Joyce Hoffman (born 1946/47) is an American
surfer, considered a pioneer in her sport. She is often regarded as the first female international surfing star and was one of the first inductees of the
International Surfing Hall of Fame. In 1968 she became the first woman to surf the
Banzai Pipeline
The Banzai Pipeline, or simply Pipeline or Pipe, is a surf reef break located in Hawaii, off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea on O'ahu's North Shore. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a r ...
in Hawaii.
Born in
Dana Point, California
Dana Point () is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 33,107 at the 2020 census. It has one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and with ready access via State Route 1, it is a po ...
, Hoffman started competing at an early age. She went on to win numerous honors including the US Surfing Championship for Women from 1965–67 and 1971, and the Makaha International Open in 1964 and 1966. In 1965, she was named ''
LA Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' Woman of the Year, making her the only surfer to ever win this honor. Also that year she won the U.S. Women's championship (held in Huntington Beach), the World Championship (held in Lima, Peru) and the International Women's Surfing Championship (held in Makaha).
In 1966 she was voted best woman surfer in the world by the
International Surfing Hall of Fame. Hoffman was also the top vote getter for Surfing Magazine International Hall of Fame Awards in 1966 and 1967. In 1994 she was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame as that year's Woman of the Year; the Walk is in Huntington Beach, California. There is a life-size statue and mural in Dana Point honoring Hoffman.
She has also been a leading female
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
rider.
Hoffman appeared as herself in the June 28, 1965 episode of ''
To Tell the Truth'', receiving two of the four possible votes.
References
*Andrea Gabbard (2000) ''Girl In The Curl: A Century of Women in Surfing''. Seal Press.
External links
Joyce Hoffmanat ''Encyclopedia of Surfing''
American surfers
American female surfers
Living people
1940s births
21st-century American women
{{US-surfing-bio-stub