Herbie Fletcher has had a career as an innovator, a filmmaker, an artist and a boundary-pushing, big-wave charger who revolutionized tow-in surfing – and now his lifetime of achievements are on display in a new exhibit opening soon at the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.
The museum is hosting an opening event on Saturday, April 12, for “Fletcher: A Lifetime in Surf,” an exhibit exploring the life of the iconic San Clemente surfer that will remain on display through July. The opening event will feature a live talk with Fletcher, a book signing and a “Wave Warriors” film screening.
“Herbie Fletcher is a surfing legend — known for his fearless style, creative mind and lasting influence on surf culture,” organizers said. “He pioneered Astrodeck, the first surfboard traction pad, and helped lead the charge in tow-in surfing, pushing performance to new limits.”
Fletcher was born in Pasadena and spent his younger years in Huntington Beach. As a teen, he joined the surf team out of the Hobie Surf Shop in Dana Point, and when he was 16, he packed up and lived out of a car chasing waves in Hawaii.
It was there he met his wife, Dibi Hoffman, daughter of big-wave icon Walter Hoffman.
Herbie Fletcher, surfer, shaper and businessman, was inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in 2018. An exhibit launching on April 12, 2025 at the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center will shwocase his life as an innovator, businessman and artist.(Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)Fletcher was a competitive surfer, but also an innovator and businessman. He bought Astrodeck in 1975 and created traction pads that helped advance aerial surfing. In the ’80s he created VHS surf films called “Wave Warriors” to promote his surf team.
Fletcher was among the first to use a personal watercraft to tow surfers into 25-foot waves at Hawaiian surf breaks Waimea and Pipeline.
His watercraft will be on display at the event.
These days, Fletcher creates art with surfboard waste material that can be mounted on walls.
Fletcher has collaborated with artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel on various projects and exhibitions and he has been featured in solo shows at prestigious galleries across the country.
Fletcher was inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in 2018. A year later, he was inducted into the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame.
Fletcher’s legacy runs deep. He and wife Dibi, also his business partner, have two children well-known in the surf world, Christian and Nathan Fletcher, and grandson Grayson Fletcher is a pro skater, surfer and artist.
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Saturday’s event starts at 5 p.m.; cost is $20 and includes a taco bar.
The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, or SHACC, is also hosting “Caddy SHACC – Waves and Wedges” this month, a fundraising golf event that has barefoot golfers using only three clubs for a “fun-filled tournament celebrating community and supports the preservation of surfing’s rich heritage.”
For information on both events or tickets, go to shacc.org.
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