Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the art of surfing

Surfing

Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

.

The culture began early in the 20th century, spread quickly during the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to evolve. It affected fashion, music, literature, films, jargon

Jargon

Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...

, and more. Surfers, who come from many walks of life, are bound by the hunt for great waves, the desire for the ultimate ride, and life in and around the ocean.

The fickle nature of weather and the ocean, plus the great desire for the best possible types of waves for surfing, make surfers dependent on weather conditions that may change rapidly. Surfer Magazine, founded in the 1960s when surfing had gained popularity with teenagers, used to say that if they were hard at work and someone yelled "Surf's up!" the office would suddenly be empty. Also, since surfing has a restricted geographical necessity (i.e. the coast), the culture of beach life often influenced surfers and vice versa. Localism or territorialism is a part of the development of surf culture in which individuals or groups of surfers designate certain key surfing spots as their own.

Aspects of 1960s surf culture in Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

, where it was first popularized, include the woodie

Woodie

A woodie is a car body style, especially a station wagon, where the rear bodywork is constructed of wood framework with infill panels of wood or painted metal....

, bikini

Bikini

The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...

s and other beach wear, such as boardshorts

Boardshorts

Boardshorts are a style of men's and, recently, women's summerwear. They were originally developed for aquatic sports, specifically for surfing, but in more recent years they have grown in popularity outside of these sports, and have become a popular form of general beach and summerwear.The name...

 or baggies, and surf music

Surf music

Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...

. Surfers developed the surfboard

Surfboard

A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...

 to be able to "surf" on land; and a number of other boardsports. Of these the most popular being snowboarding and skateboarding, in addition to other spin-offs that have grown out of the sport ever since.

Big Wave culture

A non-competitive adventure activity involving riding the biggest waves possible (known as "rhino hunting") is also popular with some surfers. A practice popularized in the 1990s has seen big wave surfing

Big wave surfing

Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into or are towed onto waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or "rhino chasers". Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as...

 revolutionized, as surfers use personal watercraft to tow them out to a position where they can catch previously unrideable waves (see tow-in surfing

Tow-in surfing

Tow-in surfing is a surfing technique which uses artificial assistance to allow the surfer to catch faster moving waves than was traditionally possible when paddling by hand.-History:...

). These waves were previously unrideable due to the speed at which they travel. Some waves reach speeds of over 60 km/h; personal watercraft enable surfers to reach the speed of the wave thereby making them rideable. Personal watercraft also allow surfers to survive wipeouts. In many instances surfers would not survive the battering of the "sets" (groups of waves together). This spectacular activity is extremely popular with television crews, but because such waves rarely occur in heavily populated regions, and usually only a very long way out to sea on outer reefs, few spectators see such events directly.

Though surfers come from all walks of life, the basis of the beach bum stereotype comes from that great enthusiasm that surfers can have for their sport. Dedication and perfectionism

Perfectionism (psychology)

Perfectionism, in psychology, is a belief that a state of completeness and flawlessness can and should be attained. In its pathological form, perfectionism is a belief that work or output that is anything less than perfect is unacceptable...

 are also qualities that surfers bring to what many have traditionally regarded as a commitment to a lifestyle as well as a sport.

For specific surf spots, the state of the ocean tide can play a significant role in the quality of waves or hazards of surfing there. Tidal variations vary greatly among the various global surfing regions, and the effect the tide has on specific spots can vary greatly among the spots within each area. Locations such as Bali, Panama, and Ireland experience 2-3 meter tide fluctuations, whereas in Hawaii the difference between high and low tide is typically less than one meter.

Each surf break is different, since the underwater topography of one place is unlike any other. At beach breaks, the sandbanks can change shape from week to week, so it takes commitment to get good waves (a skill dubbed "broceanography" by a few California surfers).

The saying "You should have been here yesterday," became a commonly used phrase for bad conditions. Nowadays, however, surf forecasting

Surf forecasting

Surf forecasting is the process of using offshore swell data to predict onshore wave conditions. It is used by millions of people across the world, including professionals who put their forecasts online, meteorologists who work for news crews, and surfers all over the world...

 is aided by advances in information technology, whereby mathematical modelling graphically depicts the size and direction of swells moving around the globe.

The quest for perfect surf has given rise to a field of tourism based on the surfing adventure. Yacht charters and surf camps offer surfers access to the high quality surf found in remote, tropical locations, where tradewinds ensure offshore conditions.

