Mike Mulkey the
SURFER
Mike loves to surf and fully expects that when heaven comes calling he will be able to paddle out into perfect waves.
Mike grew up in southern California in the 1960s with a father who was a surfing pioneer from the Malibu era and one of the early members of the renowned San Onofre Surfing Club. The tight-knit community of friends Mike grew up with gathered daily at the beach, constantly anticipating the next big south swell. When it hit, pandemonium erupted.
The surfing culture Mike grew up with soon clashed with his adult career when he relocated to Silicon Valley in 1990 to participate in the birth of the internet. Mike launched Surfing for Balance in Silicon Valley in 2014 to blog about his struggle to stay afloat amidst all the chaos of managing a job, his family, and his health.
While learning to brave the icy waters of northern California’s Steamer Lane as a release valve from the pressure of his job, Mike launched on a quest to find the perfect wave in heaven.
Surfing in Heaven
Surfing in Heaven. An outrageous thought… Or is it?
Surfing in Heaven chronicles a significant portion of Mike’s life as a surfer in California, spanning from the 1960s to late 2024. The story unfolds through eight distinct “waves,” each capturing a key theme that brought Mike closer to the dream of riding perfect waves in Heaven.
Surfing Malibu 1949
The picture on the cover of surfingforbalance.com is the only picture Mike had of his father, Jack B Mulkey, surfing. It was taken at Malibu circa 1949 by Doc Ball. Here is the original photo.
Jack is riding a 10’9″ Bob Simmons Plywood Foam Sandwich.
Mark Brown Digital Arts did the wonderful recoloring work of this photo.
The Greatest Generation
This website is dedicated to Jack for all the wonderful lessons in life Mike learned from him through the sport of surfing. More on that era at Malibu and “The Greatest Generation”.
In photo: Father, son, & grandson (R to L) in front of a Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft at the Peal Harbor Aviation Museum. (Dad flew in the gunner position off the USS Saratoga in WWII).
