Surfing legend Mike Hynson, star of 'Endless Summer,' dies at 82

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Mike Hynson, legendary surfer and co-star of the 1966 documentary “The Endless Summer,” is remembered for his groundbreaking contributions to the sport and his charismatic personality. Courtesy photo/Hynson family

Surfing legend Mike Hynson, star of ‘Endless Summer,’ dies at 82

by Walker Armstrong January 15, 2025927

ENCINITAS — Longtime Encinitas resident Mike Hynson, a pioneering surfboard shaper and co-star of the landmark 1966 documentary “The Endless Summer,” died Friday after a recent illness. He was 82.

Known for his style on and off the board, Hynson, whose silhouette on the film’s iconic poster became synonymous with the spirit of surfing, is remembered not only for his contributions to the sport but also for his vibrant personality and lasting influence on those who knew him.

“He was like an 8-year-old caught in an 82-year-old’s body,” said his longtime partner, Carol Hannigan. “He was just so much fun, we had so much fun together, going on trips all over the world. And the things he said, the way he said them, always cracked me up.”

Born in Crescent City, Calif., in 1942, Hynson spent much of his youth moving between Hawaii and San Diego County. After graduating from Mission Bay High School, he was recruited by filmmaker Bruce Brown for “The Endless Summer,” an around-the-world search for the perfect wave.

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Surf Culture
The Mysterious, Enigmatic Surf Life Of Mike Hynson

From his early days in San Diego, to traveling the world with Bruce Brown, to heady days with the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, nobody ever did it like Hynson.

Jake Howard
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When I first moved down to Southern California after college I landed in the quiet hamlet of Seal Beach. Working in the lifeguard department, the old chief, Tim Dorsey, was a fixture at the headquarters and in the water. The word around the department was that back in the day Dorsey had been offered a role by Bruce Brown for what was to become “The Endless Summer.” The catch was that Dorsey was also offered the job as the lifeguard chief at the same time. He passed on being Robert August’s co-star and opted for a career at the beach.

Robert’s father, Blackie, lived on the south side of the Seal Beach pier in the early ’60s and the whole story seemed very plausible. I’ve never been able to one-hundred percent verify it and have no idea how accurate it actually is. Dorsey had appeared in Brown’s earlier film work, and at the time, the spot on the North Shore known as Dorsey’s Rockpile (today it is simply called Rockpiles and is a preferred haunt of three-time world champ John John Florence). If there is a thread of truth to it, Dorsey passing on a spot in “The Endless Summer” cast would have been what opened the door for Mike Hynson to waltz into the production.

August and Hyson came from two decidedly different spectrums of the ’60s surf scene. August, from northern Orange County and younger and more innocent, was clean-cut and straight laced. Hynson was not. By ’63 when “The Endless Summer” began production, he’d already figured out how to build his own boards, was running with the raucous WindAsSea Surf Club, and pioneering Pipeline. Cocky with a distain for authority, he pretty quickly found himself at odds with Brown and August.

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https://beachgrit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/d5b497fc322ec4beb16400f36aabcd0ea786e24f-900x506-1.avif
Bruce Brown and Mike Hynson

In 1963, right when Mike Hynson began looking for a reason to leave the country to avoid the draft, filmmaker Bruce Brown asked if he wanted to go around the world to shoot The Endless Summer. Hynson jumped at the chance.

“Handsome and cocky” star of Endless Summer Mike Hynson, dead at 82

By Derek Rielly

5 days ago

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