Archival photographs only partially convey Spyder Surf’s contributions to the Beach Cities over the past, nearly five decades. Former pro surfer and shaper Dennis Jarvis founded Spyder Surf in what had been a liquor store on Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach in 1983. Jarvis’ wide ranging interests extended from shaping surfboards for top pros, to providing surf instruction on Hollywood productions, including “Point Break,” “Blue Crush,” and “The David Letterman Show.”
In the summer of 2019, when Teen Choice took over Hermosa Beach, Jarvis shaped and airbrushed the surfboard trophy presented to a then little known singer named Taylor Swift.
Jarvis soon recognized he needed a business manager, and formed a partnership with former Spyder team rider and recent USC English graduate Dickie O’Reilly.
Together they built two more stylish stores, making Spyder Surf the Nordstrom of surfing. As well as Best of the Beach Surf Shop, Spyder has frequently been voted Best of the Beach Men’s Clothing Shop. Countless Mira Costa and Redondo high students have learned about supply and demand working at Spyder stores, or what rightfully should be called the O’Reilly School of Business.
In 2013, when the high school surf league collapsed, O’Reilly formed the South Bay Scholastic Surfing Association, turning rudderless surfers into student athletes. The league has grown to include 12 high schools under O’Reilly’s leadership.
After the South Bay Boardriders Club was founded in 2009, Spyder became the title sponsor for the club’s annual, championship King and Queen of the Beach Contest at the Manhattan Beach pier. Spyder also sponsors other local contests, including the Jimmy Miller Surf Fest, and the Redondo Police Line-up contest. Spyder’s sponsorships have been instrumental in the development of young surfers, in particular female surfers.
Spyder Fest, held on Pier Plaza following the annual Hermosa Beach Surfer Walk of Fame inductions, has become one of Hermosa’s signature events. And as the largest retailer in downtown Hermosa Beach, Spyder Surf has been instrumental in protecting Hermosa’s downtown character. Last month Jarvis and O’Reily organized downtown merchants in seeking legislative protection from malicious Americans With Disabilities (ADA) lawsuits, which have plagued small businesses, Statewide, for over two decades. ER
Spyder Surfboards 2461 Pacific Coast Hwy. Hermosa Beach (310) 374-8276
65 Pier Avenue (on the Plaza) Hermosa Beach (310) 374-2494
1116 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach. (310) 318-2289
spydersurf.com
