Surfing
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I live in southern Utah—obviously not one of the world's great surf destinations. One of my biggest dreams is to take a surfing trip up the California coast, from San Diego to San Francisco. I would like to camp on the beaches in state parks and such. What do you suggest?
Pro surfing’s go-to trainer Paul Hiniker lays down 10 steps to get your body ready for anything this summer
This week, the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards will crown the mightiest rides and nastiest wipeouts of 2013. We called surf journalist Chris Dixon, who will help pick the winners, to check in on the state of big wave surfing.
One of the greatest big-wave surfers alive nearly died on a 50-footer in December. Now many in the surfing world are blaming another heavyweight—and the jet-powered board he was riding.
Costa rica is basically one giant, overrun eco-resort, right? Not here.
John John Florence was 19 when he became the youngest surfer ever to win the Triple Crown. Is he the next great phenomenon?
The surfing legend is not entirely sure where that number came from or how accurate it is—"I don't measure waves," he told us—but he is sure of one thing: This was one of the most dangerous situations he's ever been in
Pipeline protest. Photo: Dogwood Initiative Amid an increasingly conservative Canadian government focused on exploiting the land’s resources, the country’s indigenous people have risen up through a grassroots protest movement called Idle No More. The Idle No More protest movement was…
This past Sunday, Peter Mel won the Mavericks Invitational. The video embedded above offers a view of the big-wave contest as captured by his GoPro. —Joe Spring@joespring…
This past Sunday, 43-year-old big-wave surfer Peter Mel nabbed his first victory in the Mavericks Invitational. Mel, a Santa Cruz native, has surfed the competition since the inaugural contest in 1999. The fabled break that creates…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=l9hOtNxAT08 Roughly 14 years after first competing, California native Peter Mel took home his first Mavericks Invitational victory in intermittent but powerful waves up to 30 feet.
Michael Ho surfing Second Reef Pipe. Photo: Billabong XXL/Rusty Russell In November of 2012, Surfer posted the 28 invitees to the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=O9crPOB_9tE On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, Shane Dorian paddled into a monster swell at Jaws and ended up surfing the best wave of his life. He flew down the face, over an air bubble that almost knocked him down, and raised his arms in triumph…
There are a slew of stories coming out now about the rebuilding effort in the Rockaways. Residents who witnessed the storm destroy many homes, damage others, and take the lives of their neighbors are struggling to salvage what's left.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Elizabeth Murray and her pupils. Photo: A Liquid Future By Gregory Thomas Not long ago, villagers on the remote Mentawai island chain off the west coast of Sumatra lived without electricity, cell phone reception, and even a local…
On Friday, December 21, big-wave surfer Greg Long suffered a wipeout on a giant wave at Cortes Bank. In the aftermath, he fought through a three-wave hold down before losing consciousness in the water. A detailed report from ESPN described the…
Here's a short video that might influence how you spend some of your time: 70-year-old Spaniard Juan Giriber recounting his first drop into a tube. The clip is a teaser for The Old, The Young, and The Sea, a documentary…
In December, the surf world once again descends on Oahu’s North Shore for the sport’s most prestigious event, the Pipe Masters, where competitors battle it out at the planet’s most famous—and deadliest—break. Here’s a look behind surfing’s biggest spectacle.
The surfer was able to escape after the shark bit through his board and the side of his torso, pulling him beneath the water
Wavejets are surfboards with an electronic propulsion system. Users wear a wrist controller with a button that turns the board on and off. The company markets the high-tech planks to individuals who want to spend more time surfing and…
New rescue technology is emboldening surfers to take bigger risks than ever before. Which means epic rides—and wipeouts.
Eric Hansen gets a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of a project to surf in each of India's states, nevermind that 21 (of 28) are landlocked and that the coastline is known for little more than ankle-slappers
Photo: Ian Swanson Beach hazards abound. Your surfboard can knock you out. Corals might scrape your face off. A shark could mistake you for a seal or, more likely, you might bump into a jellyfish. Those are risks most of us willingly accept. But when…
Why the giant waves in Chasing Mavericks won’t help Hollywood break its surf-film losing streak
While competing in ASP junior events, Brazilian Gabriel Medina made a name for himself as an aerialist. As a 17-year-old, he won the most prestigious event in the ASP's Cash for Tricks series. Now 18, Medina is competing on the…
Waves for Water founder Jon Rose has been on the East Coast since Hurricane Sandy struck, cutting through red tape and providing disaster relief alongside a groundswell of surfers
Photo: Sustainable Surf Here is the good news: Expanded polystyrene (a.k.a. EPS, or the branded name Styrofoam) is recyclable. Here's the bad news: much of it is not recycled and therefore EPS-based surfboards are made from virgin EPS. Some more bad news: Only…
Aside from using an alias when hitting up Starbucks, big wave surfer Shane Dorian leaves the Maui airport just like anyone else. He hauls his own luggage—albeit 100 pounds of customized surfboards—and waits curbside for a pickup.
