Mike Morgan RIP

On June 4th Huntington Beach mainstay and longtime surf commentator Mike Morgan passed away. In the immediate days following his death, news of the 44-year-old’s untimely passing sent shockwaves throughout the surfing community, especially in his Orange County stomping grounds.

Like a lot of surfers that grew up in the Long Beach/Seal Beach area, Morgan was first immersed in the surf biz working behind the counter at Harbour Surfboards. He spent his high school years splitting time between being an all-star football player and nurturing his burgeoning passion for riding waves. But as longtime friend Chris Sardelis recalls, “He was always a surfer at heart, he never hung with the jocks and cheerleaders. The football coach told him that surfing was going to ruin his life, but boy was he wrong.”

A member of the 1980 NSSA National Team, Morgan went on to become an integral part of Chuck Dent Surfboards as well as a coach and overall proponent of youth surfing, until eventually he became the voice of just about any and every surf event that came through Southern California. Renowned for his ability to keep the commentary coming even through the longest lulls, Morgan spent over 20 years on the mic. Any surfer that ever ran into him in the lineup can attest to his ability to initiate a long-winded conversation, then snag the biggest, best set wave of the day. He was without question a shining example of just how great the surfing life can be.

An autopsy is being conducted. The cause of Morgan’s death is therefore still unknown at the time of this writing.

A memorial paddle-out is scheduled for 11:00 am on Saturday on the south side of the Huntington Pier. The lineup won’t be the same without him.