Along with the rarity of what surfers consider truly perfect surf conditions (due to changing weather and surf condition) and the inevitable hunt for great waves, surfers often become dedicated to their sport in a way that precludes a more traditional life. Surfing instead, becomes their lifestyle.

The goals of those who practice the sport vary, but throughout its history, many have seen surfing as more than a sport, as an opportunity to harness the waves and to relax and forget about their daily routines. Surfers have veered from even this beaten path, and foregone the traditional goals of first world

First World

The concept of the First World first originated during the Cold War, where it was used to describe countries that were aligned with the United States. These countries were democratic and capitalistic. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the term "First World" took on a...

 culture in the hunt for a continual 'stoke', harmony with life, their surfing, and the ocean. They; these "Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is a term coined in the 1960s, used to describe a surfer who surfs for the sheer pleasure of surfing. Although they may still enter in competitions, winning is not the soul surfer's main motive, since they scorn the commercialization of surfing. The term denotes a spirituality of surfing...

s", are a vibrant and long-standing sub-group. Competitive surf culture, centered around surf contests and endorsement deals, and localism's disturbance of the peace, are often seen in opposition to this.

The historic surf village of Ocean Beach, San Diego, California

Ocean Beach, San Diego, California

Ocean Beach is a beachfront neighborhood of San Diego, California.-Geography:Ocean Beach is located in San Diego on the Southern California coast. It lies on the Pacific Ocean at the estuary of the San Diego River, at the western terminus of Interstate 8. It is approximately from Downtown San...

, is a good example of a place devoted to the surfing lifestyle, having been introduced originally by OB Lifeguard George Freeth.

Localism

Even though waves break everywhere along a coast, good surf spots are rare. A surf break that forms great surfable waves may easily become a coveted commodity, especially if the wave only breaks there rarely. If this break is near a large population center with many surfers, territorialism often arises. Regular surfers who live around a desirable surf break may often guard it jealously, hence the expression "locals only." The expression "locals only" is common among beach towns, especially those that are seasonally encroached upon by vacationers who live outside the area. Localism is expressed when surfers are involved in verbal or physical threats or abuse to deter people from surfing at certain surf spots. It is based in part on the belief that fewer people mean more waves per surfer.

Some locals have been known to form loose gang

Gang

A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...

s that surf in a certain break or beach and fiercely protect their "territory" from outsiders.
These surfers are often referred to as "surf punks" or "surf nazis." The local surfer gangs in Malibu and on Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, known as da hui, have been known to threaten tourists with physical violence for invading their territory. In Southern California, at the Venice

Venice, Los Angeles, California

Venice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors...

 and Santa Monica

Santa Mônica

Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...

 beaches, local surfers are especially hostile to the surfers from the San Fernando Valley

San Fernando Valley

The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...

 whom they dub "vallies" or "valley kooks". The expression "Surf Nazi" arose in the 1960s to describe territorial and authoritarian surfers, often involved in surf gangs or surf clubs. The term "Nazi" was originally used simply to denote the strict territorialism, violence and hostility to outsiders, and absolute obsession with surfing that was characteristic in the so-called "surf nazis." However, some surfers reclaimed and accepted the term, and a few actually embraced Nazism and Nazi symbolism. Some surf clubs in the 1960s, particularly at Windansea in La Jolla, used the swastika symbol on their boards and identified with Nazism as a counter culture (though this may have just been an effort to keep out or scare non-locals.) The "locals only" attitude and protectionism of the Santa Monica surf spots in the early 1970s was depicted in the movie Lords of Dogtown

Lords of Dogtown

Lords of Dogtown is a 2005 biographical film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, written by Stacy Peralta. The film is based on the story of "The Z-Boys", an influential group of skateboarders who revolutionized the sport...

, which was based on actual events.

Localism often exists due to socioeconomic factors as well. Until relatively recently, surfers were looked down upon as lazy people on the fringe of society (hence the term "beach bum.") Many who surfed were locals of beach towns who lived there year-round, and were from a lower economic class. For that reason as much as any other, these groups were resentful of outsiders, particularly those who were well-to-do and came to their beaches to surf recreationally rather than as a way of life. Australia has its own history where surfers were openly treated with hostility from local governments in the sport's early days, and the tension never really went away, despite the sport's enormous increase in popularity. Maroubra Beach in Australia became infamous for localism and other violence chronicled in the documentary film Bra Boys

Bra Boys

The Bra Boys is an Australian surf gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Dating back to the 1990s, the gang has gained notoriety through violent clashes with members of the public and police...

, although the surfers in the film maintain they are not a "gang."

