Channel Islands Surfboards Founder Al Merrick will be inducted to the Surfers Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach on July 27.

The legendary surfer/shaper will be immortalized along with Peruvian Sofia Mulanovich, South African Martin Potter and Bruce Irons of Kauai in what will be the 10th anniversary of the event.

For the past 38 years Merrick has been shaping surfboards in his local shop in Santa Barbara. Merrick got his first big break in 1977 when former world champion and 2003 Hall of Fame inductee, Shaun Tomson, captured the world title on a Merrick-shaped board. Merrick soon started shaping boards for a 12-year-old named Tom Curren.

As Curren's career reached iconic status, so did the surfboard label started by the legendary shaper.

Merricks' boards became the must-have board for every level of surfer — from enthusiast to professional, including eight-time world champion Kelly Slater and Ventura surfing stars such as Timmy Curran, Bobby Martinez, Dane Reynolds and Cory Arrambide.

Merrick has seen his Santa Barbara-based company grow from a local small business to one of the most familiar names in the world of surfing. Not only has Merrick provided a successful lifestyle for himself and his family, but he has also provided the wave-riding tools for some of the greatest surfers of our time.

The Hall ceremony will be on July 27 at 10 a.m. in front of Huntington Surf & Sport.

The Surfer's Hall of Fame is the brainchild of Huntington Surf and Sport founder Aaron Pai. It was Pai's dream to create a surfing replica of Grauman's Chinese theater in Hollywood, which influenced him to pursue a collection of hand and foot imprints from some of his favorite surf industry professionals.

With the assistance of legendary surfer Corky Carroll, Pai began collecting cement imprints and signatures in 1997. After three years, Pai got his dream and the city granted him permission to display the Surfers Hall of Fame publicly on the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway right in the heart of Huntington Beach.

The prints of 28 surfing icons can be seen on the famous corner in Huntington, including surfing heavyweights such as Tom Curren, Kelly Slater, Shaun Tomson, Greg Noll and Layne Beachley.

Hall of fame inductees are selected by a group of business owners, surfers and surf industry professionals. The group votes approximately 6 times a year and selects surf industry professionals based on their contribution, dedication and integrity to the sport of surfing.

Pai was ecstatic about Merrick joining the Hall.

"I think its fantastic that Al is being inducted," Pai said. "Al is a great person. His passion for shaping and designing surfboards is the best and the proof is all of the many surfers who surf his boards, from champions to beginners and everyone in between. He also has a great staff of other dedicated shapers who help him with the constant orders which Channel Islands Surfboards receives.

"It's been great seeing the evolvement that Al and Channel Islands Surfboards has become, from the early years to now and what is in store for the future."

Pai said this year's inductees have been selected based on their contributions and influence they have had on surfing. He added the Hall was created to be able to share the surfing culture with future generations.

"We decided in a meeting, I think last November that Al would be inducted, but he as always been in the back of our minds as someone who we wanted to see in the Hall of Fame."

— If you have any information regarding the local surfing scene, e-mail David Burroughs at runemason@yahoo.com. The Surfing Scene appears Tuesdays in The Star.