Year in 2004.

He never stops, and doesn’t plan to anytime soon. He’s working on a graphic novel and continues to freelance for various magazines.

As far as the sport of surfing, Townend sees the future in the big wave surfing of pros like Laird Hamilton.

Meanwhile, he usually sticks to the surf on the north side of the pier. He maintains his humility and just strives to be the best he can be.

“I try to be humble,” he said. “I’m just PT.”

And a world champ.

4. Robert “Buzz” McKnight Jr., 53,

Favorite surf spot: Tavarua, Fiji

Influenced by: Family and USC

Robert “Buzz” McKnight Jr., chairman and chief executive of Quiksilver Inc., is well known for transforming beach clothing into multimillion-dollar mainstream fashion. McKnight started off selling board shorts along with partner and surf star Jeff Hakman by driving to California surf shops.

The company, originally founded in Australia in 1976, went public in 1986 and since then has included different clothing lines, surf and sport gear, and accessories.

McKnight, an avid surfer himself, has traveled to Sumatra and surfs with the likes of surfing world champ Kelly Slater. He was inducted into Huntington Beach’s Surfer’s Hall of Fame last year.

A Laguna Beach resident, McKnight has a bachelor’s degree in business from USC, which will serve him well as he tried to complete his plan of exporting Orange County beach culture worldwide.

Quiksilver recently moved its headquarters from Costa Mesa to Huntington Beach. The company, which occupies about 700,000 square feet of space in Surf City, bought French ski maker Skis Rossignol last year and has been struggling to incorporate it into the company folds. McKnight plans to launch a clothing line based on Rossignol brand after hitting pay dirt on its popular Roxy brand name for girls.

He is married to Annette and has three children.

5. Andy Verdone, 46, Huntington Beach High School surf coach

Favorite surf spot: Huntington Beach Pier

Influenced by: Peter “PT” Townend

All Huntington Beach High School surf coach Andy Verdone wanted when he took over the position in 1987 was a free T-shirt.

He got that and more, and still goes out with his team almost every morning for practice on the south side of the pier, sometimes even snagging the chance to jump in the water to take advantage of some good waves.

Verdone used to make the drive to Huntington Beach from Lakewood frequently to surf, and said he always knew one day he’d make the move permanent.

He still remembers his first amateur contest at Goldenwest Street. It was high tide and the rules said he had to catch four waves in 15 minutes, but he didn’t catch a thing. Since then, Verdone’s luck has changed. He landed a job as a special education teacher at Huntington High in 1984 and helped coach baseball and football. When the position opened with the surf team, he snagged it.

“I had a unique opportunity that afforded me a rich life,” he said. “[Members of the team] have gone on to be in magazines, in movies, and I surfed with them. I’ve been most fortunate, and it’s humbled me.”

Verdone’s prevailing message to his students ? and all students ? is to stay in school.

“If you’re the next Kelly Slater, the industry will tell you; we’ll tell you,” he said.

Verdone said he often wonders why he’s been so fortunate, but is quick to remind people: “Never claim anything. If you have to claim it, it never was.” It’s a mantra he’s used to remain humble despite coaching one of the best surfing teams in California.

In the future, he’d like to see the industry start rewarding contest winners with academic scholarships rather than in huge amounts they can spend on whatever they want.

“Most coastal colleges have teams now,” he said. “They’d graduate when they’re 21, and the average age on the tour is 24.”

A yearly surf trip could entice a student to stick around, especially when Verdone plans on taking his riders to places like South Korea, an unconventional surfing trip location.

“When you go to a place like South Korea, people look at you and say, ‘why,’ and that’s why you go,” Verdone said. “I’m going because you’re not going.”

Many exotic locales and free T-shirts later, Verdone remains connected with his students and his promise of educating them.

“I’m just a 46-year-old man with a wife and a kid who likes to surf and likes kids to stay off drugs and stay in school,” he said. “And if I can get a free T-shirt, that’s great.”

6. Ian “Kanga” Cairns, 54, legendary surfer, coach, director and promoter

Favorite surf spot: Hawaii

Influenced by: Nat Young

Another native Australian, Cairns burst onto the surfing scene in the late ‘60s and was known for his strength derived from a 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame.

Cairn started out by shaping boards after completing high school and soon earned a place on the Australian team that competed in international contests. He went on to win the Duke Kahanamoku Classic in Hawaii and was two-time winner of the World Championship.

Cairns and fellow Aussie Pete “PT” Townend helped set up the first Australian Professional Surfing Assn. and a scoring system. They also tried to form the “Bronzed Aussies” team to improve surfing awareness and financial prospects for surfers. But the idea failed to catch on.

Later, Cairns went on to perform in the 1978 surf flick “Big Wednesday” and decided to move from Down Under to California. After stints as professional manager and growing grapes, Cairns shuffled between Australia and the United States, and finally decided to settle down in Laguna Beach in 1996.

Cairns is also credited with helping to move along the careers of Kelly Slater and Rob Machado when he became director of the Bud Tour.

He’s married to Alisa Schwarzstein Cairns and has two children from a previous marriage.

7. Timmy Turner

Favorite surf spots: Indonesia and Mexico

Influenced by: Travis Potter

There are few people that better epitomize the Surf City soul surfer than Huntington Beach wildman Timmy Turner. His mom Michelle owns and operates one of the most popular surf hangouts in Huntington Beach, the Sugar Shack, while his dad runs beach operations for the city of Huntington Beach.

Coached by Andy Verdone at Huntington Beach High School, Turner first caught the attention of the surfing film world with his vivid surf-travel flick “Second Thoughts,” a surreal journey taking Turner into the abandoned isles of Indonesia with his crew of Huntington Beach surfers. The pack captured the imagination of the stateside surfer, sending back images of hallow barrel rides and near starvation as the pack tried to live off the land.

