Three surfers who have made their marks in the surf world are about to leave their mark in Huntington Beach.
World champion and Olympic gold medalist Caroline Marks, surf photographer Tom Servais and Huntington Beach local stand-out surfer Dwight Dunn will be inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame this summer, adding their hands, feet and signature to concrete just across from the famed Huntington Beach Pier.
Marks, originally from Florida but who now calls San Clemente home, is no stranger to accolades in recent years. The surfer rose quickly up the ranks on the amateur series and won the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, before joining the elite World Tour at just 17 years old.
Just a few years later, she would win her first World Surf League championship title at Lower Trestles in 2023, followed by a gold medal at Paris 2024, which was her second Olympic appearance.
Along with getting her spot in the Surfers’ Hall of Fame, she is also receiving “Waterperson of the Year” from the Surf Industry Members Association at its Waterman’s Ball in June.
Joining Marks is another Florida-raised surfer, Servais, who recalled being mesmerized by the surfing craze when it hit in the early ’60s.
Growing up, he enjoyed fishing off the piers along Miami Beach, his mom dropping him off in the morning. He’d spend hours watching the surfers below ride waves, and when he got his first subscription to Surfer Magazine, he says he knew he wanted to join the wave riders in the water.
In 1973, Servais drove to California for a surf trip and while the waves took up much of his time, he took college classes, including the photography classes that would end up getting him a job in the Surfer Magazine darkroom, alongside iconic photographer Art Brewer.
Servais spent 20 years shooting for Surfer Magazine and doing commercial work for surf industry companies and eventually, in the late 1990s, started to freelance his work, a job that allowed him to spend most months of the year traveling.
Dunn started surfing with his brothers, Paul and Jack, in 1967 and a few years later, at 16, started riding for Infinity Surfboards, where a year later he got a job.
He earned several more sponsorships and landed in a few magazine ads, scoring a full-page photo in Surfer Magazine in 1976.
In 1979, Dunn partnered with Carl Hayward to launch Carl Hayward Surfboards, while also glassing boards for Hurley, Infinity, Hawk, Surfside Sports, HSS and other brands.
It was in 1983 when Dunn started working closely with Bob Hurley, first in the shaping room, then as Hurley was starting up Billabong USA.
When Hurley decided to start his own label in 1999, Dunn joined and worked there for 18 years. He retired in 2017, but is still involved in the surf industry as an investor in IPD Clothing.
The Surfers’ Hall of Fame was created in 1997 by Huntington Surf & Sport owner Aaron Pai, who wanted a way to recognize wave riders who have contributed to the sport, culture and lifestyle of surfing.
The first batch of inscribed plaques were placed inside the surf shop, but in recent years they have been placed in the small plaza in front, around a bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku, considered the modern-day father of surfing.
There are nearly 100 surfers who have been recognized through the years, the list including world champions to local surfers who have made a difference in Orange County communities.
The induction ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on Aug. 1 at the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in front of Huntington Surf and Sport.