Gear for surf and sun, still made in the US 

The story of Lightning Bolt goes hand in hand with the history of surfing in the last 40 years.

During the late 1960’s there was a rapid transition from longboards to shortboards and big companies couldn’t build boards six months in advance and stockpiling obsolete boards. This shortboard revolution gave local Honolulu shapers an opportunity - and it gave Lightning Bolt its start.

Gerry Lopez and Jack Shipley started Lightning Bolt Surfboards in the summer of 1972 in Honolulu, designing high performance shortboards. Lopez created the simple but eyecatching Lightning Bolt jag and every surfer in 1970’s wanted one. It was also the first brand to sponsor team riders with free boards, turning it into one of the biggest underground ad campaigns in surfing history. Lightning Bolt surfboards were being ridden by most of the best surfers in the world.

To this day, Lighnting Bolt boards are sought after in the world of surf collectors, with some rare boards fetching up to $15,000, and the brand is still recognized all over the globe, as one of the genuine surf brands, with a real heritage in grass roots surfing.

From this heritage to the present, Lightning Bolt continue to focus on quality, originality and design, inspired by the true spirit of surf and its riders’ lifestyle. “Hell or High Waters” - the eternal chase of the big wave...