There are things so important, we just can’t live without…the love of our friends and family, a roof over
our heads, food in our bellies and, in New Smyrna Beach, surfing! Yep, that’s right. Surfing is immensely
important to our friendly beachside town and it commands a legendary history in New Smyrna Beach.
There is even a museum downtown that showcases New Smyrna Beach’s rich surfing heritage!
When it comes to surfing, New Smyrna Beach is the real deal, having fostered more world-class surfers
than any other town on earth. It all began in the early 1960s with surfing pioneers and New Smyrna
Beach residents Kem McNair and Charley Baldwin who were first to set the New Smyrna Beach standard
of surfing excellence when they won their East Coast titles back in the early 1970s. Charley continued
winning pro events long into the 80s, propelling him to become the first New Smyrna Beach surfer
inducted into the East Coast Hall of Fame.
The outpouring of pro surfers from New Smyrna Beach didn’t stop there. We had plenty more champion
surfers to offer, including New Smyrna Beach native Isabel McLaughlin who won the U.S, Women’s
Surfing Champion in 1974, and Ross Pell who took two East Coast professional titles in the 1980s.
New Smyrna Beach is so significant within the world of surfing that the last Association of Surfing
Professionals World Tour East Coast event was held here. Travel and Leisure magazine even named New
Smyrna Beach one of the world’s 15 “Coolest Surf Towns.”
So come on down, break out that board and catch some of our world famous waves. New Smyrna Beach
has something for everyone, but if you are a surfer, it’s a place that holds a special appeal and will leave
you thirsting for more!