Surf Gangs

Surf gangs often form to preserve cultural identity through the protection of beach towns and shorelines. If known territory is trespassed by members of another surf gang, violence usually occurs. Long Beach

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

 is home to one of the oldest and biggest surf gangs, called "Longos." Some surf gangs have been known to not only claim land territory, but also claim specific surfing waves as territory. Surf gangs have gained notoriety over the years, especially with the production of Bra Boys

Bra Boys

The Bra Boys is an Australian surf gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Dating back to the 1990s, the gang has gained notoriety through violent clashes with members of the public and police...

.

Cito Rats

The “Cito Rats” are a territorial surfer clique that was formed in Montecito, California

Montecito, California

Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...

 around 1978 and 1979. It all started with a group of friends who were surfers and wanted a beach of their own. A founding member called the group the “Cito Rats”.

The Cito Rats have a handful of beaches that they feel are their domain and use intimidation to enforce this claim. These territories include the beaches of The “Biltmore” Pier, Dorbo Dunes, Chicken Creek, Pigion Ridge, The Underground, Miramar, Hammonds reef, Nuns, “The Rock”, The Shooting Range, Rancho Coyote, The Herb Estate and RKL. According to sources, the extremist and craziness of the Rats were very prevalent during the 1980s and into the early 1990s. By the mid 1990s, the founding members pulled back on the extremism of the gang. No longer were they getting into trouble.

The gang has since died out and no new members have been added in over 10 years.

Wolfpak

The Wolfpak is so named "because we run in a pack, working together. When you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.” –Kala Alexander'

The Wolfpak was originally composed of a few select surfers from Kauai, Hawaii who believed in respecting localism. Kauai, according to a Wolfpak member, is a place where one is raised to honor the value of respect. If you don’t show respect, then you can’t expect anyone to return the favor. This value is what led to the group’s effort to manage the chaos associated with North Shore surfing. Some of the members of this group are pro surfers Andy Irons

Andy Irons

Philip Andrew "Andy" Irons was a professional surfer. Irons learned to surf on the dangerous and shallow reefs of the North Shore in Kauai, Hawaii...

 and Bruce Irons, as well as the reality show 808 star and Blue Crush

Blue Crush

Blue Crush is a 2002 surfer film directed by John Stockwell and based on the Outside magazine article "Life's Swell" by Susan Orlean. Starring Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake, and Mika Boorem, it tells the story of three friends who have one passion: living the ultimate dream of...

 actor, Kala Alexander.

Wolfpak began in 2001 when leader Kala Alexander moved to North Shore

North Shore, California

North Shore is a census-designated place in southeastern Riverside County, so named because of its location along the northeast shore of the Salton Sea. It was once a popular vacation destination spot before ever-increasing salinity and pollution of the Salton Sea shut the tourist trade down...

 in search for job opportunities, and found disorganization and lack of respect in the surf lineup at surf reef break, Pipeline

Banzai Pipeline

The Banzai Pipeline, or simply "Pipeline" or "Pipe," is a surf reef break located in Hawaii, off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea on O'ahu's North Shore. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a reef...

. Alexander found it necessary to dictate some sort of organization in who would surf the Pipeline to both preserve the value of showing respect to one’s elders, i.e. those who were native to the land and had been surfing for many years, and also protect surfers from the reef’s potentially life threatening waves.

The waves at Pipeline can reach over 20 feet and its powerful disposition has taken the lives of professional surfers. If a visiting surfer dropped in on another surfer, unknowing of the wave’s nature, he could cause serious harm or death to the former. On a related note, some surfers aren’t ready to handle Pipeline. These observations led to the Wolfpak’s proactive enforcement on the North Shore

North Shore, California

North Shore is a census-designated place in southeastern Riverside County, so named because of its location along the northeast shore of the Salton Sea. It was once a popular vacation destination spot before ever-increasing salinity and pollution of the Salton Sea shut the tourist trade down...

.

The Wolfpak’s ways of preventing the aforementioned consequences of Pipeline popularity have gotten attention through their violent means. In an incident where a tourist cut off a friend of Alexander’s in a dangerous six-foot swell, the Wolfpak leader beat up the visitor for his poor decision and later reflected on the positive outcomes native enforcement could bring. Comments from anonymous locals show that the presence of Wolfpak is well perceived, if not intimidating. Though, some locals who hold similar values of cultural respect support what the members are trying to do.

