Philip Hoffman

Philip Rube Hoffman, nicknamed Flippy, was an American big wave surfing pioneer and businessman born in Glendale, California, in 1930. He began surfing at San Onofre and in 1953 was one of the first surfers to brave the outer reefs of the North Shore of Oahu. While not surfing he worked as an abalone fisherman, and in the late 1950s he helped run the family textile company Hoffman California Fabrics with his brother Walter, which became important in making surf apparel. He worked with board designers including Mickey Munoz, Hobie Alter and Bob Simmons to improve surfboard design. He and Walter were honored in the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame in 2006, and bronze statues of the brothers were unveiled in Dana Point in 2025. He died in 2010.