SURF | FOIL | KITE | WING | PADDLE
Whether it’s out on the water or in this business, we don’t forget our friends. The knowledge of true practitioners is invaluable, and that is why each MANERA product is only sold through a specialty shop or website. Our decision to support local shops is much more than a sales strategy; it is a commitment to our culture.
The Manera team is stoked on our latest signage install up at SunDiego! Manera value’s these opportunities to work with our dealers to enhance the customer experience and tell our story.
Above you have Award Winning Big Wave surfer and Manera athlete, Justine Dupont having fun in her Seafarer 3.2!
Sun Diego takes great pride in its recognition as the “Best Surf Shop” for nine consecutive times by the San Diego Union Tribune Readers Poll. Additionally, the shop has earned prestigious titles such as “Retailer of the Year” and “Women’s Retailer of the Year,” which were nominated and voted on by industry retailers nationwide and the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA).
With a wide array of products from both well-established and emerging brands, Sun Diego caters to individuals dedicated to the sun and coastal living. From the iconic Carlsbad beaches to the vibrant Opening Day in Del Mar, from the lively Belmont Park in Mission Beach to the picturesque shores of La Jolla, and throughout various areas of San Diego County, Sun Diego has become a go-to destination. The shop takes pride in keeping San Diegans well-informed about the latest trends, ensuring that they have everything they need. Whether customers are out in the water, relaxing on the beach, or enjoying time at a local brewery, Sun Diego extends a warm welcome to all visitors.
Stop by their shop down in Belmont Park, Mission beach #supportlocalsurfshops
The Manera team is stoked on our latest signage install up at Relic Surf Shop! Manera value’s these opportunities to work with our dealers to enhance the customer experience and tell our story. Below you have local cold water surfer and Manera athlete, Pete Devrise ripping his local spots in his MAGMA 5.4.3!
Relic Surf Shop in Ucluelet, British Columbia, was established by Mike and Nicole Bray, who initially operated a retail shop and guesthouse in the early 2000s. Recognizing the opportunity to provide year-round surf rentals and lessons along with surf accessories, they started offering these services through their Inn. In 2008, the Brays joined forces with their long-time friend Derek Hale, who brought valuable experience in the Surf, Skate, and Snowboard industry. Together, they formed Relic Surf Shop (Ucluelet Surf Shop Inc) and officially opened its doors on the May long weekend of 2009, embarking on an exciting journey.
Relic Surf Shop takes pride in its unique mission, evident from the moment visitors step inside. With two families at the helm, the shop is committed to fostering a family-friendly, enjoyable, and knowledgeable environment. They understand that creating a workplace where their staff thrives is crucial for their success and building customer loyalty. Relic aims to provide exceptional service, establishing long-term relationships with customers who can trust their guidance and support. They offer quality products at competitive prices, always on the lookout for great deals. Additionally, Relic Surf Shop is deeply committed to giving back to the community through volunteer work, donations, organizing events, and raising funds for various community projects. It is their dedication to community involvement that truly makes them the “Community’s Surf Shop.”
ProofLab Surf Shop has consistently aimed to establish itself as a premier local destination for surf, skate, and outdoor enthusiasts. Their primary objective is to foster a sense of community and facilitate the connection between individuals and nature, while also providing top-quality equipment for the sports they are passionate about.
Check out the latest Manera Wetsuit Room Build out where our team got to showcase all of our neoprene ranges and tell the Manera story.
#supportlocalshops
“Our mission is to make the best local surf/skate/outdoor shop, focused on community building and connecting people with the outdoors“
ProofLab Surf Shop has gained a reputation for its extensive selection of surf gear, including surfboards, wetsuits, apparel, and accessories. They cater to surfers of all levels, from beginners to experienced riders. The shop offers a wide range of surfboard brands, including both traditional and alternative shapes, ensuring that customers can find the right board for their needs.
Apart from surfboards, ProofLab Surf Shop also stocks a variety of wetsuits suitable for different water temperatures and conditions. We are proud and excited about this growing partnership.
Bing Surfboards was founded in 1959 by Bing Copeland in the South Bay of Los Angeles. The original storefront was right on the strand in Hermosa Beach. It was quite small, with about 15-20 boards in the showroom and the shaping rooms were in the back just behind the register. Back then we didn’t sell any type of clothing or accessories, just surfboards.
There were a few different stores over the first 20 years, but Bing retired and moved his family to Idaho in the late 70’s. The boards were built only as custom orders by Mike Eaton for the next few decades until our current owner and head shaper, Matt Calvani, took over in 2000. Matt reinvigorated the brand immediately and when his now wife, Margaret joined the business, things really started to take off. A new retail store was re-opened in 2011 and we stayed there until 2019 when we moved just down the street to our current store.
