Tom Blake (1902- 1994) was an American waterman, inventor, and writer, widely considered to be one of the most influential surfers in history, and a key figure in transforming surfing from a regional Hawaiian specialty to a nationally popular sport. He's considered by some as the founder of California surf culture. He was among the first to experiment with surfboard design, camera water housings and wrote one of the first books Hawaiian Surfboard (1935) describing the pleasures of surfing in.