Alexander doesn’t view Wolfpak as a gang, but says they look out for every local Hawaii

Culture of Hawaii

The culture of Hawaii has its origins in the traditional culture of the Native Hawaiians. As Hawaii has become home to many different ethnic groups during the past 200 years, each ethnic group has added elements of its own culture...

an. Embedded in the brotherhood’s philosophy is respect for others. They attempt to preserve this way of life and realize the implications that a lack of respect can have on Hawaiian culture.

"I don't care if it's Kauai or Brooklyn. And I believe wherever you go, locals have the right of way. That's how it should be, and how it used to be here."- Kala Alexander

Bra Boys

The Bra Boys

Bra Boys

The Bra Boys is an Australian surf gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Dating back to the 1990s, the gang has gained notoriety through violent clashes with members of the public and police...

 are a popular surf gang founded in Maroubra, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. They established international fame and attention in 2007 with the release of Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water, a documentary about the bonds and struggles of the many gang members. The Bra Boys

Bra Boys

The Bra Boys is an Australian surf gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Dating back to the 1990s, the gang has gained notoriety through violent clashes with members of the public and police...

 name originates both from the slang word for brother, and as a reference to the gangs suburb, Maroubra. Gang members tattoo "My Brothers Keeper" across the front of their chests and the Maroubra area code across their back.

Many of the Bra Boys

Bra Boys

The Bra Boys is an Australian surf gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Dating back to the 1990s, the gang has gained notoriety through violent clashes with members of the public and police...

 came from impoverished homes and families torn apart by drug use. Sunny, Jai, Koby and Dakota Abberton, the brother who first founded the gang, came from an especially difficult upbringing. To them the Bra Boys were much more than a gang, they were a group of friends, a family of their own that loved to surf and always stood up for each other. The documentary

Documentary

A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...

, written and directed by the gang members themselves, showed the raw gritty side of a surf life previously glamorized by Hollywood.

Surf terminology

Surfing (particularly in Southern California) has its own slang, which has comingled with Valspeak

Valspeak

Valleyspeak or Valspeak is a common name for an American sociolect, originally of Los Angeles, California, in particular Valley girls. This stereotype, which originated in the 1970s, became an international fad for a certain period...

. Words like "dude", "tubular", "radical", and "gnarly" are associated with both. One of the primary terms used by surfers around the world is the word "stoked". This refers to a mixed feeling of anxiety and happiness towards the waves breaking.
Surfers have often been associated with being slackers

Slackers

Slackers is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Dewey Nicks and stars Jason Schwartzman, Devon Sawa, Jason Segel, and Michael Maronna.-Plot:...

 or 'beach bums' (with women being known as 'beach bunnies').

The shaka sign

Shaka sign

The shaka sign is a common greeting gesture. It is often associated with Hawaii. It consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while keeping the three middle fingers curled, and raising the hand as in salutation with the back of the hand facing the person that is being greeted; sometimes...

, associated with Hawaii, origins unknown, is a common greeting in surfer culture.

Issues affecting surfers

Global warming

Global warming

Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...

, environmental damage, and increasing riparian development may continue to increase pressure on the sport. Oil spill

Oil spill

An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...

s and toxic algae growth

Red tide

Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon also known as an algal bloom , an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column and results in discoloration of the surface water. It is usually found in coastal areas...

 can threaten surfing regions.

Some of these stresses may be overcome by building of artificial reef

Artificial reef

An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....

s for surfing. Several have been built in recent years (one is at Cables in Western Australia), and there is widespread enthusiasm in the global surfing community for additional projects. However, environmental opposition and rigorous coastal permitting regulations is dampening prospects for building such reefs in some countries, such as the United States.

Spirituality

Many surfers combine their love of the sport with their own religious or spiritual beliefs. In Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...

 for example, a local Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

, non-denominational church

Church Body

A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...

 occasionally meets on the beach for Sunday early-morning services. After the closing prayer

Prayer

Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...

, the minister and his congregation paddle out for a morning session. In addition, many surfing communities organize and take part in memorial services for fallen surfers, sometimes on the anniversary of passing such as the Eddie Aikau

Eddie Aikau

Edward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau was a well-known Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer. The words Makua Hanai in Eddie Aikaus full name means feeding parent, an adoptive, nurturing, fostering parent, in the Hawaiian language...

 memorial service held annually at Waimea Bay, Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

. Participants in the memorial service paddle out to a suitable location with flower leis

Lei (Hawaii)

Lei is a Hawaiian word for a garland or wreath. More loosely defined, a lei is any series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn. The most popular concept of a lei in Hawaiian culture is a wreath of flowers draped around the neck presented upon arriving or leaving as a symbol of...

 around their necks or with loose flowers (sometimes held between their teeth)., The participants then get into a circular formation, hold hands, and silently pray. Sometimes they will raise their clasped hands skyward before tossing their flowers or leis into the center of the ring. Afterward, they paddle back toward the beach to begin their surf session. Often these services take place at sunrise or sunset. In locations with a pier

Pier

A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...