Julian Wilson. Photo: ASP/Kirstin Surfer Julian Wilson won his first ASP event after scoring big during the final seconds of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, leaving his competitor Gabriel Medina stunned and…
The first big swell of the season hit Jaws this week, and surfers lined up to catch giants breaking off the north coast of Maui, Hawaii. Shane Dorian had perhaps the best showing Tuesday, when he paddled into two big barrels. While…
Quiksilver Pro France, Hossegor, La Graviere 2012 - Semi Final 1 (© ASP/Cestari)Slater on the way to his tour victory number 51. Photo: ©ASP/Cestari Surfer Kelly Slater nabbed his second straight ASP World Cup Tour victory of the…
Tips for surviving seven of the world's deadliest adventures
Surf filmmaker Nathan Oldfield's quiver of videos features everything from a short about a family of surf shapers to a personal chronicle about grieving for his stillborn daughter. His feature…
On Tuesday, I got an email with the subject line “Hideous” and a link. The message came from Chris Dixon, the author of Ghost Wave: The Discovery of Cortes Bank and the Biggest Wave on Earth. He's reported on big-wave surfing for publications including Surfer,…
Artists often find inspiration in their environment. It turns out, sometimes, product managers do too. Here’s the story: One of New Surf Project's (NSP's) product managers rides his bike by a coconut farm on his way to work at NSP’s factory every day. One day…
Kelly Slater. Photo: ASP/Kirstin Kelly Slater moved into third place in the overall ASP standings when he won the Hurley Pro at Trestles on Thursday. “I feel like I’ve had so many good years at…
“I don’t think in any other sport do you have the license to get so closely involved with the subject at such a high risk factor as surf photography,” says Ted Grambeau in the film Fiberglass and Megapixels. “It would be…
“San Diego Surf.” Photo: Copyright, 2012, The Andy Warhol Museum In 1968, Andy Warhol and friends moved out to La Jolla, California, from New York to film a surf movie about an unhappy married couple. The footage…
“Frozen.” Photo: Mark Tipple, The Underwater Project There's a lot about Australian Mark Tipple's career as a photographer that appears backwards. Take, for example, his beginnings. The…
Michael Lewis, President Barack Obama. Photo: Official White House Photograph/Pete Souza Reporter Michael Lewis followed President Barack Obama for six months in order to write the profile “Obama's Way.” At its core, the Vanity Fair story is a…
Even after he won the U.S. Open Men's Title at the NSSA National Championships as a senior in high school, Greg Long knew he wanted to dedicate his life to chasing big waves. Grinding out a tour was not his…
It's the second week in a row I've posted a surf short by director Chris McLean as the ϳԹ Video of the Week. Normally, I try to avoid such repetition, but I picked Uncommon Ideals because it won…
With stand-up paddleboarding more popular than ever, surfers—legendary for their sectarianism—have new fuel for their ire
There can be only one super-specific, outdoor sport
A group of six surfers sponsored by Patagonia set off on August 31 for an exploratory surf and fly-fishing trip to the volcano-dotted coast and salmon-stocked rivers of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. The crew includes photographer Chris Burkard, surf ambassador Keith Malloy, and Foster Huntington, who will be posting…
In early March of 2012, 50-foot slabs of water rose up at Mullaghmore Head, a break off the northwestern coast of Ireland in County Sligo. Some of the biggest waves at that location in 15 years had been pushed east by the…
In an effort to assert their authenticity and iconic status, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and O’Neill are teaming up on a full line of clothing and accessories made by O’Neill and plastered with PBR logos. Board shorts, tees, coolers,…
Mick Fanning. Photo: ASP/Kirstin Surfer Mick Fanning, 31, came from behind in the final round of the Billabong Pro Tahiti to snatch the title from countryman Joel Parkinson. “I held the lead in a…
Tsunami debris. Photo: Stiv Wilson By Stiv Wilson, 5 Gyres Institute Out across a plastic stratified strand, two surfers, silhouetted in the failing light, are finishing a session. A year and half ago, this wasn’t a surf spot. A tsunami destroyed everything…
The Sound of Dust is a roughly three-minute tribute to surfboard shaper Tim Stamps. There's no glory or praise uttered by other shapers or surfers. The testament to Stamps' greatness comes from witnessing his constant attention to detail.
