By Morgann Rhule, The Invading Sea
For Tom Warnke, surfing is more than a sport or a passion; it’s his life. He caught his first waves on an inflatable mat after moving from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Boynton Beach, Florida, and has since dedicated his time to the ocean, its history, coastal preservation and activism.
“It started with access,” Warnke says about the moment when surfing went from a fun hobby to something more. He was just a teenager when Palm Beach banned surfing, cutting off large parts of the coastline from its community.
Warnke recalls the bad image surfers had in Florida in the 1960s, saying they were seen as “rowdy” kids. His first entry into activism came through working with local surf clubs and organizations to challenge the ban. Their efforts ultimately led the Florida Supreme Court to strike down the ordinance.
“That was so gratifying to me,” he said. “I was part of that group, and I always wanted to improve the image of surfers.”
The fight sparked a passion within him that would greatly influence his life. Soon after, he began volunteering to help organize surfing contests, placing himself at the forefront of Florida’s surfing scene – not just as a wave rider but as a relentless advocate for ocean access and history, environmental protection and cultural preservation.
In 1966, he founded the first surfing organization in Boynton Beach, called the Cripple Creek Surf Club, where he started organizing hundreds of surfing competitions.
“I didn’t realize why I devoted so much time to that (creating the surf club and organizing competitions), but it was because of our early win in protecting the right to go in the ocean,” he said. “Beach access was my first step into activism.”
Three decades later, Warnke founded Florida’s first chapter of the Surfrider Foundation in 1996. The national organization, established in 1984 in Malibu, California, is dedicated to protecting and enjoying the world’s oceans, waves and beaches through an activist network.
Warnke’s early leadership helped spark a wave of coastal advocacy across Florida, which now has the second-most Surfrider chapters worldwide.
“When I started the Surfrider Foundation in Florida, I thought it was going to be for beach access,” he said. “But it turned out that water quality was the main focus.” Over time, the mission expanded to include advocacy around coastal construction, erosion control and the broader importance of preserving oceans and shorelines.
This preservation is vital for surfing, as the unique features of shorelines create prime surf spots.
“When we lose a surf spot, it’s a tragedy,” said Warnke. “Most of the public thinks you can just go to the beach and surf, but that’s not true. The irregularities in the coastline is where the surfing is really good.”
Warnke recalls when the Surfrider Foundation stepped in to help protect one of Florida’s best surf spots: Juno Beach. The reconstruction of Juno Pier in 1999 created excellent surfing conditions but led to tension among the fishermen.
“Fishermen would cast the lead sinkers, three or four ounces of lead out into the water and try to hit the surfers,” he said.
As tensions escalated and arrests followed, it became clear that a solution was needed to keep the peace and protect a surf break that had quickly become one of the best in the area.
“Surfrider Foundation brokered an agreement, and as a result, the county spent $125,000 to accommodate surfing it to Juno Pier, and it’s just been an excellent surf spot for the past 10 or 15 years,” he said.
That win was about local access, but Warnke knows that larger environmental questions loom over the sport’s future. As climate change continues to reshape coastlines, there’s growing concern about what it might mean for surfing in the long term.
Still, Warnke remains optimistic.
“We want to protect the surf spots that we have, but I don’t think those will be destroyed by environmental forces,” he said.
This perspective is shaped by Warnke’s decades of experience. He is a key figure in East Coast surfing, having spent over 40 years as a district director for the Eastern Surfing Association, and is currently a board member.
As the executive director of the Palm Beach County Surfing History Project and the Surfing Florida Museum, he actively documents surf culture and works to preserve the stories of Florida’s surfers.
Since 2021, he has also served as archive coordinator for the Delray Beach Historical Society. And as a historian, he gives lectures about the history and heritage of surfing.
But beyond the high-profile projects and environmental wins, Warnke measures impact in a quieter, more personal way.
“My volunteer work,” he said about his most impactful projects. For him, it’s not the headlines or the recognition that matter most — it’s the countless behind-the-scenes hours spent organizing, educating and building community.
His legacy, he believes, lives in the small, consistent efforts that have added up over decades: mentoring young surfers, preserving local history and showing up, time and again, simply because it matters.
“About 10 years ago, one of our volunteers asked me how many hours I spent doing different things, and they figured I had done more than 10,000 hours of volunteer work, and that was 10 years ago,” he said.
Last year, Wanke earned a prestigious milestone by being inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, a testament to his incredible contributions and influence in the surfing community.
“Even though I’m a good surfer, I’m not a professional. All that volunteer work, I think, was the reason why I was inducted into a hall of fame, so I’m proud of that,” he said.
Morgann Rhule is a senior majoring in multimedia journalism at Florida Atlantic University who is reporting for The Invading Sea during the spring 2025 semester. Banner photo: Tom Warnke surfing (Photo courtesy of Tom Warnke).
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