Early surf pioneer Mickey Munoz statue to be unveiled mid-May at Watermen’s Plaza

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OC Register Article by Laylan Connelly | lconnelly@scng.com | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: May 7, 2026 at 7:12 AM PDT

Mickey Munoz flexes during a stand-up paddleboard race named after him in the Dana Point Harbor about a decade ago. (File photo by Laylan Connelly/SCNG)

Early surfing pioneer Mickey Muñoz, still shredding at age 88, will be honored this month with a life-size bronze statue in Dana Point, the latest addition to the Watermen’s Plaza.

Muñoz, a Capistrano Beach surfer who started riding waves at age 10, was one of the first to take on the big swells at Waimea Bay in Hawaii in 1957 as the sport was gaining popularity.

Muñoz was featured in the 1960 debut issue of Surfer Magazine, created by fellow Watermen’s Plaza inductee John Severson, and was a stunt double for Sandra Dee in the 1959 movie “Gidget.” He was the runner-up in the 1962 and 1963 West Coast Championships and third in the 1964 United States Championships.

Muñoz invented stances such as “mysterious,” “el telephono” and, most famously, the “quasimodo,” a unique move that earned him notoriety among the stylists of the era.

In his later years, he was one of the early adapters of stand-up paddling. He helped lead an event held for years at Dana Point Harbor to promote safety in the growing sport.

Mickey Munoz, of Capistrano Beach, shows off a Hobie Mirage Eclipse, a paddle board propelled by leg power, during the seventh Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup in 2016. (File photo: Ken Steinhardt/SCNG)

The Watermen’s Plaza pays homage to wave riders, artists, innovators and athletes who have made an impact on the surf scene in Dana Point and beyond.

Muñoz’s statue will be the latest to join the collection, alongside tributes to other iconic surf industry men and women who made their mark in Dana Point.

They include innovator Hobie Alter, filmmaker Bruce Brown, champion surfer Phil Edwards, tandem surfers Steve and Barrie Boehne, champion Joyce Hoffman and brothers Walter and Philip Hoffman.

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This year, Dana Point announced the addition of Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison, whose statue will be unveiled in 2027.