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The Secret Worlds and Subcultures of Surfing

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Surfing is rife with stereotypes of laid-back, tanned athletes in tropical locales. But go beyond the surface and you’ll find some of the most interesting subcultures in sport, from bike-and-surf gangs to teenage girls who ride in Bangladesh. Not to mention, where there are waves to ride, there is very often someone who has tried, no matter how unusual the location. Surfer, designer, and illustrator Andrew Groves gathered unexpected imagery of these dedicated wave-hunters (plus board-shapers and artists) for Surf Odyssey, a new coffee table book. The result is an atypical surf book that’s more than just nice to look at (though it is that, too). Featuring some of the best photographers in the world, Surf Odyssey dives deep into the secret worlds that develop around a passion for waves. Photo: Lee’s mesmerizing, balletic images of surfers and swimmers above and below the water are shaped by her own childhood growing up by the sea and by her adult life as a surfer and long-distance swimmer. Many of her photographs are shot through with vibrant, jewel-like colors that amplify the elegance of the figures as they drift through their adopted aquatic home.

Surfing is rife with stereotypes of laid-back, tanned athletes in tropical locales. But go beyond the surface and you’ll find some of the most interesting subcultures in sport, from bike-and-surf gangs to teenage girls who ride in Bangladesh. Not to mention, where there are waves to ride, there is very often someone who has tried, no matter how unusual the location.

Surfer, designer, and illustrator Andrew Groves gathered unexpected imagery of these dedicated wave-hunters (plus board-shapers and artists) for Surf Odyssey, a new coffee table book. The result is an atypical surf book that’s more than just nice to look at (though it is that, too). Featuring some of the best photographers in the world, Surf Odyssey dives deep into the secret worlds that develop around a passion for waves.

Photo: Lee’s mesmerizing, balletic images of surfers and swimmers above and below the water are shaped by her own childhood growing up by the sea and by her adult life as a surfer and long-distance swimmer. Many of her photographs are shot through with vibrant, jewel-like colors that amplify the elegance of the figures as they drift through their adopted aquatic home.

In 2013, Gary Conley left Santa Cruz, California, with his surfboard and motorbike with plans to circumnavigate Africa in search of waves. Some of the best surfing, he says, is in West Africa.
(Gary Conley from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

In 2013, Gary Conley left Santa Cruz, California, with his surfboard and motorbike with plans to circumnavigate Africa in search of waves. Some of the best surfing, he says, is in West Africa.

The work and imagery of Cycle Zombies expresses a strong sense of camaraderie, of standing together as a family. This family looks out for each other, dedicated to their shared passions for surfing, skating, and building and riding motorcycles.
(Cycle Zombies from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

The work and imagery of Cycle Zombies expresses a strong sense of camaraderie, of standing together as a family. This family looks out for each other, dedicated to their shared passions for surfing, skating, and building and riding motorcycles.

A lone surfer dances across the edge of a towering wall of water at Pedra Branca, Tasmania.
(Stuart Gibson from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

A lone surfer dances across the edge of a towering wall of water at Pedra Branca, Tasmania.

Big-wave surfers Andrew Cotton and Hugo Vau (pictured) are made of stern stuff. One winter, chasing a storm that was creating massive waves in the Atlantic, they pitched up at Mullaghmore Head in northwestern Ireland. As snow and hurricane-force winds battered the coast, they simply suited up and went into battle with the elements.
(Andre Silva from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

Big-wave surfers Andrew Cotton and Hugo Vau (pictured) are made of stern stuff. One winter, chasing a storm that was creating massive waves in the Atlantic, they pitched up at Mullaghmore Head in northwestern Ireland. As snow and hurricane-force winds battered the coast, they simply suited up and went into battle with the elements.

Long considered a layover spot on the way to more conventional surf destinations, South Korea is now home to a burgeoning year-round surf scene. During the winter months, the country offers up about 1,500 miles of empty potential—though you may have to trudge through snow to get to the water, as these pictures from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) attest to.
(Shannon Aston from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

Long considered a layover spot on the way to more conventional surf destinations, South Korea is now home to a burgeoning year-round surf scene. During the winter months, the country offers up about 1,500 miles of empty potential—though you may have to trudge through snow to get to the water, as these pictures from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) attest to.

Divine, the photo editor at Surfer’s Journal, has been photographing surfers in his native California since the 1960s. He got in on the action before the mainstream media arrived and turned surfing into the profitable sensation we know it as today.
(Jeff Divine from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

Divine, the photo editor at Surfer’s Journal, has been photographing surfers in his native California since the 1960s. He got in on the action before the mainstream media arrived and turned surfing into the profitable sensation we know it as today.

Bowden traveled with friends to some of the most isolated parts of Tasmania, Australia, for camping and cold-water surfing. Almost every surfer will recognize Shipstern Bluff, one of the meanest slabs in the world, but there is a massive abundance of waves in Tasmania. However hard you want to push yourself, however much solitude you are seeking, this island has it all.
(James Bowden from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

Bowden traveled with friends to some of the most isolated parts of Tasmania, Australia, for camping and cold-water surfing. Almost every surfer will recognize Shipstern Bluff, one of the meanest slabs in the world, but there is a massive abundance of waves in Tasmania. However hard you want to push yourself, however much solitude you are seeking, this island has it all.

Traveling through southwest Tasmania by plane and on foot: a camping trip of extremes.
(James Bowden from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

Traveling through southwest Tasmania by plane and on foot: a camping trip of extremes.

Surfer Michelangelo Bernardoni on the Pororoca Araguari River. The Pororoca, located in Brazil near the Amazon River, is a tidal bore that can reach heights of about 13 feet.
(Michelangelo Bernardoni from , Copyright Gestalten 2016)

Surfer Michelangelo Bernardoni on the Pororoca Araguari River. The Pororoca, located in Brazil near the Amazon River, is a tidal bore that can reach heights of about 13 feet.

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