The 2009 Sacred Craft Surf Expo in Del Mar San Diego

Words by Scott Bass...

Thousands of surfers enjoy an epic weekend celebrating the surfboard.

More than 5000 surfers, shapers, designers, and surfboard lovers attended the two-day Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo. Beautiful Brewers were everywhere. But the legendary Hawaiian shaper wasn't monopolizing all the fun, as the Wyland Expo Hall was packed with a cornucopia of incredible surf craft. Anonymous surfboard experts walked the show floor and awarded Australia's Daniel Tomson of Tomo Surfboards with 'Best of Show' for his unique, performance oriented 5'3" hydrofoil concept model that truly characterize what Sacred Craft is all about: cutting edge innovation, exquisite manufacturing and passionate out-of-the-box design. Gene Cooper's Agave Special and a Dewey Weber Performer, complete with detailed fabric art, where honorable mentions. For Daniel Tomson's efforts, Tomo Surfboards was awarded a free booth at the next Sacred Craft Surf Expo.
 
Legends were on hand in Del Mar including Donald Takayama, Mark Richards, Bing Copeland, Mike Hynson, Junior Seau, LJ Richards, Rob Machado, Brad Gerlach, Joel Tudor, Jamie Mitchell and many others. Legendary boards came out of the woodwork during the vintage surfboards antique road show which offered collectable board appraisal by experts such as Steve Pezman, Sam George, Bird Huffman, barry haun, Joe Tabler, and Dan Pincetich from the Surfing Heritage Foundation.
 
"The surfboard road show was a tremendous success. We didn't really know if one board would turn up or if 300 boards were going to show up," said Sacred Craft Director Scott Bass. "Luckily there was no shortage of gorgeous classic boards on hand. The results were so good it looks like we'll have a nice little auction next year."
 
The Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo will return to Ventura's C-street in the springtime of 2010. Plans for Santa Cruz, Japan, Hawaii, and Huntington Beach are all in the works.