Beachgoers walk south on Swami’s Beach in Encinitas. Don Hansen set up shop not far from Swami’s. (Photo by Thomas Murphy/Times of San Diego)

The founder of one of Southern California’s most beloved surf shops, Don Hansen of Hansen Surfboards, has died at the age of 89, the company announced Thursday.

Hansen founded his surf shop in 1961, where he became known for his surfboard shaping skills. He died over the weekend, a company memorial said. A paddle-out will be scheduled at a later date.

“Don was a pioneer in surfing, an innovator, a competitor in the sky and an adventurer on land,” according to a post on the company’s Facebook page. “But beyond his range of accomplishments, he will be remembered most for his kindness, his mentorship and the way he made people feel seen and believed in.”

Born in Redfield, South Dakota in 1936, Hansen was first introduced to surfing by two fellow students at the University of South Dakota who had left Southern California to study in the Great Plains. Hansen packed up and left the Dakotas to begin his career on the waves in Coronado.

After a stint in the army, he would eventually land in Santa Cruz, where he apprenticed under surfing legend Jack O’Neill. During this time period, he would “continue to hone his craft and shape for other notable surfing icons such as Hobie (Alter) and (Hap) Jacobs, before making the ultimate surfing pilgrimage,” his company said.

That would be to the surfing capital of the North Shore of Oahu, where Hansen headed in 1961. There he founded Hansen Surfboards in a small shack at the end of a dirt road.

While in Hawaii, Hansen also proved he could ride the waves, winning the Tandem National Surfing Championships and placing second at the Makaha Tandem Surfing World Championships. His accomplishments earned hi a spot on the cover of Surfer Magazine.

Hansen later moved his business to Cardiff-by-the-Sea, where he found an exploding market for surfboards in the 1960s. He created some of his most iconic models of boards in this period, including the 50-50, Competitor, Classic, and Superlight, all of which are still in production.

In the 1970s, Hansen expanded to a retail business on South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, not far from Swami’s Beach, one of the most popular spots for surfers. It remains the largest surf shop in San Diego County and is still family owned and operated. A tag atop the retail site reads “65 years of family.”

“Above all, Don was a family man,” the company tribute to its founder read. “His greatest pride lived in the people closest to him and the life he built alongside them. Don’s legacy will leave a lasting impression on this community he loved so much. His story is carried forward in them through the traditions he started and the love he gave so fully.”

Hansen is survived by wife Shirley, children Christian, Heidi and Josh and grandchildren Makena, Jack and Saylor.