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SURF 'S UP
FROM LEFT: Bill, Stanley, and Dudley Whitman with other surfers at Daytona Beach, Florida, circa 1934.
In the early 1930s, surfing wasn't really a
thing in South Florida. That is, until Bill Whitman,
the older brother of Bal Harbour Shops
founder, Stanley Whitman, took a trip to
Hawaii and witnessed the sport firsthand. Bill
and Stanley, along with their younger brother,
Dudley, were fanatical belly boarders, but when
Bill returned raving about surfing, they all
learned how to ride a wave. In their parents'
garage, they built solid redwood surfboards
that weighed more than 75 pounds, and later
transitioned to lighter hollow boards that
were closer to 30 pounds, 18 feet long, and
tapered to a fine point at each end.
To catch big waves, they drove to
Melbourne and Daytona Beach, where the surf
was better than in Miami, and met up with a
dozen serious surfers. Eventually, Bill and
Dudley were inducted into the Surfing Hall of
Fame. According to Stanley, their surfing
abilities were equal but his brothers neglected
to submit his name.
flashback
BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M
