Bing Surfboards
Leucadia has always felt like one of those sleepy coastal enclaves where time hangs suspended just before dawn—the streets still quiet, the smell of salt in the air, and the Pacific waiting at the end of every road. For decades, this pocket of North County San Diego has been a haven for surfers chasing something more than just waves: a sense of identity, rebellion, and community. Unlike neighboring towns that grew polished with time, Leucadia clung to its bohemian, barefoot spirit. Surf shops weren’t just retail spaces—they were temples of local culture, part clubhouse, part workshop, part waypoint for every surfer making their morning pilgrimage to the sea.
It was into this landscape that Bing Surfboards found its way, carrying with it a deep-rooted heritage in shaping the sport. Founded in 1959 by Bing Copeland, the brand quickly rose to prominence during the golden age of surfing. Bing boards were ridden by legends—most famously David Nuuhiwa, whose nose-riding mastery in the 1960s put Bing’s longboards at the forefront of style and innovation. From the classic Nuuhiwa Noserider to the sleek Pintail Lightweight, Bing became synonymous with craftsmanship and progressive design. Surfers across California—and eventually across the globe—looked to Bing for boards that captured both performance and artistry.
Bringing that legacy into Leucadia was more than just a business move; it was a homecoming of sorts. The town’s eclectic soul, with its mix of roadside fruit stands, art galleries, and weathered surf bungalows, matched perfectly with Bing’s ethos. The shop in your photograph glows like a lantern in the quiet hours, a reminder that surf culture isn’t only about chasing daylight waves but also about the ritual—the pause before dawn, the anticipation, the knowledge that boards like these carry decades of lineage in every curve of fiberglass.
Today, Bing Surfboards continues to honor tradition while pushing design forward, crafting boards that feel at once timeless and modern. In Leucadia, it anchors a piece of California’s surfing past while still shaping its future. Just as dawn patrol surfers slip down the sidewalks in the half-light, passing storefronts like this one, they are part of a continuum that ties today’s ride to the pioneers who first paddled out with a Bing beneath their feet.
Bing Surfboards
974 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