, such as Huntington Beach, Orange County, California

Orange County, California

Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

, the service can take place near the end of the pier so that any non-surfers, such as elderly relatives, can watch and participate. Often the participants on the pier will throw down bouquets of flowers into the center of the ring.

The most extended treatment of surfing as a form of nature religion was written by Bron Taylor

Bron Taylor

Bron Raymond Taylor is an American scholar and conservationist. He is Professor of Religion and Nature at the University of Florida and has also been an Affiliated Scholar with the Center for Environment and Development at the University of Oslo. Taylor works principally in the areas of religion...

 in an academic journal in 2007, which led to a good deal of discussion in surfing magazines. Taylor discussed surfing in more detail, as well as other spiritualities of belonging and connection to nature, in Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future

Bron Taylor

Bron Raymond Taylor is an American scholar and conservationist. He is Professor of Religion and Nature at the University of Florida and has also been an Affiliated Scholar with the Center for Environment and Development at the University of Oslo. Taylor works principally in the areas of religion...

.

Surf music

Surf culture is reflected in surf music

Surf music

Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...

, with sub-genres such as surf rock and surf pop. This includes works from such artists as Jan and Dean

Jan and Dean

Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...

, The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...

, The Surfaris

The Surfaris

The Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles, California area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" on the A-side and "Wipe Out" on the B-side of a 45 RPM single.-Career:The original...

 ("Wipe Out

Wipe Out (Surfaris song)

"Wipe Out" is a Twelve-bar blues written by Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson. The tune was first performed and recorded by The Surfaris, who were elevated to international status with the release of the "Surfer Joe" and "Wipe Out" single in 1963.The song – both the Surfaris'...

!"), Dick Dale

Dick Dale

Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...

, The Shadows

The Shadows

The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...

, and The Ventures

The Ventures

The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...

. The music inspired dance crazes such as The Stomp, The Frug

The Frug

The Frug was a dance craze from the 1960s that evolved from another dance of the era, the Chicken. The Chicken, which featured lateral body movements, was used primarily as a change of pace step while doing the Twist. As young dancers grew more tired they would do less work, moving only their hips...

, and The Watusi

The Watusi

The Watusi is a solo dance that enjoyed brief popularity during the early 1960s. It was the second-most popular dance craze in the 1960s in the United States, after the Twist...

. While the category surf music helped popularize surfing, most surfers at the time, such as Miki Dora, preferred R&B and blues. A newer wave of surf music has started in the acoustic riffs of artists such as Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson (musician)

Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...

 and Donavon Frankenreiter

Donavon Frankenreiter

Donavon Frankenreiter is an American musician and surfer. He is a long-time friend of Jack Johnson and his debut self-titled album was released in 2004 on Johnson's Brushfire Records through Universal Music and made the Australian ARIA Top-40 charts in April 2004.-Surfing career:He took up surfing...

, who are both former professional surfers.

Surf rock

• Wedding Cake Island
  Wedding Cake Island
  Wedding Cake Island is an island off Coogee Beach, Sydney, which protects the beach from most swells. It is also known as Lemo's Island....
  
  , Midnight Oil
  Midnight Oil
  Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
  
  , 1975.
• Reef
  Reef
  In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
  
  
• Paddle Out
  Sublime (album)
  Sublime is the third and final album released by ska-punk band Sublime. Originally intended to be titled Killin' It, the band and record label agreed to substitute an eponymous title due to lead singer Bradley Nowell's death prior to the album's release...
  
   by Sublime
  Sublime (band)
  Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
  
  
• The Ziggens
  The Ziggens
  The Ziggens are a band based out of Orange County, California whose self-described style of "cowpunksurfabilly" combines elements of surf, rockabilly, punk, ska, and country. The Ziggens are led by Bert Susanka who sings and plays rhythm guitar. Other members include Dickie Little on lead guitar,...
  
  

Surf pop

• Middle man (song by Jack Johnson)
• Surfer Girl
  Surfer Girl
  Surfer Girl is the third studio album by The Beach Boys and their second longplayer in 1963. This was the first album by The Beach Boys for which Brian Wilson was given full production credit, a position Wilson would maintain until the end of the The Smile Sessions in 1967...
  
