The surf world lost a gem this week when Glen De Witt, the longtime owner and guiding force behind Rainbow Fin Co., suddenly passed. Much-loved, he spent decades making the fins that quietly shaped how generations of surfers rode waves. The De Witt family announced Glen’s passing on August 12.
A Life Built Around Surfing
For more than half a century, Rainbow Fin Co. was much more than a fin manufacturer. It was a living link to surfing’s past, and Glen De Witt was one of the people who kept that connection alive.
Rainbow Fin Co. traces its roots to 1968, when a group of young Santa Cruz surfers began building fins to supply the growing surf industry. Over the decades, the company evolved along with surfing, producing everything from early shortboard fins during the twin-fin revolution to longboard templates that became synonymous with the classic single-fin experience.
Glen eventually became the face of the company and helped transform Rainbow into one of the industry’s enduring independent manufacturers. While the surf world became increasingly dominated by large international brands, Rainbow remained a family operation rooted in Santa Cruz. Rainbow fins were recognizable from across a lineup: colorful, carefully crafted and built with an appreciation for both function and aesthetics.
“I want to personally thank each and everyone one who has bought a RFC fin over the last 50 years. I love what I do and I am proud to share my quality products with you,” wrote Glen in 2018 when Rainbow celebrated its 50th anniversary.
More Than Just Longboard Fins
The company’s history stretched well beyond longboards. Rainbow manufactured fins for shortboards, windsurfing, kiteboarding, wakeboarding, kayaking and stand-up paddleboards, and even produced components for sailboats and research submarines. But it was in the longboard world that Glen and Rainbow became particularly beloved.
As surfing rediscovered the beauty of traditional single-fin boards, Rainbow’s templates found their way beneath the feet of surfers who valued trim, glide and the subtle art of positioning a board on a wave. Glen also understood that a surfboard fin could be more than a functional piece of equipment. Rainbow’s colorful designs became part of the visual language of classic surfing, with vintage templates continually being brought back to life.
Keeping the Family Business Alive
Through it all, Rainbow remained a family affair. Glen and his wife, Kathy, worked alongside their daughter, Sarah, continuing to manufacture, test and develop fins around Santa Cruz. In an industry that has changed almost beyond recognition since 1968, Glen De Witt represented something increasingly rare: a surf-industry lifer who stayed close to the craft, the customers and the culture. Rainbow Fin Co. wasn’t simply his business. It was his contribution to surfing, and a reminder that sometimes the smallest pieces of equipment leave the biggest impact.
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