Finding a good surf shop is like finding a best friend. You will be in that shop at least once a month, buying your favorite brand of wax, hanging out with your friends, and browsing the shelves to see what you can add to your collection.
Whenever you go to a surfing location, you will find hundreds of these shops trying to grab your attention, so which ones are actually good, and which ones are tourist traps? Don’t worry; we have you covered!
Check out the 10 best surf shops in Huntington Beach below!
1. Surf Prescriptions – Bespoke Surfboards
About The Shop
Surf Prescription is a custom surfboard factory operated by a man who calls himself “Mad Doctor Jeff.” They aim to produce outstanding and unique surfboards that push the limits of what we currently know to be “high-performance” designs.
Price Range
Being a bespoke shop means having a high price tag on their products. Basic surfboards often cost around $200, but Surf Perscrption’s price range lands around the $600 mark.
Quality
Surf Perscription’s quality is high-end, which is why their prices might make you weep. If you purchase one of their surfboards, you know you will be getting a best friend from your board.
Friendliness
Once upon a time, Surf Prescriptions used to be a one-stop kind of shop, but now they have franchised to Japan, The Canary Islands, Brazil, Ireland, and South Africa. The list is much longer than that, but with a larger brand comes a more corporate touch.
Items Sold
Surf Prescriptions mostly sells surfboards. They categorize these boards into “Performance,” “Performance Alternatives,” and “Alternative” boards. You can guess from the titles that you can go with a stand-out design or a performance-enhancing one.
2. The Katin Surf Shop – Clothes Shop
About The Shop
The Katin Surf Shop has been around since 1954. It was opened as a small boat business. It wasn’t until 1957 that they took a turn for the surfing crowd. One of the founders, Walter, would often wear boat shorts which he made himself. A local teen asked for the shorts to go surfing in, and since then, the Katin’s had a new demographic.
Price Range
The clothes have a wide price range going from as low as $30 and as high as $90. This is because you are buying a brand, a history, and a high-quality product.
Quality
If you buy a beanie, surf trunks, or graphic tees, you know that whatever you purchase will come from high-quality materials and made with care.
Friendliness
Nancy, the second founder of The Katin Surf Shop, passed away in 1986, and the community held a heavy heart when her funeral cars drove through the streets. Her son, Glenn, now owns the shop and continues to build a strong community with it.
Items Sold
The Katin Surf Shop is mostly known for its shorts, specifically the surf trunks. However, they also sell walking shorts, volley trunks, hybrid trunks, graphic tees, flannel shirts and hoodies, and beanies.
3. Huntington Surf & Sport – Wetsuits And Accessories
About The Shop
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a lot of information about the shop’s history, however, we can see that they are trying to bring history and culture to the new age of surfing. They have a whole page on their website dedicated to “Surfer’s Hall of Fame.” This section shows us surfers who have passed and what amazing skills they had, and the work they had done.
Price Range
Huntington Surf & Sport isn’t super expensive. Their branded hats are on the pricier side, but their wetsuits and rentable surfboards are around the typical asking price that you would expect.
For example, the wet suits range from $50 – $250 depending on style and shape.
Quality
The quality of the items is good. Huntington Surf & Sport doesn’t sell a lot of their own brand and instead brings more popular brands to you, like Rip Curl and O’Neil.
Friendliness
As you can guess from a lack of a bio, there isn’t a massive community around Huntington Surf & Shop themselves, although they are a massive face on Huntington Beach. Expect a classic store welcome.
Items Sold
You can buy almost anything you’d expect to need at a beach when you shop in Huntington Surf & Sport.
They sell flippers, wetsuits, rental surfboards, leashes, repair kits. And on top of that, they also sell shorts, hats, tees, and fleeces!
4. Toes On The Nose – Clothing Store
About The Shop
Toes on the Nose was founded in 1961 by a renowned surf artist called John Severson. He was inspired by nose riding and so coined the phrase that became the shop’s name; “Toes on the Nose.”
The original idea was to bring surf and art together, but now the shop wants to expand its demographic to the golfing, yoga, and travel communities too.
Price Range
Toes On The Nose is an expensive clothing store, ranging from $30 to $200, and that was us including their hats.
Like Element Guards, the classic items you might want to buy can be anywhere from $50 to $80.
Quality
The high price should be high-quality, right? Right! Toes on the Nose has amazing quality clothing, many of which have additional UPF 50 + weaved into the fabric to help you on your exercising vacation.
Friendliness
The people working for Toes on the Nose are good-natured and welcoming; however, the store itself could be better at keeping unusual sizes in stock. It can be months before a new XL shirt is available again, making any larger person feel lesser.
Items Sold
Toes on the Nose has moved away from being a sports design clothing store and has turned more to “normal” fashion choices. This means you can buy fleeces, t-shirts, polos, and buttons up from their online and in-store branches.
