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In the 1960s and 1970s, an unusual surf market phenomenon hit Australia before expanding to other parts of the world. It was the Coolite surfboard. The shortboard revolution was a process that changed surfing forever. It reshaped wave-riding vehicles from heavy, long boards in the nine-foot-plus range to light, highly maneuverable six-foot weapons. It did…
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I have lived most of my life as a surfer. In other words, I have more memories of being a surfer than anything else in my existence. Like probably many people of my age and cultural and geographical universe, my first contact with water was a forced one. When I was a kid, my parents…
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I have found a quiet community on a sunny coastline to stay for the winter. The place is remote, and it feels fresh. I have been without a car, phone, and a clock for a month now and don’t miss them at all. There are no utility companies that service this peninsula, so residents are…
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The Turnagain Arm is home to one of the world’s most famous tidal bores. And yes, it can be surfed against a stunning, heavenly-shaped backdrop. Nestled beneath snow-capped peaks just south of Anchorage, Turnagain Arm plays host to one of the most dramatic tidal bores on planet Earth. Twice each day, during extreme low and…
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If you’re mostly an urban surfer, how do you know you’re riding waves in safe, unpolluted waters? Are there any indications that you could be putting your health and life at stake? More and more surfers worldwide report sickness episodes after being in contact with near-urban areas and industrial sites. The Blue Water Task Force…
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Years earlier, I was given a stirring narrative regarding the shape and contour of the wave at Honolua Bay. The celebrated surf spot is on the island of Maui, and I’m told that the Bay’s tube is big enough and round enough to fit a Mack Truck inside it. This declaration has been embedded in…
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Max was a wonderful boy. Funny, bright, full of energy. Always busy with a thousand things at once: surfing, snowboarding, and playing guitar. Whatever he did, he did it with enthusiasm. He was in the final months of his bachelor’s in civil engineering in Delft, getting ready to start his master’s in Amsterdam. He was…
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Nearly every day, two local kids watch me surf. I wave to them from the water, and they wave back. I think Gregory and Thomas are happy that I have adopted them as my beach buddies. If I lose my board in the surf and have to swim for it, they are there as my…
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Clyde Aikau passed away peacefully at his Waimanalo home in Oahu, Hawaii, on Saturday, surrounded by his family. He was 75. Born in Kahului, Maui, on October 24, 1949, Clyde was the youngest of six children of Solomon “Pops” and Henrietta Aikau. His siblings, in order, were Fred, Myra, Eddie, Gerald, and Solomon III. The…
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It sounds counterintuitive, but surf gear company FCS has hit the brakes on U.S. sales. If you visit the American website of FCS at surffcs.com, these days you’ll find a pop-up banner with a very straightforward message: “We’re taking a short break from sales in the USA while we carefully review the impact of the…