California Surf Museum pays tribute to pioneering surf photographer, starts photo contest
A little over 110 years ago, a Berkeley-educated engineer put together what is considered by some to be the first book of surfing.
The hand-bound book of photographs titled “The Surf Riders of Hawaii” includes some of the first action pictures of the legendary Duke Kahanamoku, known as the father of modern surfing.
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There were only about a handful of copies of the book published in 1914 and A.R. Gurrey Jr., its author, has since fallen into obscurity.
But the California Surf Museum is set on bringing Gurrey out of the past. The nonprofit museum based in Oceanside, which has one of Kahanamoku’s surfboards in its extensive collection of boards going back to the 19th century, established a surf photography contest to pay tribute to Gurrey.
One of things that sets Gurrey apart as a pioneer in surf photography was that he went in the water with his camera. Gurrey was one of the first to capture surfers up close as they were riding waves. He got some of his training from his stint working as a photographer for the U.S. Navy and used canoes and other boats to get closer to the surfers catching waves.
Gurrey, who was born in Kansas in 1874 and came west for his engineering education, ended up in Hawaii around the turn of the century.
One of his favorite subjects for his photographs was friend Duke Kahanamoku. Those early shots became classics and are some of the first known photos of the legendary surfer. One of the most famous shows Kahanamoku with his surfboard at Waikiki, which became a postcard and was used to raise money for Kahanamoku to enter his first Olympics in 1912.
He went on to earn three gold medals and two other medals during three Olympic Games.
Along with the images, Gurrey’s hand-woven booklet, which includes his own descriptions and poems by poet Lord Byron, gives a sense of the spirit of riding waves.
An original copy was listed on Sotheby’s for an estimated price of $30,000 to $50,000.
“So much of the story of surfing is captured in the visual documentation,” said Tom Gibbons, California Surf Museum Board of Directors vice president, and head of its Education Committee.
The museum’s Education Committee started the A.R. Gurrey Jr. Surf Photography Competition this year and recently picked its first winners. The contest drew 137 entries from 12 area schools in five categories. The idea behind the competition is to foster a love of surf photography and encourage students to sharpen their skills. The winners were chosen by a panel of four professional judges. First, Second and Honorable Mention winners received trophies, a surfing book, and gifts from GoPro and Dark Room Photography
