California Surf Museum in Oceanside, CA

Longboards, shortboards, surfboards - lots of boards really. The California Surf Museum is worth checking out if you find yourself in beautiful Oceanside, California. Founded in 1986, this small museum highlights the history of surfing with a variety of surfboards on display. 

One highlight includes Bethany Hamilton's shark bitten surfboard. She was the young surfer who lost her arm to a shark attack in 2003, which became the subject of the film Soul Surfer. 

I had just come from photographing surfers near the Oceanside Pier and the California Surf Museum was the perfect cap to the afternoon. I also picked up an old copy of Surfer magazine and a few vintage postcards as souvenirs. Despite still knowing very little about surfing, from a visual standpoint I'm hooked on the culture.   

Bethany Hamilton's shark bitten surfboard.