They haven’t completely changed, though, as these best-selling items are element guards, coastal fleeces, sea silk, and sea fit items.
5. Rip Curl – Surf And Swim Wear
About The Shop
Rip Curl is a brand known to most surfers, but did you know that it is one of the world’s most recognized and respected surfing brands?
It was created in 1969, and despite the world growing and changing so much, the company has kept its original spirit.
Price Range
The price range of Rip Curl is one of the highest you’ll ever find. That is because they put all of their non-selling energy into creating better clothing for their customers.
Their wetsuits, for example, can cost as low as $70 or as high as $500.
Quality
Rip Curl’s product quality is so high, and they have so much faith in their product that each item you purchase from (no matter the retailer) will have a 3-year warranty on the stitching and a 12-month warranty on the materials used to make the wetsuit.
Friendliness
Rip Curl is a big business which means that they will go through workers quickly. Although the energy around Rip Curl is always friendly, a quick turnaround business like that can change atmospheres just as fast in their stores.
Items Sold
Rip Curl sells mostly wetsuits, and they can range from full (head to toe) suits down to simple rashguards. They also sell trunks, swimsuits, and bikinis. If you have forgotten your suit on your trip to the beach, Rip Curl is a great place to replace your swimwear!
6. Jack’s Surfboards – Surf, Skate, And Snow
About The Shop
Jack’s Surfboards has a massive reputation for creating top-tier surfboards. They first opened in 1957 on the corner of Main Street on Huntington Beach, and their passions for surfing exploded into their work and onto the seas. From the day they opened, Jack’s Surfboards was known as the place to be!
Price Range
Despite their long-time as the number one place to buy surfboards, their prices aren’t as high as the other surfboard sellers on our list.
Some boards are as low as $150, and others as high as $700. The vast range means that no matter your budget, you can buy a Jack’s board with pride!
Quality
With such a good reputation you know that the surfing products all have excellent quality in their materials and creation. We would like to see a warranty addition, like Rip Curl has, but we can’t ask for everything.
Friendliness
In an attempt to be more eco-conscious, Jacks’ Surfboards has teamed up with Billabong Wrangler. Billabong’s clothing range contains organic materials like cotton and has combined them with top market designs creating the best of both worlds.
Items Sold
Although Jack’s Surfboards creates mostly surfboards, their website suggests they sell more clothing than anything else. These clothes are wetsuits and element guards, but also flannel tops and walking shorts.
7. Board Members – Boards, Bikes, And Wetsuits
About The Shop
Board Member is a fantastic shop on Alabama St, Huntington Beach, letting you rent or buy surfboards, electric bikes, and wetsuits.
They aim to make your seaside trip easy and stress-free while getting to feel the exhilaration of the sea and the culture around it.
Price Range
The wet suits they sell are purposefully cheap, but the prices will range depending on what they have in stock that day. The lowest price is normally $20.
Renting an electric bike or a surfboard can be a great way to lower your baggage of bulky items. Board Member’s prices for a day’s use ranges from $40 – $100.
Typically, buying a surfboard outright can be an expensive business, but with Board Member, you can start from just $100.
The most expensive item Board Members sell is their electric bikes, and they can range from $1,500 to $2,500.
Quality
Board Member’s aim is more about accessibility than quality. You will receive sound equipment, but if you want a $600 surfboard, you should go elsewhere.
Friendliness
Board Members are super friendly people who will answer all your questions about charging times and return times. No question is too outrageous!
Items Sold
As you can probably tell from the three items we keep talking about, Board Member’s range of products is low. They only sell wetsuits, surfboards, and electric bikes, and they only rent surfboards and electric bikes. But you can get all of these at a great price.
8. Rockin Fig Surf – Boards, Clothes, And Sunglasses
About The Shop
Rockin Fig Surf considered itself to be one of the last hardcore surf shops in California. They have only been in operation for around 20 years, which, compared to most of the other shops on our list, isn’t a very long time, but in that time, they have made a name for themselves alongside Billabong, Lost, and Bodyglove.
Price Range
They don’t have an online store, but they do have a large collection of surfboards, clothes, and sunglasses in their shops. The shop is a little higgly-piggly, making it hard to find any great choices amongst the clutter.
However, just because they are a little old school doesn’t mean you won’t find a bargain!
9. Chuck Dent Surf Center – Surfboards
Now we are going really old-school with a shop that refuses to move with the times; Chuck Dent Surf Center only has a Facebook account to advertise their shop with.
In their store, you’ll find vintage surfboards, classic designs, and part of recent history that most of us won’t even know about.
Not only does Chuck Dent Surf Center sell surfboards, but they also repair your favorites, making them an eco-friendly choice too.
10. Sakal Surfboards – Surfboard
Last but not least, Sakal Surfboards craft their own boards with fantastic precision. Their styles are unusual and stand out from the crowd. You can feel the love that Ed Sakal puts into every design!
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