Pete Smith, ‘Godfather of East Coast Surfing,’ Dies at 86

Pete Smith, sometimes called the “Godfather of Surfing” on the East Coast, has passed away following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 86 years old.

A legend of the sport, and pioneer in early East Coast surfing, Smith began his journey in the waves from a young age. When he was five, he caught the surfing bug.

“My uncle would put me on his 14-foot, 100-pound board with him, and as I got older, he would help me take it out and I’d ride it by myself,” Smith told the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, where he was an inductee. “Eventually, I got strong enough so that I could balance it on my shoulder and control it with my head.” 

Later on, in 1963, Smith would go on to helm the very first surf contest in his hometown, Virginia Beach, VA. The Virginia Beach Surfing Carnival was the precursor to the East Coast Surfing Championships. Smith emceed the inaugural event.

Additionally, Smith and his friend Bob Holland opened the first surf shop on the East Coast: Smith and Holland Surf Shop. According to a shop history:

“Smith would write a letter to the legendary Surfer Magazine heralding the surfing scene in Virginia Beach. John Severson, editor of Surfer at that time, showed the letter to the most popular California surfboard maker of the day, Hobie Alter, who showed up in Virginia Beach and negotiated a deal with Smith and Holland to carry his boards exclusively.”

The legacy and impact of Pete Smith on the early days of surfing on the East Coast cannot be understated. And his friends remembered him for that.

“He was one of the premier surfers here in the beginning,” Nabil Kassir, a friend, told The Virginian Pilot. “Before, there were surfers who used to surf on these wood boards, but he came with his Hobie. He changed the whole thing.”

Rest in peace, legend.