At work. Photo: Quiksilver This past July, 24-year-old Australian Stephanie Gilmore clinched her fifth world title when she won the Roxy Pro Biarritz, the penultimate ASP event of the year. The victory signaled a…
Big wave surfer Shane Dorian took home the Waterman of the Year Award during the Surf Industry Manufacturer's Association's (SIMA) annual Waterman's Weekend on August 10…
Earlier today, the ASP decided on the final two wildcard spots in the Billabong Pro Tahiti. Brazilian Ricardos Dos Santos and local Alain Riou earned the right to surf the famous barrels of Teahupoo in one of the…
This film is about escaping from the daily grind to have some fun—that's it. Don't stress if you don't quite get the meaning of the quotes from 1984, A Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, or if you don't understand the exact reason for the shots of power lines, ants, and…
Surfing the Canary Islands. Photo: Guillermo Cervera Guillermo Cervera first fell in love with photography when he discovered a box of Playboys his father brought home from the United States. “They were beautiful color pictures, and…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=G42B4uq12cM Recently, Red Bull profiled Hawaii-based surf photographer Zak Noyle in a two-part, 24-minute show called Momentum. Noyle is one of those photographers you see ducking under big waves just after getting shots of surfers flying through barrels. In the…
The best way to beat record high temperatures: spend as much time in the water as possible. Here are a few items to be showcased at the Outdoor Retailer show meant to help enhance your ocean experience. BELLYAK FREQUENCY A speedy rotomolded plastic bodyboat designed for joyriding rivers, oceans…
Whether you’re catching a wave, splashing in the nearest stream, or chilling at the beach, if you’re a Patagonia fan, you’ll soon have eight new styles of board shorts in 45 different color combinations to wear for the occasion. Athlete-approved from the barrels of Hawaii to the…
ext_script = "//player.ooyala.com/player.js?height=360&deepLinkEmbedCode=V0b3lnNTqvwnTA48yjrTaHCXPXlsLfrO&embedCode=V0b3lnNTqvwnTA48yjrTaHCXPXlsLfrO&width=640&video_pcode=1jZG06vQqWlGOe2jr1WK6VaYFHtK" In the latest video from the series Of Souls+Water, director Skip Armstrong and producer Anson Fogel profile river surfer Christopher Peterson. Peterson grew up on the North Shore of Hawaii and found himself fighting for everything in his life, from…
Originally published 9/9/2009 ϳԹ's photo editor Amy Silverman has kept a book by her computer for a month or so now called The California Surf Project. More than once when I've been down in her office I've thumbed through it. Each time I find a…
In September of 2009, I interviewed photographer Chris Burkard about his photo book, The California Surf Project. Burkard set off on a 50-day road trip to capture the California surf scene with…
ext_script = "//player.ooyala.com/player.js?height=360&deepLinkEmbedCode=JidWpmNTrUu0AkuaVgzC_Z8qLPAvLybL&embedCode=JidWpmNTrUu0AkuaVgzC_Z8qLPAvLybL&width=640&video_pcode=1jZG06vQqWlGOe2jr1WK6VaYFHtK" Blind surfer Derek Rabelo learned to ride waves roughly three years ago and has already surfed at Pipeline. The 20-year-old Brazilian from Guarapari was born 100 percent blind as a child. In addition to Pipeline, he's surfed 15-footers in Rio and Lower Trestles with Kelly Slater. His…
Fabiola in smoke. Photo: Brian Nevins This past April, 33-year-old, Hampton, New Hampshire-based photographer Brian Nevins won the Telus Pro Photographer Showdown in Whistler, British Columbia. It’s one of…
In August, Australians will be able to check out a new 3D big-wave surfing documentary in select theaters. Storm Surfers follows Aussie tow-surfing legend Ross Clarke-Jones and two-time world champion Tom Carroll as they enlist the help…
On a late night in October 2009, while walking down the street in Coolangatta, Australia, then 18-year-old Sam Ford was violently attacked by another teen. After surgery and more than a month in a coma, he woke up. My Brother Sam is the story…
Stephanie Gilmore wins fifth ASP World Surfing Title. Photo: ASP/Damien Poullenot Surfer Stephanie Gilmore secured her fifth ASP women's world title after beating out 19-year-old Tyler Wright in the finals of the…
Big-wave surfer Maya Gabeira is one of the many athletes featured in ESPN's 2012 Body Issue. Earlier today, the magazine released the below video that shows the Brazilian riding her board in the buff. In…
In the video Fiji Part One, Australian Matt Wilkinson gives the impression that the life of a surfer is all coconuts and sun bathing and waves. Around the same time Wilkinson was promoting this easy image, countryman…
Many people's backs will hurt just watching the above bodyboarding video. It's a five-minute montage of flips, turns, and wipeouts on thick slabs of crashing surf. For others, the video will be inspiration to get in the lineup. For others, the video will just lead…
ϳԹ reviews the best triathlon gear of 2012, including the Felt B12 triathlon bike.
El Mar, Mi Alma – film preview from Rebel Waltz Films on Vimeo. Anyone who dreams of surfing Chile should watch the trailer to El Mar, Mi Alma. It might be just the boost needed to book a ticket. Of course, there’s more to this movie than…
Photo: Shutterstock The Surfing Walk of Fame has announced its 2012 class. The seven inductees will have their names placed in the pavement at the corner…
Globe just released Electric Blue Heaven, a five-minute video of Dion Agius surfing an artificial wave in the United Arab Emirates. Don't turn it off when you see the yellow Lamborghini racing down the road and the…
Yes, the adventure video of the week features Kelly Slater talking. After the ASP called the third day of the Volcom Fiji Pro on June 8 due to massive conditions, the 11-time champ sat down in the booth…
If you’re like most people, your summer strategy probably looks like this: Dispatch the kids to day camp while you spend the sweetest season behind your desk. But research shows that while children may be quicker studies, adults benefit hugely from learning new things, too. Good news: Now you can…