Aqua East Surf Shop was opened in 1973 by surfer/skater Sandy Forsyth who was 19 at the time. Sandy started surfing in the summer of 8th grade in 1967 on a 9'6 Velzy that he bought from a department store.
Yes, back then there were few surf shops, but surfboards were carried in some men's clothing, hardware, and department stores that were located in coastal cities. A few years later during the short board evolution Sandy started building surfboards in his parent's garage and on April 1, 1973 he opened Aqua East Surf Shop in a small store about the size of a bedroom. Sandy soon found that building boards and running a shop did not leave much time for surfing and skating so he stopped building boards to concentrate on making his store the best possible and allowing him more time to surf, skate and test the product.
Sandy’s vision kept growing and growing until, in the summer of 1988, Sandy opened his superstore in Neptune Beach and then in August of 1999 Sandy opened a superstore in St. Augustine Beach, the two stores well known today in Northeast Florida.
Over the years Sandy had added other sports that he and his employee's enjoy: Snowboarding, Kayaking, and Wakeboarding. Aqua East has always supported the sports they love. We actively participate in ESA, Surf Rider Foundation, Wave Masters, public skateparks and more. Sandy always said these are the sports that have been good to us and we need to give back. He is no longer with us but his legacy continues through his family and the great staff here at Aqua East.
© 2024 Aqua East Surf Shop.