Turner made headlines recently when he succumbed to an aggressive staph infection and fell into a coma around Christmas time. Turner’s family and the surfing community rallied around the Quiksilver-sponsored surfer and helped raise money for his treatment. After months of recovering, Turner first paddled back into the water this June. His new film, “Tsunami Diaries,” is out on DVD right now.

8. Corky Carroll, 58

Favorite Surf Spot: Tavarua, Fiji

Influenced by: Hobie Alter and Mickey Munoz

He’s a multifaceted surfing champ with numerous surfing and album titles, a surf instructor, columnist and realtor in his spare time. Carroll started surfing when he was a young child and went on to study at Huntington Beach High School, where he excelled at sports and math.

His first win came in the 1959 West Coast Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach, where he placed third in the junior division. Carroll went on to take the title of U.S. Men’s champ in 1966, 1967 and 1969. He also won the Overall Champion title from 1966 to 1970.

But his greatest feat was winning the Surfer Poll Award in 1968 as the best surfer in the world. He won the International Big Wave Championship in 1967 in Peru and the World Small Wave Champiosnhip in 1968 in Florida.

Carroll’s success was built on years of hard work, including working nights as a “mower” at Hobie Surfboard factory, where he would whittle down the foam that shapers would later work on. Recognizing Carroll’s talent, owner Hobie Alter offered to pay Carroll $80 a week to use and promote his surfboards.

Carroll said he learned a lot from Alter and Mickey Munoz.

“Hobie for how he did business, and Mickey for teaching me how to act and how to develop as a person and as to how I did business as a pro surfer,” Carroll said.

Later, Carroll taught himself to play the guitar and diversified as a musician. He has performed numerous gigs and has several albums to his credit, including the hit “Tan Punks on Boards,” produced by the Monkees’ Mike Nesmith. He was also the face for Miller Lite Beer commercials.

He lives in Huntington Beach with wife Pamster, daughter Kasey and son Clint.

9. Dave and Leslie Carlos

Favorite surf spot: Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia and Velzyland, north shore of Oahu.

Influenced by: Dane Kealoa, Michael Ho and Peter “PT” Townend

It’s not often that two people can have such a huge influence on surf cinema. Dave and Leslie Carlos are responsible for reviving the genre in Huntington Beach and pushing independent back to the forefront with their Big Red Productions Surf Theater.

“Once you stand on top of water on the board, it’s the best feeling you could have,” Dave Carlos said.

The pair don’t only screen surfing, but most of their movies come from new action sports filmmakers looking to get their films shown in theaters. It’s tough for a new director to get his action sports feature in front of an audience, especially with the whole genre being relegated to DVDs and videos.

Dave and Leslie provide an opportunity for young filmmakers to screen their movies at four theaters in Southern California, including the old Mann Pierside Cinema near Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street. And don’t think this is any ballet experience ? the Carlos’ love it when audiences hoot, holler and yell at the screen as up-and-comers shred some of the most brutal left and rights ever filmed.

10. Robert August

Favorite surf spot: Witch’s Rock, Costa Rica

Influenced by: Surfing father Blackie August

He’s one of the most famous longboarders in the world, but it was almost not meant to be.

Robert August, the king of California surfing and Mr. Cool Man in the 1960s, almost chose a different path as a youth and became a dentist. Thankfully for the surfing world, a friend talked him out of it, and instead he pursued his passion: longboarding.

August is best known for his starring role in “Endless Summer,” the Bruce Brown film featuring August and Michal Hynson as they scour the globe in search of the perfect wave. The film was incredibly popular, exposing the country and the rest of the world to the sport of surfing, ushering in a crush of newcomers to beaches like Huntington, Malibu and Santa Cruz.

But while August was hailed for his role in this film, in a bigger way he’s also responsible for keeping the sport alive. In 1966, he began shaping longboards, just as the shortboard revolution was taking over and ending the longboarding ambitions of longboard makers like Hobie Alter and Dale Velzy. But August stuck it out, almost starved, and re-emerged with his own surf shop on Main Street in Huntington Beach. In the 1990s, his company merged with Huntington S urf and Sport, and his signature boards ? made and hand-shaped in Huntington Beach ? can still be purchased today.SEAN DUFRENE / INDEPENDENT(LA)Dave and Leslie Carlos stand next to a poster for a surf film. The Surf Theater Film Festival will take place during the U.S. Open of Surfing at Pierside Pavilion.hbi.22-surfing-main-CPhotoInfo7U1S6BTK20060622j16mygncCHRISTOPHER WAGNER / INDEPENDENT(LA)Three of the city’s most influential surfers ? Sean Collins, Peter Townend and Aaron Pai (from left) ? pose for a photo in front of the Duke Kahanamoku statue at Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington Beach.hbi.22-surfing-verdone-CPhotoInfo7U1S6EG520060622h02zg2keKENT TREPTOW / INDEPENDENT(LA)Andy Verdone, 10-time national champion surf coach at Huntington Beach High School, will be honored with a place on the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame. hbi.22-surfing-mcknight-CPhotoInfo7U1S6EG920060622iivp2cknDON LEACH / INDEPENDENT(LA)Quicksilver’s Robert McKnight talks about the surf industry giant and how the product remains strong and competitive through a “learn-as-you-go” approach. hbi.22-surfing-turner-CPhotoInfo7U1S6EG020060622ix80opknDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / INDEPENDENT(LA)Peter Townend laughs as Timmy Turner speaks at a benefit for Turner in March. hbi.22-surfing-carlos-CPhotoInfo7U1S6EFO20060622hig945kfSEAN DUFRENE / INDEPENDENT