   (single), The Beach Boys
  The Beach Boys
  The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
  
  , 1963.
• Surf City
  Surf City (song)
  "Surf City" is a surf song which, as recorded by Jan and Dean, was a #1 hit record in July 1963 for two weeks.The first draft of the song, with the working title "Goody Connie Won't You Come Back Home", was written by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. He gave it to Jan Berry and Dean Torrence of Jan...
  
  , Jan and Dean
  Jan and Dean
  Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...
  
  , 1963.
• Surfer Joe, The Surfaris
  The Surfaris
  The Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles, California area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" on the A-side and "Wipe Out" on the B-side of a 45 RPM single.-Career:The original...
  
  , 1963.
• He's my blonde headed stompie-wompie real gone surfer boy, Little Pattie
  Little Pattie
  Little Pattie is the stage name of Australian singer, Patricia Thelma Amphlett OAM later Patricia Thompson, who performed as a 1960s surf pop singer and then in adult contemporary music...
  
  , 1963.
• Fun Fun Fun, The Beach Boys
  The Beach Boys
  The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
  
  , 1964.
• Surf Song, Fenix*TX, 1999.
• Surfpop (album), Drifting Sand, 1999.

Instrumental

• Dick Dale
  Dick Dale
  Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
  
  , 1960s to present.
• Walk Don't Run
  Walk, Don't Run (song)
  "Walk, Don't Run" is an instrumental composition written and first performed by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1955. The tune is essentially a counter-melody to the chord changes of the old standard, "Softly, As in the Morning Sunrise"....
  
  , The Ventures
  The Ventures
  The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
  
  , 1960.
• Apache, The Shadows
  The Shadows
  The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
  
  , 1960.
• Bombora
  Bombora
  Bombora is an indigenous Australian term for an area of large sea waves breaking over a shallow area such as a submerged rock shelf, reef, or sand bank that is located some distance from the shoreline and beach surf break....
  
   (single), The Atlantics
  The Atlantics
  This article refers to the Australian Surf rock band. See paragraph at the end of this page for information on other bands called The Atlantics....
  
  , 1963.
• Wipe Out
  Wipe Out (Surfaris song)
  "Wipe Out" is a Twelve-bar blues written by Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller and Ron Wilson. The tune was first performed and recorded by The Surfaris, who were elevated to international status with the release of the "Surfer Joe" and "Wipe Out" single in 1963.The song – both the Surfaris'...
  
  , The Surfaris
  The Surfaris
  The Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles, California area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" on the A-side and "Wipe Out" on the B-side of a 45 RPM single.-Career:The original...
  
  , 1962.
• The Blue Stingrays
  The Blue Stingrays
  The Blue Stingrays were a late 1990s rock band that played surf rock, incorporating some country and western elements, with an overall Hawaiian atmosphere. The band was composed of the members of The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty's backup band, who took a short break from their work with Petty to record...
  
  , 1997.
• Bullwinkle Part II, The Centurions, 1964.
• "Needles on the Beach", Tin Machine
  Tin Machine
  Tin Machine was a hard rock band formed in 1988, famous for being fronted by singer David Bowie. The group recorded two studio albums before dissolving in 1992, when Bowie returned to his solo career...
  
  
• The Break, Rob Hirst, Martin Rotsey, Jim Moginie (ex Midnight Oil) and Brian Ritchie (ex Violent Femmes) - 2010.

Surf visual art

Many people have incorporated the free spirited and hippie nature of many surfing lifestyles into their paintings and murals such as the Surfing Madonna

Surfing Madonna

The Surfing Madonna is a 10 by 10 foot mosaic of the Virgen de Guadalupe created by artist and former Microsoft employee Mark Patterson. It was covertly installed in Encinitas, California.-Virgin:...

 mosaic in Encinitas

Encinitas, California

Encinitas is a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego in North County and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census. Encinitas is...

.

Fashion

Surfwear is a popular style of casual clothing, inspired by surf culture. Many surf-related brand names originated as cottage industry, supplying local surfers with boardshorts

Boardshorts

Boardshorts are a style of men's and, recently, women's summerwear. They were originally developed for aquatic sports, specifically for surfing, but in more recent years they have grown in popularity outside of these sports, and have become a popular form of general beach and summerwear.The name...

