Tab Hunter darkened his hair and Peter Brown lightened his in order to better match the athletes who did the actual surfing for them.
Those shots of Fabian, Peter Brown and Tab Hunter--photographed from mid-chest up--riding their surfboards were actually shot on a sound stage at Columbia Studios. The actors balanced on Radio Flyer wagons in front of a rear-projection screen showing ocean waves. Assistants then sprayed them with water while maneuvering the wagons to give the desired effect.
Fabian shaved off his chest hair in order to give his torso a smooth look for his many "beefcake" scenes.
The Tab Hunter character "Steamer Lane" was named for the world-class surfing spot in Santa Cruz, Calif. Surfing pioneer Jack O'Neill tested and improved his invention, the neoprene wetsuit, at Steamer Lane in the '50s. The O'Neill Coldwater Classic competition has attracted the world's top surfers to The Lane annually since 1987, with a $425,000 prize purse in 2012.