Left, the original design of the statue in Santa Cruz. Right, Capitola Beach, California. Photo: Santa Cruz County//Jairo Gonzalez//Unsplash
The City of Capitola, California voted to approve a female surfer statue to be built along the beach at Esplanade Park. According to an article in KSBW 8, the city approved the plans last Tuesday, July 21, and launched a fundraiser to pay for the construction.
The project, meant to mirror the iconic male surfer statue standing on Santa Cruz’s West Cliff Drive since 1992, was originally proposed to be built on the East Side of the city in a location called the “dirt farm” near the famed Jack O’Neill house.
However, pushback from residents led project leaders to scrap the plans and look for a new location in neighboring Capitola. Kari Lochhead, who came up with the idea, has said it’s a way to honor the legacy of women’s surfing in Santa Cruz.
It’s unclear if the scope of the project proposed in Santa Cruz will remain the same for the new location in Capitola. Originally, the statue was to stand 18 feet tall, feature a female surfer standing in front of a longboard, and have three benches around it.