, wetsuits, surfboard

Surfboard

A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...

s or leash

Leash

A leash is a rope or similar material attached to the neck or head of an animal for restraint or control...

es, as well as other hardware.

An early Australian surf fashion company was Kuta Lines, founded by Tony Brown after visiting Bali in 1973. Brown adapted Indonesian textiles and designs for his surfwear. From the 1980s, Kuta Lines used traditional ikat

Ikat

Ikat, or Ikkat, is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles that employs a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weft fibres....

 weaving and dyeing techniques, adapted to a heavier, fleecy fabric for cool climate surfing.

Some other clothing brands include Flomotion, RVCA, Quiksilver

Quiksilver

Quiksilver, Inc. , is an American company based in Huntington Beach, California, one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment...

, Roxy, Billabong

Billabong (clothing)

Billabong International is a clothing company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since 11 August 2000. Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant....

, O'Neill

O'Neill (brand)

O'Neill is an American surfboard, surfwear and equipment brand that was started in San Francisco, California, but soon moved down the coast to Santa Cruz. Some credit the company with having invented the modern wetsuit...

, Rainbow, Hurley, Reef, Rip Curl

Rip Curl

Rip Curl is a major Australian manufacturer and retailer of surfing sportswear The company was founded in 1969 by Doug Warbrick and Brian Singer in Torquay, Victoria, Australia and initially produced surfboards. In 1970, they decided to begin production of wetsuits, with emphasis on transforming...

, Sanuk, Volcom, DaKine

DaKine

DaKine is an American outdoor apparel company specializing in sportswear and sports equipment for alternative sports. It was founded in 1979 in Haiku, Maui Hawaii. The name of the company comes from the Hawaiian Pidgin word "da kine" .Dakine sells backpacks, apparel and accessories for men, women...

, Element, Oakley

Oakley, Inc.

Oakley, Inc., based in Foothill Ranch, California, makes sport equipment including sunglasses, sports visors, and ski goggles, as well as watches, clothing, bags, backpacks, shoes, prescription glasses, football and hockey eyewear, Golf gear and other accessories...

, Hollister Co.

Hollister Co.

Hollister Co., sometimes advertised as Hollister or HCo., is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept was originally designed to attract consumers aged 14–18 through its SoCal-inspired image and casual wear. Goods are available in-store and through the company's online store...

, Von Zipper, Redsand and Maui Rippers.

Surfing contests

Competitive surfing is a comparison sport. Riders, competing in pairs or small groups, are allocated a certain amount of time to ride waves and display their prowess and mastery of the craft. Competitors are then judged according to how competently the wave is ridden, including the level of difficulty, as well as frequency of maneuvers. There is a professional surfing world surfing championship series held annually at surf breaks around the world.

Stubbies Stubbies (surfing) The Stubbies was a surf competition held annually, in about March, at Burleigh Heads, Queensland from 1977 to 1988. The event was named after its sponsor the Stubbies clothing brand and was one of the three major Australian surfing competitions of its day .- History :The contest was established in... Bells Bells Beach Surf Classic The Bells Beach Surf Classic is a surfing competition which has been held annually at Easter time at Bells Beach, Victoria continuously since 1961, becoming a professional competition in 1973.... Billabong Pro Billabong Pro Teahupoo 2006 Billabong Pro Teahupoo is a professional surfing competition of the ASP World Tour held at the break Teahupo'o in Taiarapu, Tahiti.- Winners :... Pipe Masters

Red Bull Big Wave Africa Red Bull Big Wave Africa The Red Bull Big Wave Africa is a surfing competition held annually in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.The event is held at "Dungeons", just east of The Sentinel, a peak in Hout Bay, Cape Town. The reef has been known since the 80's as a site for large Atlantic swells breaking over a reef... Surfabout Surfabout Surfabout was a surfing competition held annually in Sydney, Australia between 1974 and 1991. It was sponsored by Coca Cola and radio station 2SM and hence called the Coke Surfabout or the Coke/2SM Surfabout... Surfest Surfest Surfest is an annual surfing competition held in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Surfest began in 1985 as an initiative of Newcastle City Council, and at the time, was the world's richest surfing competition... Boardmasters Festival Boardmasters Festival The Boardmasters Festival is an annual event held in Newquay. The event is a combination of live music and a surf & skate contest.The majority of the music performances take place to the north of Newquay near Watergate Bay...

