• Support
  • Advertise
  • Locations
  • Contact
Thursday, January 26, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTERS
Dana Point Times
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
No Result
View All Result
Dana Point Times
No Result
View All Result

It’s Joyce Hoffman’s Time to Shine

by Dana Point Times
January 21, 2022 4:10AM
in DP SURF, Surf Headlines
It’s Joyce Hoffman’s Time to Shine

The City of Dana Point will unveil a statue of international surf icon Joyce Hoffman at Waterman’s Plaza next week. Photo: Breeana Greenberg

0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Dana Point Statue Celebrates the Life, Legacy of One of Surfing’s Most Influential Women

By Jake Howard

The collection of bronzed legends at Waterman’s Plaza in Dana Point continues to grow, as Joyce Hoffman is getting her well-deserved place in the sun.

On Thursday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m., the City of Dana Point will unveil the new life-sized bronze statue of Hoffman—the first one in the United States to honor a female surfer. Waterman’s Plaza currently features statues of Hobie Alter, Phil Edwards, Bruce Brown and John Severson, all of whom left an indelible mark on not only the local surf scene, but also the international surfing community at large.

“I feel it’s a tribute to all the women surfers,” Hoffman explains when asked about it. “I’m the one that’s going to be the face, but if it wasn’t for all the women surfers that came before and after me, I wouldn’t be getting this honor.”

“Joyce has such an amazing and far-reaching career legacy. It’s an honor to recognize her and her contributions to surfing—in particular, women’s surfing—as a global icon. The notoriety she has brought to Dana Point for its place in surfing’s history cannot be understated,” Dana Point Mayor Joe Muller says in a statement to the media.

Hoffman was born and raised almost exclusively at the beach. She was bitten by the surfing bug around the age of 12, when her family moved to Beach Road in Capo Beach, into the now-iconic Hoffman house.

Her father, Walter Hoffman, and uncle, Flippy, were pure watermen who were early pioneers at Hawaii’s big-wave breaks. In California, their business, Hoffman California Fabrics, garnered them the reputation as the kings of the aloha print.

From dominating the contests of her era to breaking barriers at Pipeline, Joyce Hoffman is hands down one of the most influential female surfers in the history of the sport. Photo: Courtesy of Tom Keck

As Joyce’s remarkable talents and impeccable style blossomed, she was drawn to the burgeoning competitive scene of the 1960s. Not content just to be a good surfer, she quickly earned a reputation for being the most mentally and physically fit competitor of her time.

She trained as much as six hours a day. She swam, ran, and paddled, too, all to make her ready to compete.

“Phil Edwards was one of my idols, and David Nuuhiwa. They were both very aggressive surfers,” Hoffman says. “David is famous for riding the nose, so I tried to model my surfing after a combination of those two. That’s why seeing me standing on the nose of the surfboard (depicted in the statue) is applicable to what my surfing was like.”

By 1963, Hoffman was among the best women surfers in California, and from ’64 to ’67, she was practically invincible, finishing in the top of her class in the United States Surfing Association’s year-end ratings four years in a row.

She also won the United States Surfing Championships in ’65, ’66 and ’67. She also won the esteemed Makaha International in ’64 and ’66, as well as the Laguna Masters in ’65 and ’67. But it was Hoffman’s wins at the ’65 World Championships in Lima, Peru, and the ’66 World Championships in San Diego that established her as an international surf star.

With her discipline and unbreakable mental game, Hoffman asserted her rightful place into Pipeline’s tough-as-nails lineup.

To show how far ahead of her time she was, this year, the WSL’s Billabong Pro Pipeline will be the first-ever, full-time surf contest at Pipeline to feature women. Hoffman was also a devout big-wave charger at the iconic Sunset Beach.

During this time, Hobie Surfboards released the wildly successful Joyce Hoffman signature model. And in what may still be the coolest endorsement deal surfing has ever seen, Hoffman partnered with British car manufacturer Triumph and was featured in ads for its sporty Spitfire convertible.

Profiled in Sport Illustrated and appearing on the cover of LIFE magazine as a spry 19-year-old, at the height of her dominance, Hoffman was everywhere.

 The new life-size sculpture of Hoffman has been created by artist Bill Limebrook, who grew up on Beach Road in Dana Point and has also created the other sculptures in Waterman’s Plaza.

The public statue unveiling will take place on Jan. 27, at 3 p.m.

Jake Howard is local surfer and freelance writer who lives in San Clemente. A former editor at Surfer Magazine, The Surfer’s Journal and ESPN, today he writes for a number of publications, including Picket Fence Media, Surfline and the World Surf League. He also works with philanthropic organizations such as the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center and the Positive Vibe Warriors Foundation.

Share this:

  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
Tags: Dana PointFeaturedFemale SurfersJoyce HoffmanOrange CountySan ClementestatuesurfWaterman’s Plaza
ShareTweetPin

Dana Point Times

Related Posts

Victoria Boulevard Apartments

Public-Comment Period Opens for Victoria Blvd. Apartments

January 26, 2023
On Life and Love after 50: Widow Puzzled by a Friend’s Warning

On Life and Love: After 50 Senior Dating Availability—Full-Time, Part-Time or No Time?

January 26, 2023
Editor’s Pick: Ocean Institute Tide Pool Hike

Editor’s Pick: Ocean Institute Tide Pool Hike

January 26, 2023
Hank Snyder

Crosstown Community Stalwart Dedicated to Service Dies at 85

January 26, 2023
Next Post
Dana Hills Art Students Capture Inspiration for Festival of Whales Project

Dana Hills Art Students Capture Inspiration for Festival of Whales Project

Discussion about this post

No Result
View All Result

DP Times Daily
Get important news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Subscriptions
Don’t get the DP Times delivered to your home? Subscribe today.

Advertising
Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. Advertise with us.

Support Local Journalism
For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an “Insider” member and continue to get “Local News You Can Use” from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County.

Contribute today.

Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network.

  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Dana Point Times
  • San Clemente Times
  • The Capistrano Dispatch
  • DP Chamber Directory

© 2022 Picket Fence Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who

© 2022 Picket Fence Media

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.