This year the Surfers’ Hall of Fame will honor local Huntington Beach inspiration Casey Wheat at a special ceremony to take place on Friday, June 4 at 9 a.m. at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington Beach.
Wheat was born and raised in Huntington Beach and surfed Northside like no other. Huntington Beach was in his family’s DNA. His great grandfather was one of the original owners of the Golden Bear nightclub and his grandparents owned and operated the snack shack and rental shops that are now Zack’s and Zack’s Too. His father Steve Wheat taught him to surf at a young age. In his senior year at Huntington Beach High, Wheat helped the team win the surfing national championship while inspiring younger surfers with his competitiveness and leadership.
In 2015, Wheat teamed up with two lifelong friends, Ziggy Williams and Chris Moreno, to co-found the premium apparel brand SOKFY (Sport of Kings, Forever Young), focusing on quality over quantity. The brand’s mission is to encourage a highly charged carefree lifestyle, a passion for surfing and the pursuit of happiness.
Few people found as much happiness and peace in the ocean as Wheat. It was his refuge and his place to connect with other surfers. He loved surfing and hanging out on the Northside of the Huntington Beach pier. Wheat played a big role in the revival of the West Coast Board Riders Club and other clubs along the California Coast. Wheat coordinated surf contests, while competing in those contests as well as coaching groms.
“Casey Wheat was an amazing son of Huntington Beach and a Northside legend. We are honored and stoked to induct Casey into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame,” said Aaron Pai.
To the Huntington Beach surfing community, Casey Wheat will always be forever young and an inspiration.
Surfers’ Hall of Fame
The nation’s first imprint collection of legendary surfers, the Surfers’ Hall of Fame celebrated its first induction in 1997 inside of specialty retailer Huntington Surf & Sport where several slabs remain. Four years later with the blessing of the City Council and a stunning bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku serving as a backdrop, the ceremony moved outside to the corner of PCH and Main, less than 100 feet from the famed Huntington Beach Pier, site of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing.
The Surfers’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony pays tribute to those individuals who have made an indelible mark on the sport, industry and culture of surfing. Annually, tens of thousands of visitors travel to Huntington Beach’s downtown area and literally walk in the footsteps of surfing superstars and legends from several eras including Laird Hamilton, Andy Irons, Jack O’Neill, Robert August, Bob Hurley, Sean Collins, Kelly Slater, Lisa Andersen, Gerry Lopez, George Downing, Ben Aipa, Shane Dorian, Greg Noll, Corky Carroll, Shaun Tomson, Rob Machado, Sumo Sato, Timmy Turner, Shawn Stussy, Rabbit Kekai, Bethany Hamilton, Mick Fanning, Brett Simpson and many more, who are already immortalized in cement.