We have always thought of ourselves as a global small business since we have less than 20 employees total, but we do business in over 30 countries. We all wear quite a few hats to get the job done every day!
Bing was one of the first surfboard production companies to make the highest quality surfboards available to the public during the surfing boom of the late 50’s and early 60’s. Anyone will tell you that Bing Copeland was a very smart and honest businessman who garnered a ton of respect from his peers and helped the business grow.
Our current head shaper, Matt Calvani, is known to be one of the smartest and most talented shapers of the last 25 years. His ability to pay respect to the Bing brand by carrying on the tradition of high-quality boards built in the USA is only matched by his level of knowledge and ability when it comes to shaping and designing new surfboard models that keep Bing Surfboards relevant on the global stage.
People have always associated our brand with quality, and when you enter the showroom, you notice that right away. Beautiful surfboards line the walls and there is little to no brand advertising anywhere in the store. We like to carry brands that fit the aesthetic and quality level we have for our surfboards. Unlike most big-box stores that look more like a Walmart with endless goods piled high to the ceiling, we buy smaller quantities from companies that tell a great story and deliver beautiful products.
We love when new customers come into the shop, and they are blown away by the range of items we have on offer. Many times, that will start a conversation and a person might leave our shop a bit more educated about surf history, culture, art, or board design. That is a very special feeling. We have always built our customer base through genuine interaction, education, and community.
In a historical sense, we’d have to say the Nuuhiwa Noserider would be the most iconic, but the amount of history that flows through this company is immense. Many very special people have ridden our boards over the years. Some of our newer models like the Continental designed by Mick Rodgers, the Izzy Rider II designed by Israel Preciado, and the Pocket Knife designed by Mele Saili are all contenders to be in that “iconic” category as well. They are a perfect blend of nostalgic yet modern at the same time.
Our business has always been a direct reflection of our community of Leucadia. Matt and Margaret work well over 50 hours a week without fail. Everyone at our factory puts in honest, hard work 7 days a week. Our retail store is known to be somewhere you can come and enjoy the surfing experience no matter what your skill level might be, or if you surf at all. We understand how lucky we are to run a successful brick-and-mortar surf shop, and we’re proud to say we know almost every single person on a first-name basis. No matter how our neighborhood grows and changes, we’ll always just be the local surf shop in the center of town.
Inspired by the untamed beauty of the wilderness, it is for all vagabonds at heart who aspire to boldness and freedom. With a range of stylish and functional pieces designed for the adventurous, this collection exudes passion and vitality. Perfect for those audacious souls needing to stay wild and salty.
WETSUITS
Don’t get cold when it’s warm out there in the Seafarer
BOARDSHORTS
Style on land, performance on water in the Haapiti
WATERWEAR
Never forget the essentials with our Summer Poncho and Bobby Hat.
APPAREL
Stay comfy out of the water in our T-Shirts and Caps.
Jim Cocores, Nick’s father, started Thalia Street Surf Shop so Nick grew up working at the shop and learning the trade. When the time came in 2001, Nick took the reins and began Thalia Surf Shop a few doors down, but on the same street corner. An art gallery opened next door soon after, making opportunities to host for Laguna’s art walk and to bring the community together around the shop. In 2010, Thalia Surf teamed up with Vans and began one of the only few partnership stores that is still going today. The vision of the shop has always been to create a classic but modern surf experience.
The smaller niche brands are what we care about. These are the brands that focus on the quality of the product they are making, rather than the quantity and mass production. They are also usually working with unique artists that bring charisma to the shop when the product hits our shelves.
We have always had this mindset when creating new products for the Thalia Surf label as well: Bringing in local artists, a local screen printer and manufacturers to pass along a true California-made product with a story.
” The vision of the shop has always been to create a classic but modern surf experience. “
There are so many great local shapers that have passed through our shop. Thankfully, they are aware of the history of surfboard building, where it began, and where it can go. We have many vintage boards hanging from the ceiling of the shop from Jim Cocores’ collection to keep us inspired. All the new boards that come in each month reflect the shaper who made them, and the history lessons they have learned along the way.
The surfboards we carry are models shaped and tested by the shapers who make them before we order versions of their crafts. We dig the shapes of the 60s, 70s, 80s and lean towards single fin or twin fin boards whenever we can. The driving factors in how we choose what shapes to carry has to do with whatever trip each shaper is on at the time, and the shapes they are making for the specific waves in each season.
It always made sense to do it ourselves, the DIY spirit. Sean at FSP and Nick have been close friends since the beginning, and that was the next step in the growing process as a company. Expanding production to FSP helped Nick and the crew at the shop focus on other aspects of the company, in order to further tell the story of a local surf shop in Laguna Beach.
