Surf News | Headlines and Top Stories

Perfection and chaos: massive swell hits Oahu's outer reefs

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:45:00 GMT

The North Shore of Oahu is an open window to the powerful swells that often march across the Pacific Ocean. But this time, it was special.

On January 16, 2021, the Hawaiian islands greeted some of the biggest waves in years, with giant walls of water popping up on the horizon without previous warning.

The buoys never lie, and with records indicating 22 feet at 17 seconds, there is only one thing to expect, and that is extreme surf.

Justine Dupont gets deep inside the barrel at Jaws

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 12:09:00 GMT

Justine Dupont has ridden one of the biggest and deepest barrels of her life at Jaws, in Maui, Hawaii.

On January 16, 2021, the French big wave surfer took off on a humungous blue mountain of water and drew the best possible line.

What happened next defied some of the best performances ever seen in women's surfing.

Legendary surfer and shaper Ben Aipa passes away

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 12:18:00 GMT

Iconic Hawaiian surf legend Ben Aipa has passed away at the age of 78.

Aipa was an accomplished surfer, an innovative surfboard shaper, and a tenacious coach who influenced several generations of wave riders.

As one of the standout figures of 1970s surfing, he introduced the swallowtail and the "stinger" in surfboard design.

Chuck Patterson enjoys epic wave skiing session at Mavericks

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:38:00 GMT

Chuck Patterson is probably the world's most famous wave skier. But he had never surfed Mavericks. Until this day.

On January 10, 2020, Patterson was at Half Moon Bay, ready to take one of the finest swells of the century at the infamous Northern California surf break.

He had always dreamed of skiing down Mavericks - it was on his to-do list.

12 signs you're a soul surfer

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 11:51:00 GMT

Soul surfing is a philosophical and spiritual concept first developed and introduced in the 1960s to define the sport - or activity - in its purest form.

As with many other sports, there is always an innate drive to seek and find the original and unadulterated values, virtues, and essence of something that is simultaneously special and fragile.

The roots of surfing are rich and culturally significant.

Peter Mel rides the wave of a lifetime at Mavericks

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 12:56:00 GMT

Peter Mel rode one of the biggest and most perfect waves ever surfed at Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, California.

On January 8, 2021, the 51-year-old surfer from Santa Cruz paddled into a 30-foot barreling wall of water, drew a perfect line, and exited the tube untouched into the channel.

A closer look reveals he had to negotiate a few steps before pulling in and making history.

A tribute to the beach

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 15:53:00 GMT

The beach is Nature's diplomat. It acts as the bridge between land and water, humans and aquatic animals.

It's one of the greatest companions we have.

We get to the beach when we're unhappy, lonely, tired, and depressed, but we get back to enjoy its warm and golden sands.

California Bodysurf Freakout: fighting fire with water

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 14:11:00 GMT

I don't know who I'd be if my brother hadn't left an unreturned copy of Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" laying around the house.

There are many lives within a life, each searching for meaning. Ryan Masters lives in a box canyon in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

He's a writer, a bodysurfer, and had his first article published 15 years ago in Surfer's Journal.

Tyler Wright is SurferToday's "Athlete of the Year 2020"

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 15:11:00 GMT

Australian surfer Tyler Wright has been named "Athlete of the Year 2020" by SurferToday.

For the first time in its history, SurferToday decided to highlight a single athlete instead of four recipients, representing surfing, kiteboarding, windsurfing, and bodyboarding.

There are two main reasons for this unprecedented format change.

A black surfer's manifest of destiny

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 14:33:00 GMT

Thurston Sawyer II could very well be the most controversial person you'll ever meet.

He presents himself as Brohuna, the world's first African American professional surfer, and defies the history of surfing as we know it.

But there's more.

John John Florence wins 2020 Billabong Pipe Masters

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:12:00 GMT

John John Florence has taken out the 2020 Billabong Pipe Masters at Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

The local surfer defeated Gabriel Medina in a tight final held in below-average conditions. Florence secured his first Pipe Masters trophy.

The two-time world champions ended up separated by 0.67 points.

10 signs you are a thalassophile

scott@missionbeachvillas.com (Scott Bishop) — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 17:14:00 GMT

What is a thalassophile? A person who loves and is magnetically attracted to the ocean and the sea.

Many people say they enjoy spending time at the beach, especially during summertime.

While that might be a normal thing to do, there's also a particular niche of individuals who need to be near the ocean all the time.

WSL plans to finish the 2020 Pipe Masters

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 12:17:00 GMT

The CEO of the World Surf League (WSL) announced that the 2020 Billabong Pipe Masters will resume after a pause of several days.

Erik Logan plans to run the competition taking advantage of "a promising forecast."

The first stop on the 2021 Championship Tour (CT) was suspended on December 12 due to positive Covid-19 tests within its WSL staff, including Logan.

What is FlowRider?

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 16:25:00 GMT

The FlowRider is one of the most famous surf machines. Here's everything you should know about flowboarding.

