OC Legend Nominated For Surfing Hall Of Fame

OC Legend Nominated For Surfing Hall Of Fame
Skill Johnson

OCEAN CITY- Ocean City surfing legend and groundbreaker Skill Johnson has been nominated for induction into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame as one of the pioneers of the sport.

Johnson, a Stephen Decatur graduate, began surfing in Ocean City in 1963 along with his brothers Al and Carl and founded the original Ocean City Surf Club the same year. Johnson and his brothers helped introduce surfing in Ocean City and on the east coast at a time when it was largely a California and west coast craze.

Johnson was a standout Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) competitor throughout the mid-Atlantic region in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was a member of the Hobie team from 1964 to 1966 and the Weber team from 1967 to 1972. In 1967, he reached the semifinals in the Atlantic States championships against some of the top surfers from California at the time. In 1968 and 1970, Johnson was the men’s champ at the Middle Atlantic Surfing Championship and master’s champion in the ESA championships in 1973.

Johnson moved to Hawaii in 1974 and quickly became involved in the surfing scene there. Over the last few decades, Johnson has taught surfing, directed and produced surf contests and emceed many of the major surfing events in Hawaii. He currently lives in Florida and returns a few times a year to his native Ocean City where family members still live.

Johnson has been nominated for induction into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame under the pioneer division. The winners will be announced in September and the inductions will take place in January.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.