A memorial and paddle-out ceremony are planned to celebrate the life of Walter Hoffman, an early-era big wave charger and board builder who helped kick-start the surf clothing industry.
The gathering at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point will kick off at about 1 p.m. with the memorial service, followed by a paddle out at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20. Hoffman died on July 9 at age 92.
Hoffman and his brother, Phillip, who went by “Flippy,” are sons of Rube Hoffman, who started California Fabrics in 1924, and followed their father into the industry – in their own way.
They spent their younger years in the Los Angeles area, but by the ’40s, the family was spending summers in Laguna Beach, where the teenage brothers enjoyed the laid-back beach lifestyle – surfing big redwood boards, diving for abalone and having bonfires on the sand after long, cold ocean sessions, before the days of wetsuits.
Hoffman joined the Navy during the Korean War and because of his water skills, was sent to Hawaii to be a lifeguard at Pearl Harbor. It was there he met other surfers who would spend summers in Waikiki and winters braving the big waves on the North Shore.
Hoffman was also one of the early-era board makers, using balsa wood and other materials, long before fiberglass and foam were introduced to the craft. In 2021, Hoffman was inducted into the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach for his early boards that helped pave the path for big-wave surfing.
Hoffman and brother Flippy were also inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in 2006 for their contribution to the surf culture, namely their impact on surfwear.
Following his time in Hawaii, Hoffman learned the fabric business and bought a home on Beach Road in Dana Point in the ’50s. The brothers took the train from San Juan Capistrano to Los Angeles to help, and eventually take over, the family operations.
Their father’s company, later renamed Hoffman California Fabrics, International, was already a big player in the textile industry, but his sons, with a love for the Hawaiian islands and surfing, would bring “their own special vision and talents” to the company.
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Hoffman California Fabrics pioneered the Hawaiian-infused aesthetic of California surf clothing and became the primary textile provider to the surf wear industry, supplying big brands such as Ocean Pacific, Quiksilver, Gotcha, Billabong and O’Neill.
Hoffman was also the patriarch of a family tree of surf influencers, including raising step-daughter Joyce Hoffman, a champion women’s surfer who broke barriers in the ’70s, and as grandfather to Christian and Nathan Fletcher, two well-known fixtures in the surf world.
Plans were already in the works before Hoffman’s death for a statue honoring him and Flippy Hoffman, who died in 2010, to join Joyce Hoffman’s bronze statue at the Waterman’s Plaza, where a collection of Dana Point icons are honored for their early-era contributions.
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