There are many ways and places where you can ride a wave - in the ocean, in rivers, and more recently, in wave pools .

But the concept of surfable stationary wave occupies an alternative space in the wave riding universe.

Wingfoil World Tour announced for 2021

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 14:54:00 GMT

The Global Wingsports Association (GWA) announced the launch of the inaugural Wingfoil World Tour.

Wing foiling, also known as wing surfing or wing boarding, is a new water sport that combines windsurfing, surfing, and kiteboarding elements.

Riders use a lightweight handheld wing that harnesses the wind's power and propels a hydrofoil board forward.

2020 Billabong Pipe Masters suspended due to Covid-19 cases

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 11:55:00 GMT

The World Surf League (WSL) suspended the 2020 Billabong Pipe Masters due to positive Covid-19 tests within its WSL staff.

Erik Logan, CEO of WSL, tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

"We prioritize the safety of the athletes, staff, and surrounding community, and we're working closely and transparently with the Hawaii State Department of Health to determine the next steps," the WSL informs.

The four major Hawaiian gods

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:23:00 GMT

The Hawaiian religion is polytheistic, which means it is open to and embraces several gods and goddesses, each one with several functions and responsibilities.

In fact, the Hawaiians worship around 40,000 traditional religious deities and spirits.

Hawaiian mythology focuses on narratives of life and Nature, and it is inspired by a broader portrait of the Polynesian religious tradition.

Surfing and skateboarding confirmed in Paris 2024

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 17:09:00 GMT

Surfing and skateboarding have officially been confirmed in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board confirmed both sports in the official program.

For the first time in its long history, the Olympic games will feature 50 percent male athletes and 50 percent female athletes.

Frankie Freitas and the fire knife dance that went wrong

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 14:13:00 GMT

One of the great things about being a surfer is getting to know a lot of Hawaiians. Babe Kane and his brother Billy were the first.

Babe was quiet and studious. Billy was effervescent and wild and always surfed with a beaming smile.

One time, I even saw him wiping out and going over the falls with that big grin.

Hurricane Epsilon 2020: the historic swell that hit Nazaré

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 16:35:00 GMT

"I've been waiting all my life for this swell," says professional big wave surfer Nic von Rupp about 2020's late October storm.

Hurricane Epsilon merged with a low-pressure system near Greenland, generating an unprecedented XXL swell in the North Atlantic.

The combination of the two systems, together with the mechanics of the Nazaré Canyon , created the perfect conditions for some of the largest and cleanest waves ever recorded at Nazaré.

How to maximize tube-time

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 13:46:00 GMT

Getting barreled is not the hardest thing in the world. But what should you do to maximize tube time when riding the perfect blue barreling wave?

The barrel is the holy grail of surfing . The more time you spend inside the green room, the better the experience.

A two-second tube riding experience can be unforgettable, but what if you could extend it for more than six seconds?

SurferShot and SurfOutlook Merge

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 06:06:42 GMT

Two surf sites merged into one with all new branding.

SurferShot and SurfOutlook have been negotiating for sometime now and have decided to merge together as SurfOutlook with brand new branding. Together we will be bringing better content for you and all the other surf community members.

Instead of showing consolidated surf forecasts we are currently working on our own surf forecasting site by pulling in more reliable weather and ocean forecasting data than Surfline and Magicseaweed. We are looking to roll this out by the beginning of July so hang tight and stay tuned.

In the meantime we've set up surf reporting via the community members and you. You can now add your own surf report for your area right from your phone. You can either just write one out, upload your photo, upload your video or all three. As your setting it up just add your keyword/s like orange county, pacific beach, pipeline, etc so that it will post to it's relevant surf forecast page. This is being updated as I'm typing out this message.

Go ahead! Give it a shot:

A Surfing Website for Pacific Beach Locals Only

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 22:51:04 GMT

Pacific Beach Posts For Local Surfers

SurferShot.com has set up a "locals only" section of its website for the Pacific Beach locals.
This is an area where surfers from Pacific Beach can post up their surf photos and videos for others to rate and make comments on them via a forum.
In this forum you can also send in your surf report right from your phone directly to the locals only section.
Talk about meetups, favorite/worst bars and restaurants, best sandbars breaking on certain swell directions, etc.
Check out this section laid out at Surfing Pacific Beach .

If you want to add your own local section for your local surf break, all you need to do is signin/signup and create your own Locals Page here .

A Surfing Website for Mission Beach Locals Only

Fri, 29 Apr 2016 05:08:38 GMT

Mission Beach Posts For Local Surfers

SurferShot.com has set up a "locals only" section of its website for the Mission Beach locals.
This is an area where surfers from Mission Beach can post up their surf photos and videos for others to rate and make comments on them via a forum.
In this forum you can also send in your surf report right from your phone directly to the locals only section.
Talk about meetups, favorite/worst bars and restaurants, best sandbars breaking on certain swell directions, etc.
Check out this section laid out at Surfing Mission Beach .

If you want to add your own local section for your local surf break, all you need to do is signin/signup and create your own Locals Page here .