Mike Hynson dies at 82: Farewell to the last surf 'rebel'

Mike Hynson - the blond surf rebel who starred in the iconic Bruce Brown film, Endless Summer, passed away at 82 in Encinitas, California. Hynson's death leaves a deep void within the industry, culture, and legacy of surfing. Let's take at the life of one of the most polarizing surfers to ever come out of California.

Born in Crescent City in 1942, Hynson grew in a military home, constantly shifting between San Diego and Hawaii, where he was naturally exposed to the early stages of the California surf movement.

Once he graduated from high school, he ventured out into the surf world with hopes of making a career with what he loves doing most. His strong aura and remarkable surfing caught the eye of surf film director Bruce Brown. "Mike was a rock star, he never tried to impress anyone. He was a rebel, a troublemaker, but in the end, he was a good-hearted guy," wrote his son Toby Ogden.

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During the 1960s, Mike Hynson, alongside his friends Robert August and Bruce Brown, were working on arguably the most epic surf film ever made. While filming 'Endless Summer', the three surfers found themselves in a tight spot during a layover in Bombay, India. They anticipated trouble with customs due to their equipment, so they devised a plan to smuggle their film gear onto their next destination...

The three surfers cleared customs by strapping film reels to Hynson's torso, successfully evading scrutiny. Nevertheless, the adrenaline rush from the successful smuggling experience set the stage for Hynson's future in drug smuggling.

"In reality, nothing about clearing Bombay costumes in the early '60s was easy, especially when you were dragging several kilos of camera gear and two nine-foot logs with you. We knew flying into Bombay that Airport Customs was on a total trip about foreigners filming religious sites or any kind of expose. If you brought a camera into the country you could count on losing your film," shared Hynson in his memoir.

During the 1960s, American society underwent many social changes. American youth began exploring the world of psychedelic rock, and with that came substance abuse. Young Hynson moved to Laguna Beach (California) after spending some time in Oahu, and had "fallen in with a group of acid-loving spiritualists who called themselves the Brotherhood of Eternal Love".

Hynson was inspired by the Brotherhood's ambition to spread psychedelic enlightenment through LSD. Many of them had been addicts or violent convicts in a past life, but credited psychedelics for showing them a way out. The young Californian surfer joined their ranks and offered to smuggle drugs for them, proving to be a very elusive smuggler.

While having a smoke with a pair of 'Brothers', they were very skeptical about getting him on board, according to his memoir. "You could tell he thought I was just a pretty boy full of shit. He said they needed someone with experience." Once he told them about his experience in Bombay and filming Endless Summer, he had their full attention.

Hynson would start carving out hidden compartments in costume-made surfboards to fit illegal contraband for transport. He would conceal the substances in the very same boards he would use during his world surf tours.

Image source: YouTube - Endless Summer, 1966

According to Wavelength, on Hynson's next trip to India after joining the 'Brotherhood', he found himself in a stifling hotel in Delhi, holding a stack of three costume-made surfboards filled with illegal substances.

During the late 1960s, Hynson would start Rainbow Surfboards with John Gale, a fellow Brotherhood member. They designed a hollowed-out interior for boards to conceal large amounts of illegal substances.

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The 'secret compartment' was revealed in the film 'Rainbow Bridge (1972)', which led to the major arrests of many Brotherhood members, including Gale. Sadly, Hynson's life took a downward spiral after Gale died in 1982, stained by addiction and incarceration.

Nevertheless, Hynson managed to turn his life around with the support of his friends, family, and surfing. He published his memoir titled 'Mike Hynson: Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel', which shines a light into the madness that revolved around surfing's rouge years.

Hynson also re-established himself as a surfboard shaper, reviving some of the old psychedelic surfboard designs.

According to Surfer Magazine, Hynson's most memorable moment in all his life was encountering Cape St Francis, in South Africa. A hidden surf gem, untouched by the modern world, all for themselves. Bruce Brown described it best, "the waves would go on for so long, you would get cramps in your legs!"

Hynson rose to fame as the Endless Summer poster boy and now is being resurrected as one of surfing most overlooked gurus.

Surfing was at the center of the social revolution during the 1960s and in the core of that revolution stood Mike Hynson, who was at the center of surfing's pivotal metamorphosis according to Surfer Magazine. Hynson was an iconic surf star, a folk-hero outlaw, and a game-changing shaper.

Although reckless, Hynson became the Johnny Cash of surfing - refusing to walk the line, while often falling into the 'ring of fire'. Thanks to the film Endless Summer, he stands as a generational icon for surfers all around the world. His passing marks an end to a rough and raw era of surfing.

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