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Surfing. It defines Cornwall’s identity today as much as pasties and ice cream. And now a bold new exhibition celebrates a century of wave-riding on our shores. SURF! chronicles Cornwall’s surfing evolution through 100 remarkable boards – from vintage wooden bellyboards to cutting-edge eco designs – and so much more. Step inside the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, and you’ll be sucked into the wave-lashed vortex of ‘Kernowfornia’, and leave riding high on the surf culture that’s transformed our 422-mile coastline.

Avid surfer or total novice? Doesn’t matter. SURF! takes you deep into the salty roots of surfing in Cornwall – from the early pioneers including Gwyn Haslock, to today’s rising stars like Lukas Skinner. The exhibition is packed with surfboards, wetsuits, vintage posters, wild stories and world-firsts. There’s even a record-breaking 37-foot surfboard made in Newquay.

The museum has gone all in, recreating Newquay’s original Bilbo Surf Shop from the ’60s – the beating heart of the Cornish surf boom. You can even step inside a vintage 1965 VW campervan; it’s like time-travelling straight to the golden era of surf. There’s also swimwear and wetsuits from the ’30s to the ’60s (hello rubber chic), classic surf mags, and iconic photography capturing wave-chasers doing their thing on Cornish beaches long before Instagram.

Check out boards ridden by global champions like Charlotte Banfield and Robyn Davies, and soak up the rebellious energy of Surfers Against Sewage with archive protest gear, powerful photography, and a towering six-metre wave sculpture made from recycled plastic bottles. And if you’re into surf art? You’re in luck. There are boards handpainted by Damien Hirst, Polly Morgan, Paul Smith and more – plus a poetry-carved wooden board by master craftsman James Otter.

SURF! isn’t just about nostalgia – it’s about the culture, craft and activism that makes Cornwall’s surf scene so powerful. From surf therapy and adaptive surfing to ocean conservation, the exhibition dives deep into how surfing has become both a way of life and a force for change. Curated by local surf academic and wave-chaser Dr. Sam Bleakley, SURF! is the most comprehensive collection of Cornish surf culture ever assembled – with rare boards and artefacts loaned from across the UK, many never shown before.

Open now and running until January 2027, there’s no better excuse to make Falmouth your next destination for a day out. Take a look at our Local’s Guide to Falmouth for plenty more to see, eat and do while you’re there – but we reckon you’ll be talking about this exhibition long after the tide goes out.

Go see it – and ride the stoke.

National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Discovery Quay, Falmouth
Now open until January 2027
⏰ Open daily, 10am–5pm (closed 24–26 Dec)
️ Adults £18.50, Children £9.50, Under 5s free
 www.nmmc.co.uk