It's easy to spot which is which at a glance, but can you really tell the difference between zinc and regular sunscreen? If you spend hours in the water, you're also subjecting yourself to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Simultaneously, saltwater, sweat, wind, and repeated wiping can quickly turn a good layer of sunscreen into virtually nothing. So, should surfers use zinc sunscreen or regular sunscreen? The answer depends on what you value most, from water resistance and skin coverage to how often you want to reapply. Although both types can provide effective UV protection, they work in different ways and behave differently in the water. Shall we take a look at what separates them? What is zinc sunscreen? Zinc sunscreen typically uses zinc oxide as its active UV-filtering ingredient. Zinc oxide is a mineral sunscreen ingredient that provides broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB radiation. Rather than relying primarily on organic UV filters that absorb U

Competitive surfing has spent decades trying to solve a problem that other sports dealt with long ago. A surf contest can be amazing to watch - online or on site - but it can also involve long waits, changing conditions and stretches when very little happens on screen. The World Surf League (WSL) has built a global professional sport around individual surfers competing in heats. But the new Surfing Super League (SSL) wants to try something different. Set to launch in Australia in summer 2028, the Surfing Super League is a team competition designed around a 90-minute game. Eight regional teams will compete along Australia's east coast, with four teams involved in each game. The league is being created by former Surfing Australia CEO Chris Mater and is designed specifically for live television and a stronger connection between surfers, teams and local fans. The idea is simple enough to explain in a few seconds. Four surfers represent each team during a game, and they take turns surfing i

I am not a surf instructor, and I never wanted to be. Yet, I have casually taught fewer than a handful of people to surf in over 35 years of surfing. Last Saturday, I taught three in a row and confirmed an old adage (related to surfboards). In over three decades, I have kept my love of surfing to myself. I have never forced, imposed, or gotten my friends and family excited to join me and try to get up on a surfboard. If they don't show interest, it's OK. Besides, they know who to call when the subject is surfing... and London. Therefore, because I have never been pushy with others about my hobbies (the same applies to indoor climbing), my contribution to spreading the stoke or increasing the crowd factor is not particularly relevant. Not guilty, I guess. Congrats, you're a surfer However, life has crazy days reserved for us. Suddenly, what was supposed to be my father's 80th birthday party quickly transformed into a "massive" surfing baptism for three girls of different ages.

Imagine enjoying a day at a wave pool like you're playing a video game in which you are one of the characters with goals and a mission. Flowstate is adding a new layer to the wave pool experience by turning every surf session into part of an ongoing game. The Australian surf technology company has launched Flowstate Game Modes, a points-based gaming platform that rewards surfers for what happens on every wave while helping surf parks encourage repeat visits.  The system is already running at URBNSURF Sydney, URBNSURF Melbourne, Atlantic Park Surf, Lost Shore, and will soon expand to SurfTown MUC before reaching more parks in Flowstate's global network. Instead of treating each booking as a standalone session, the platform connects every ride to leaderboards, achievements, seasonal competitions, and rewards. But how does this work? Every wave now earns points Flowstate's gaming engine is built on the company's artificial intelligence model, which already analyzes individual waves a

It's surprising how much professional surfing and professional tennis have in common. Both sports travel the world, both reward athletes with ranking points based on their results, both use rankings to seed competitors and determine entry into elite events, and both also rely on a development pathway that allows rising talent to earn a place among the world's best. On top of that, both sports share a similar tournament ladder format at each event that takes place in different countries with different conditions (beach, point, or reef breaks, and clay, grass, or hard courts). Yet one very important difference separates them. Tennis celebrates the player who performs best over an entire year. Surfing no longer does. That difference has become one of the biggest talking and controversial points in competitive surfing since the World Surf League (WSL) introduced the Finals format in 2021. The change created a dramatic finish to the season, but it also changed the meaning of the world title