” The smaller niche brands are what we care about. These are the brands that focus on the quality of the product they are making, rather than the quantity and mass production. “
The friendly and inspiring community, the everchanging interesting and totally cool staff, just being a block from the beach, and getting to chat about surfing all day.
Just before spring and just after summer. That’s when the crowds thin out, things calm down, and the weather is still heaven. If there is any swell, a medium tide is best for behind the shop out on Thalia Street Beach.
We were looking for a quality wetsuit to sell year-round. We read about the 3-D pattern making of the suits and just had to check it out!
The Seafarer 3.2mm is ideal for California water and can essentially be worn year-round here, whether it’s a cold morning in the summer, or a nice warm day in the winter. It’s a very useful wetsuit. I also heard the hoods and gloves are rad too!
THALIA SURF SHOP
915 S. Coast Hwy,
92651 Laguna Beach, CA
(949) 497-3292
orders@thaliasurf.com
https://thaliasurf.com/
DIRECTIONS
Can you give us a little background on Aqua Surf Shop? How was it started and what’s your vision for it?
We started in 2002 when myself and Aleks Petrovitch bought an existing shop called Aquaholics that was on Sloat Blvd. When we first opened, it was a small operation that we just tried to build every year by taking care of local customers and trying to invest our time into making a shop that was totally approachable to all walks of life. We grew overtime at that location by hosting movie nights, art shows, swap meets, board demos, and throwing parties to support local brands. When we were forced to move from Sloat, we were lucky enough to stay in our roots in the Sunset District and have been at our current location on 44th and Judah for the past six years.
Your shop is located in a pretty iconic spot just off of Ocean Beach in SF. What makes your location special?
Our shop is a short walk from Ocean Beach, an amazing location at the bottom of Golden Gate Park which makes it accessible to all of the Bay Area. When we opened, we were focused on creating a core shop for the community of surfers we belonged to, it just so happened that we had a world class stretch of beach just a few blocks away from our shop’s doors.
“It’s not just the shop’s community, it’s my community as well.”
What is your favorite part about owning a surf shop?
I grew up surfing and it was something I was invested in my whole life. I traveled the world surfing different spots and when the opportunity to own a surf shop presented itself a few years after I graduated from SF State, I thought that it would be a great first business to be a part of. Who would have thought that 20 years later, I would be running the same business in the community that I’m now raising a family in.
How do you feel your business fits/reflects the community?
There’s always been a surf community in Ocean Beach but I feel like over time it’s become even more surf focused. We’ve had a core group of surfers in the Sunset District for many years and we’ve tried to facilitate their needs. At the same time, a lot of them have become friends and we’re still making new friends to this day. We’ve always supported all the local businesses around us because we’ve all lived in the Sunset since the beginning, it’s not just the shop’s community, it’s my community as well.
“We’ve always supported all the local businesses around us.”
When is the best time of the year to visit and surf OB and surrounding beaches?
Ocean Beach’s surf season usually starts in the fall and goes through the winter, anywhere from September to February or March. It all depends on the year because Ocean Beach is one of the most fickle beach breaks in the world as far as the weather and swell directions go.
What are your favorite local surf spots?
My favorite surf spot is in front of my house in the middle of Ocean Beach and having a family and all the responsibilities of life doesn’t take me too far away.
What drew you to offering Manera products in your shop?
When I first heard about Manera, I checked out the product and saw that the neoprene was high quality and saw the good fit achieved by their 3D fitting process. My manager at the time tried the wetsuits out and he really liked the way that they felt and thought they were warm and so we brought them in and they have done well. We’ve gotten good response from long-time customers who have bought them. When people stop me on the beach to tell me how much they like the suit, I guess it’s a good thing.
Can you tell us what your favorite Manera product has been?
My 5/4/3 Hooded Meteor Magma has been a lifesaver on the colder days we’ve been having as of late.
Is there a specific Manera product that your shop employees gravitate towards?
Everyone has been frothing on the new hooded 4/3 X10D.
Is there anything else we should know about Aqua Surf Shop?
We’ve always been a part of the community that we love supporting. It’s been rad seeing the same core surfers that came in 20 years ago start families of their own and seeing a whole new crop of groms on the beach. It’s been a pleasure seeing friend’s kids that are as old as the shop now charging at Ocean Beach.
If you’re in the Bay Area, check out Aqua Surf Shop at:
3847 Judah St, 94122 San Francisco, CA – United States
Phone: (415) 242-9283
Email: info@aquasurfshop.com
Website: https://www.aquasurfshop.com
