One tackles mountains of water, braving beastly waves around the world. Another has explored exotic islands for decades, transporting surfers to the waves of their dreams.
And the third of this year’s newly announced Surfers’ Hall of Fame inductees made her mark closer to home, earning the title “Surf Mom of Main Street” for the year’s she’s spent fueling surfers before and after their sessions.
Big wave surfer and contest commentator Peter Mel, surf explorer Martin Daly and The Sugar Shack Café owner Michele Turner will take their spot this summer among nearly 90 other surf culture notables who have made their mark in Huntington Beach.
This year marks the 25th anniversary for the Surfers’ Hall of Fame, with a re-dedication ceremony planned to mark the milestone.
“We want to take a moment to rededicate our commitment to the Surfers’ Hall of Fame and to surfers and surfing at the epicenter of the surfing world,” said Aaron Pai, founder of the hall of fame. “This year’s honorees have contributed so much to riding waves, and supporting our surfing community, and staving off hunger after a local surf session. We are grateful to Peter Mel, Martin Daly, and Michele Turner for their commitment to surfing and the surf community.”
Mel is a well-known fixture in the surf world, a legendary charger of the largest waves around the world. He’s won many contests over the past three decades, including the 2012 Big Wave World Championship and the 2013 Mavericks Invitational.
Most recently, he was awarded the 2021 Red Bull Big Wave Ride of the Year for a massive wave at Mavericks, not far from his home in Santa Cruz.
Mel said he’s honored to be among the inductees who have put their hands and feet in cement outside of the Pai family’s Huntington Surf & Sport through the years.
“I’ve spent my whole life enjoying the ocean and working in the industry, competing and commentating,” he said. “To be recognized for that is awesome. It’s flattering, very cool.”
Mel recently started running the Freeline Surf Shop in Santa Cruz, opened by his father 55 years ago.
There’s three generations of the Mel family that surfs – his son, John Mel, 21, made it to the quarterfinals of the Jack’s Surfboards Pro over the weekend in Huntington Beach.
Mel, 52, talked about that massive wave in January 2021 that amazed the surf world, a beast he paddled into – vs being towed in. He raised his arms in the air while riding the building-size wave, making the feat look effortless.
“There’s not a lot of waves like that at Mavericks, it was one that was a gift. I had to be at the right place, at the right time,” he said, noting that he didn’t know its exact size, but it was “massive.” “I was able to do it by paddling – and 30 years of experience.”
It was a moment he got to share with his son, John, who was in the channel yelling out as his dad made the drop, one of the highlights of his long career.
“To be able to share that with your son is incredible,” he said.
As for the Surfers’ Hall of Fame induction, Mel has another feat to tackle – finding just the right words to inscribe in cement.
“You want to have something that will last forever,” he said. “I have gone by there, put my hands and feet in the impressions and wondered if some day I’d be (inducted). Sure enough, that day has come.”
Also being recognized for years of surfing the globe is Daly, described as “a legendary surf explorer, boat captain, surfer and diver.”
Daly left his hometown as a teen to explore the world, working on dive and salvage boats in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, before purchasing his own boat with the proceeds from his recovered undersea treasure.
Since the ’80s, Daly has run boat charters that help other surfers chase their dream waves. He also gives back, in the past providing relief aid after tsunamis in Indonesia and supporting coral health programs and research on nuclear debris in the Bikini Atoll.
“The relationship with the ocean, being out there in the environment with your friends and family, sharing those magic experiences that only surfing can provide, that’s what it is all about,” the Hall of Fame announcement says. “That’s what Martin has dedicated his life to. That’s what he’s given to so many people. He’s opened up the world and changed lives. It’s about as pure as it gets.”
Plenty of Surf City locals know Turner, this year’s third inductee. Her cafe is “world famous for a post-dawn patrol breakfast where legends and locals alike talk story over fluffy pancakes and hearty breakfast burritos.”
She opened “The Shack” in 1967 and for 55 years it has supported the Huntington Beach High Surf Team and the National Scholastic Surfing Association.
“The walls of The Shack tell the story of its history with photos of renowned surfers and hopefuls,” the Hall of Fame announcement says.
She’ll join sons Timmy and Ryan Turner, both who have had their own spots in the cement.
The Surfers’ Hall of Fame was created in 1997 inside of Huntington Surf & Sport, where several slabs remain. Four years later, the ceremony moved outside to the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street, where a collection of the world’s most accomplished, innovative and influential surfers have put their hands, feet and signatures in concrete.
The induction ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. on Aug. 5 during the US Open of Surfing.
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May 05, 2022 at 05:58AM
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