A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Surfwear and wetsuit company founded in 1998, and based in Costa Mesa, California; purchased by Nike in 2002. Company founder Bob Hurley, an accomplished surfboard shaper, began his surfwear retail career with Hurley Surfboards in 1978; in 1983 he acquired the Billabong USA license and helped the Australian company carve out a huge retail marketshare in the United States. In 1998 Hurley declined to renew his contract with Billabong and launched Hurley International as a clothing brand with men’s, women’s, and kid’s lines. It was a roll of the dice. Billabong USA had generated $60 million in revenue in 1997, and along with Quiksilver was a household name in surfwear.

Yet Hurley, probably the best-liked exec in the surf business, was uniquely well-positioned to capitalize on the surf industry’s boom of the late 1990s; his staff was hardworking and loyal, the product line was forward and stylish if a bit safe, and Hurley himself—wielding his considerable personal charm in tandem with his checkbook—signed a talented group of team riders including Rob Machado, the Malloy brothers, Tim Curran, and Pat O’Connell. As a marketing bonus, the young company also supported Blink-182, a San Diego pop-punk band that exploded onto the MTV scene in 1999, often appearing on stage decked-out in Hurley T’s and hats. Hurley also sponsored some of the largest, most successful contests on the pro tour, including the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach, and the Hurley Pro at Trestles.

Sportwear empire Nike acquired Hurley International as a wholly owned subisidiary for a reported $120 million, with Bob Hurley left in place to run the organization. The deal was front page business news in Southern California and was immediately controversial in the surf world -- the 

 said that in surfer’s eyes the merger was “about as welcome as a wipeout.” Nike’s initial forays into the boardsports world had been met with a lukewarm reception among surfers over the years, suspicious of outside, non-surf-centric brands. Nevertheless, a decade later Hurley International had maintained its core support among surfers worldwide, and with Nike’s help, established corporate offices in Australia, Japan, Spain, and Bali.

Hurley's popular Phantom Boardshorts line was named "boardshort of the year" four years running by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association, starting in 2008.

Hurley International had $252 million in reported revenue in 2011.

Hurley International

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews