Sunny Photographs That Show Just How Far Out Beach Life Was In ’70s

A couple shows off their chopper bike near the water’s edge on Daytona Beach, Florida, circa 1970.

Jean-yves Ruszniewski / Getty Images

A look back at summer at the beach during the 1970s, presented by Getty Images.

More info: Getty Images (h/t: buzzfeed)

Arnold Schwarzenegger admires the muscles of another bodybuilder at Muscle Beach in Los Angeles, 1977.

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

A woman (left) roller-skates, and a group of girls (right) get ready for a skate, at Venice Beach, California, 1979.

Getty Images

Rock band the Runaways pose for a portrait on the Los Angeles beach in 1976. From left: Cherie Currie, Joan Jett, Sandy West, Jackie Fox, and Lita Ford.

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

An aerial view of Santa Monica Beach, California, circa 1970.

Baron Wolman / Getty Images

A group of friends take a break from roller-skating at Venice Beach, 1979.

Waring Abbott / Getty Images

Edmund Sylvers (left) of the R&B group the Sylvers, poses for a portrait on the Los Angeles beach in 1978, and a woman (right) roller-skates on Venice Beach in 1979.

Getty Images

A group of roller skaters on the shores of Venice Beach, 1979.

Waring Abbott / Getty Images

A surfer catches a California wave in 1978.

Warren Bolster / Getty Images

A gay couple (left) kiss naked on a California beach, circa 1970. British actress and television presenter Floella Benjamin (right) poses on the beach in 1977.

Getty Images

Nudist sunbathers at the Devil’s Slide Beach in San Mateo County, California, circa 1974.

Robert Altman / Getty Images

A group of kids arrive at the Los Angeles beach in a Volkswagen Beetle with a body made of ornate steel, circa 1970.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive

Crowds of beachgoers enjoy the sun at Deerfield Beach, Florida, 1976.

Archive Photos / Getty Images

A pair of surfers (left) pack their surfboards into their car near Byron Bay, Australia, in 1974. Two people (right) embrace on the beach at Jacob Riis Park in Brooklyn, 1974.

Getty Images

People arrive at Old Orchard Beach, Maine, to show off their motorcycles in 1978.

Spencer Grant / Getty Images

A pair of kids from Ohio rest on their motorcycles after arriving at Daytona Beach in 1975.

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive

A beach patrol officer sits in a patrol car at Nauset Beach in Orleans, Massachusetts, in 1972.

Boston Globe / Getty Images

A man takes in the view of the beach in Los Angeles, 1979.

Waring Abbott / Getty Images

A pair of young women sunbathe at Coney Island in 1977.

Carl Mydans / Getty Images

Children play on the shore at Jacob Riis Park in 1974.

Smith Collection / Getty Images

A beachgoer soaks up the sun in Malibu, 1970.

Co Rentmeester / Getty Images

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

Award-Winning Street Photos from The Independent Photographer Awards 2025

Nikon Small World 2019: The Best Microscope Photos Of The Year

2016 Nikon Small World Photo Contest Winners

Vintage Photographs of Christine Keeler Posing in a Swimsuit on a Beach in Spain and France, 1963

Golden Globes 2020: Discover The Sumptuous Portraits Of The Winners

Art of Science 2011 Gallery

Whimsical Photos of Everyday Objects Playfully Reimagined Through the Eyes of a Child

Spectacular Winning Photos from the Capture the Dark 2025 Photo Contest

"People In Cars": Candid Photos Of Drivers In Los Angeles In The 1970s

Heartwarming Photographs Capture The Bond Between Homeless People & Their Pets

2016 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Winners

When He Said "Jump...": The Most Influential Images Of All Time Captured By The Photographer Philippe Halsman

Las Muertas: Deadly Beauties Pose In Colorful Tribute To Day Of The Dead

Spectacular Award-Winning Black and White Photos from the 2025 reFocus Photography Awards

Spectacular Winning Photos From The 2025 International Aerial Photo Awards

The Blinged-Out Work Trucks Of Japan Photographed By Todd Antony

"Vulnerable": Photography Book's Beautiful Portraits of Indigenous Peoples from Ethiopia to Remote Russia and Myanmar

Natalia Vodianova for Jalouse, July-August 2012

This Pilot Takes Amazing Images Of Area 51 While Skirting Restricted Airspace

Gorgeous Photos Of Classic Beauties Taken From Between The 1940s And 1960s By Philippe Halsman

A Human Science Teacher Who Is Passionate About Capturing The Human Condition In The Streets

No More Nightmares: Kids Show Monsters who’s Boss!

Spectacular Winning Photos from the Mangrove Photography Awards 2025

Retro Studio Portrait Photos Show What Men’s Hairstyles Looked Like in the 1970s

15 Rare Photos Taken With The First Ever Kodak Photo Camera

Beach Bunny Bride

Rare and Amazing Photographs of Warsaw, Poland From the 1850s

The Most Epic Entries From The 2016 National Beard And Moustache Competition

This Instagram Account Documents a World of Anonymous Street Style in New York

This Brilliant Dad Shoots Classic Pictures Of His Daughter Inspired From Old Oil-Paintings