Timed to coincide with the 140th Anniversary of surfing in the Americas, head to the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, to see the unveiling of two new replica o’los by master shaper, Bob Pearson.

An O’lo is a type of traditional Hawaiian surfboard, the largest of the three types used by the Hawaiian people. These boards were reserved exclusively for royalty, and were used for surfing large waves, even tsunamis. They were exceptionally long, up to 6-8 meters (20-26 feet) in length, and were heavy, weighing over 100 pounds each.

In 1885, three Hawaiian princes—David Kawananakoa, Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana’ole, and Edward Keliiahonui crafted redwood o’los, and jumped into the San Lorenzo to make history.

These precisely fashioned replicas will be featured this summer at the MAH’s Princes of Surf exhibition.