Friends of Windansea
CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS AND NEWS
5/1/2024 – Friend of Windansea would like to congratulate legendary surfer, Mike Hynson, of Endless Summer fame, and who helped start WindanSea Surf Club, will be inducted into the Surfer’s Walk of Fame this summer.
Cheers to you Michael, it’s been long overdue.
Friends of Windansea Rethatch the Historic Windansea Surf Shack
La Jolla’s historic and iconic Windansea Surf Shack just got a periodic makeover as volunteers recently re-thatched the landmark oceanfront structure.
6-12-2023 – FRIENDS OF WINDANSEA NEWSLETTER – IMPROVEMENT’s OF WINDANSEA HAS BEEN APPROVED BY CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION
Dear Friend of Windansea.
If you are receiving this it is because your support for the improvements proposed for Windansea Beach has been rewarded and the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to uphold the City of San Diego’s Coastal Development Permit for this project at their hearing last week!
Friends of Windansea (Friends) has been a good steward of Windansea Beach Park since our founding in 1997 when we continued the traditions of the surfers who built the Shack and had taken care of the beach since WWII.
We have worked successfully in partnership with the La Jolla Community and the City of San Diego in accordance with the letter of recognition from the City of San Diego, dated October 20, 2000 (Letter) to implement the “Design Guidelines, Erosion Control and Maintenance Plan for Windansea Beach” (Plan) and have obtained reviews from the La Jolla Community Planning Association for each phase of it’s construction, from the installation of benches and pads to the replacement and construction of four coastal access stairs, to the redesign and construction of the parking lot and railings along Neptune Place.
Beyond that, we have repaired and repainted the stairways and railings several times, augmented the decomposed granite on the pathways, and planted drought-tolerant plants.
All told and including City funding, we have raised and spent close to $2,000,000 on improvements to our favorite beach, raising over $250,00 ourselves through private donations. These donations are held by La Jolla Parks & Beaches, Inc. who disperses them for improvements to Windansea Beach upon receiving invoices and receipts. This has been a model Public-Private Partnership.
We are grateful for the support from ALL of our Friends, the La Jolla community advisory groups, the City of San Diego, the San Diego Planning Commission, and the California Coastal Commission for this opportunity to re-set the gem of the Windansea belvedere back in the necklace of our beloved beach park where it belongs!
We’ll be finishing up the plans, collecting donations, and soliciting bids during this summer’s moratorium on beach construction with an eye to beginning work after Labor Day.
CONGRATULATIONS! THE SHACK WINS THE 2022 JEWEL 
AWARD FOR PRESERVATION. We are delighted that the family of Windansea Shack supporters, including Friends of Windansea and WindanSea Surf Club — have been selected by La Jolla Landmark Steering Committee and the Board of Directors of the La Jolla Historical Society for this award that was initiated in 2019; the Jewel Award recognizes the significant efforts to preserve historical properties in La Jolla.
HIGH HOPES FOR 2023
Here at Friends of Windansea we have a lot of high hopes for 2023. We will continue with our goal to make Windansea San Diego’s best beach in beauty and be environmental friendly. We will also continue with the historical part of it. So please bookmark this page.
DONATIONS
Anyone who would like to make tax-free donation to preserve, restore and make improvements to the Windansea Beach area or to any other future improvements and maintenance please donate.
FRIENDS OF WINDANSEA
Friends of Windansea is a small independent organization whose goal is to solicit and encourage maximum citizen participation to preserve, restore and enhance the natural character and beauty of the Windansea Beach area.
The organization was initially formed in 1997 as a citizens response to address a lack of beach maintenance.
One of the prime jobs of Friends of Windansea is to maintain the 1946 Surfer’s Shack; a sideless hut, built by surfers with cemented eucalyptus poles, topped by palm frond surfers shack (which is now a protected historical landmark) to provide shade during long days at the beach and have these Polynesian/Hawaiian luau beach parties.
The Shack in La Jolla is ranked among Top 50 Historical Sites in San Diego.
La Jolla’s Windansea beach is famous for its steep shoreline, reef breaks, which creates powerful waves that at times match those of Hawaii’s Waimea Beach. The area is defined by other surf breaks; Big Rock is to the South, and Simmons (named after a surfer who lost his life while surfing) is to the North, and Windansea is in the middle.
The beach represents the sanction harmony the ocean has with humans.
It’s spiritual, many will tell you.
