JWA airs surfing exhibit

Corona del Mar hosts thousands of sun bathers, picnickers and swimmers yearly, but even longtime Newport Beach residents might not know that it used to be one of Southern California’s premier surf spots.

That’s because two long lines of gray boulders installed to protect the entrance of Newport Harbor block waves from hitting the beach. Back in the late 1920s and ’30s, though, the area had a thriving surf culture, unrivaled in Orange County.

“Corona del Mar had a pretty rich early history in surfing, pre-breakwater. It was one of the first spots that was surfed on a regular basis prior to the breakwater being constructed,” said Barry Haun, of the Surfing Heritage Foundation.

Haun, creative director of a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving local surf history, put together an exhibit chronicling 100 years of local surf history that is being displayed at John Wayne Airport for the next three months.

Old surf apparel, surfboards used by some of the all-time greats in the sport and hundreds of photographs of famous surfers riding the nearby breaks are arranged in a series of 28 display cases, each centered on a certain beach. A few of them are dedicated to Newport Beach and Corona del Mar.

“I’ve been over there a couple of times and a lot of people are interested in this exhibit,” said Jenny Wedge, an airport spokeswoman.

The airport rotates exhibits that feature local arts and history as a way to give travelers something to do while waiting for flights. John Wayne has not only its own art curator, but also a committee dedicated to picking the displays.

Around the time of the Great Depression surfers were part of a counterculture that found that the sand of Corona del Mar was an ideal place to live because of the temperate climate and the marine life that provided a food source, according to Haun.

Then, surf legend Duke Kahanamoku, widely considered the father of modern surfing, would live in Corona del Mar while filming Hollywood surf films. While there in 1928, Kahanamoku fashioned a pair of surfboards out of redwood — a common material before foam came around in the ’50s — that are now part of the display.

Unfortunately, the exhibit sits behind the security gates at the airport, meaning nobody except airline passengers will be able to see it in person.

“We tell people, ‘Buy a flight to LAX. Check it out,’ ” Haun joked.

Because only passersby will have access to it, Haun had to try to please every type of traveler.

“It was a fine line between what’s going to make the couple from Kansas come over and look at the case and also the grom from Huntington Beach: What’s going to ring true to him,” Haun said.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].