The first real planning meeting was held in 1997 with a few dedicated La Jolla locals that mostly consisted of surfers. Since that time they have become a small but powerful voice in La Jolla and work closely with other groups that have the same interest, such as La Jolla Parks and Beaches (501(c)(3) non-profit organization), and WindanSea Surf Club. La Jolla Parks and Beaches has a trust fund set up for Friends of Windansea.
The organization sole quest is to share that spiritual bonding with nature without interferences of those that want to make is commercial, yet provide and maintain small amenities, such as the stairs to the beach, benches and redoing the parking lot for public access and safety.
Even to this day, there are no commercial bathrooms, public showers or drinking fountains as nature intended it to be, thanks to the efforts of Friends of Windansea.
Friends of Windansea operates on a shoestring budget; money is donated and lots of locals volunteer to maintain tranquility of the beach.
Its ongoing. Its neverending.
Back in 2004 and 2016 the Historical Shack was destroyed by huge waves, immediately volunteers organized a rebuild. And about every few years the shack palm fronds are replaced.
Friends of Windansea is the sole caretaker of this majestic, almost magical beach kingdom.
The surf shack, a San Diego Historical Landmark, dates from 1946 although it has been demolished by storms and rebuilt. The shack, and surrounding sites – the pump-house, the old wall, and the parking lot – are celebrated in surfing and beach lore, both musical and literary.
Windansea's Name
La Jolla’s world-famous surfing beach, Windansea, is named after a hotel that overlooked the ocean on the corner of Neptune Place and Playa del Sur from 1909 until 1943 when it was destroyed by fire. Mrs. Montgomery Brackett won six dinners for her winning entry to name the hotel that was remodeled from a restaurant and roadhouse.
Projects, News and Events
- Windansea Shack’s Traditional Holiday Wreath - For the last 30 years Melinda Merryweather has put together a Holiday Season wreath for Windansea Surfer Shack. This year it was no different. At Windansea the Christmas season officially starts with the traditional hanging of this absolutely gorgeous wreath on the historical WindanSea Shack on Saturday December 3, 2022 Friends of Windansea Wreath Hangers: …
- HAPPY “ENDLESS SUMMER” 80TH BIRTHDAY TO MIKE HYNSON - The gathering was super mellow. Great pot luck food, super people and a band played old surf music looking down at the group. The huge red velvet cake was becoming of this legendary surf icon. When the band (WindanSea Slugs) started playing the theme song for Endless Summer, there was this moment of spiritual tribute …
- Proclamation of WindanSea Shack & Legendary Surfer, Woody Ekstrom’s PaddleOut - On March 20, 2022, two major gatherings happened at WindanSea Beach in La Jolla, California joined into one. The first, was an proclamation of the famous WindanSea Shack, that not only became a historical landmark about 25 years ago, but also on March 20th became, WindanSea Surfer Shack Day in San Diego. It is the …
- A LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY LA JOLLANS - From Left to Right – BILLY GRAHAM was one of the original rebels that change the whole Surf culture in the late ’50s and helped coined the phrase, Surf Nazi. As legendary surfers Greg Koll and Fred Van Dyke said,” the most radical group of people I have ever meant. They were like wild animals.” …
- Windansea Parking Lot – Before and After Improvements - The Breeze Friends of Windansea have labored with love since 1997 to preserve, protect and enhance Windansea Beach. If the Shack at Windansea Beach is an iconic symbol of California surf culture in San Diego then the Windansea Parking Lot (the lot) is the plaza where that culture happened. Ever since it was only a …
- Winamar Stairs Project – Windansea – La Jolla - Before: Public access to the coast is an integral part of La Jolla’s early planning and charm and a priority of Friends of Windansea. These public access ways thread their way between private development throughout La Jolla and many have fallen into disrepair. Friends saw this tricky drop at the end of the Winamar Public …
- A Plaque for WindanSea Shack: Proof of Historical Designation - A plaque recognizing the Surf Shack at WindanSea beach as a historical landmark has finally been installed — 70 years after the iconic La Jolla shelter was first constructed. The Shack got its historical designation May 27, 1998, but due to the “aloha spirit” of the surfers behind the designation, the plaque was a little …
MAGICAL MOMENT DURING CITY DEDICATION OF SHACK DAY AND WOODIES PADDLE OUT
Heading photo courtesy of Michael Sangiolo