Although competitive surfing has become an extremely popular and lucrative activity, both for its participants and its sponsors, the sport does not have its origins as a competitive pursuit. It is common to hear debate rage between purists of the sport, who still maintain the ideal of "soul surfing", and surfers who engage in the competitive and, consequently, commercial side of the activity. An organisation called the Spirit of Surfing

Spirit of Surfing

Spirit of Surfing is a movement started by surfer Peter Cuming in 1995. It's organised as the Spirit of Surfing Trust and promotes harmony among surfers and respect for the ocean, the land, and indigenous culture....

 has chosen not to accept surf label sponsorship, since an association of that sort could detract from the sentiment they wish to promote.

Surfing organizations

• Surfrider Foundation
• Association of Surfing Professionals
  Association of Surfing Professionals
  The Association of Surfing Professionals is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best talent in a variety of progressive formats.- Predecessors to the ASP :...
  
  
• Bronzed Aussies
• BSUPA - British Stand Up Paddle Association
• Ocean Beach Geriatric Surf Club & Marching Surfboard Drill Team and Gidget Patrol
• Pleasure Point Night Fighters
  Pleasure Point Night Fighters
  The Pleasure Point Night Fighters , a.k.a. PPNF.-Pleasure Point:The Pleasure Point Night Fighters are the first to use the name Pleasure Point.This designation is used to define the surfing community on Soquel Point in the county of Santa Cruz....
  
  
• SurfAid International
  SurfAid International
  SurfAid International is an international charitable organization working in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia. It was founded by Dr. Dave Jenkins of New Zealand in 2000. In 1999 he was on a surfing trip in the area and saw the health problems of the local people...
  
  
• Surfing Australia
• Swiss Surfing Association (SSA)
• Coalition of Surfing Clubs (CSC)

Boardsports

Surfers developed the skateboard

Skateboarding

Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...

 to be able to "surf" on land. Later came windsurfing (also known as sailboarding), bodyboarding

Bodyboarding

Bodyboarding is a surface water sport . The average board consists of a small, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam, sometimes containing a ridged spine called a 'stringer'...

, wakeboarding

Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....

, wakesurfing

Wakesurfing

Wakesurfing is a water sport in which a surfer trails behind a wakeboard boat, surfing the boat's wake without being directly attached to the boat. The wake from the boat mimics the look and feel of an actual ocean wave...

, skimboarding

Skimboarding

Skimboarding . is used to glide across the water's surface. Unlike surfing, skimboarding begins on the beach by dropping the board onto the thin wash of previous waves. Skimboarders use their momentum to 'skim' out to breaking waves, which they then catch back into shore in a manner similar to...

, snowboarding

Snowboarding

Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...

, riverboarding

Riverboarding

Riverboarding is a boardsport in which the participant lies prone on their board with fins on their feet for propulsion and steering. This sport is also known as hydrospeed in Europe and as riverboarding or white-water sledging in New Zealand, depending on the type of board used...

, kiteboarding, sandboarding

Sandboarding

Sandboarding is a board sport similar to snowboarding.It is a recreational activity that takes place on sand dunes rather than snow-covered mountains....

, mountainboarding

Mountainboarding

Mountainboarding, also known as Dirtboarding, Offroad Boarding, Grass Boarding, and All-Terrain Boarding , is a well established if little-known extreme sport, derived from snowboarding...

, carveboarding

Carveboarding

Carveboarding is a boardsport on hard surfaces . Carveboard is also the brand name of the board which popularised the practice of this sport....

 all now competitive sports. Another fast growing boardsport is skurfing a mix of surfing and more conventional water sports in which the participant is towed behind the boat. Pineboarding

Pineboarding

Pineboarding is a recreational activity in which a participant rides down the pine-needle-covered slopes of pine forests on a skateboard deck.- Boards :...

 and sandboarding are recreational boardsports.

Films about surfing

The surf culture is reflected in film. Bruce Brown's classic movie The Endless Summer

The Endless Summer

The Endless Summer is a 1966 film in the surf movie genre.Director Bruce Brown follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a surf trip around the world. Despite the balmy climate of their native California, cold ocean currents make local beaches inhospitable during the winter...

 glorified surfing in a round-the-world search for the perfect wave. John Milius's homage to the Malibu of his youth in Big Wednesday

Big Wednesday

Big Wednesday is an American coming of age film directed by John Milius. Milius co-wrote Big Wednesday with Denny Aaberg, and it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu and a short story Aaberg had published in a 1974 Surfer Magazine entitled "No Pants Mance." The picture stars...

 remains a poignant metaphor for the similarities between the changing surf and life. Beach movies such as the Gidget

Gidget

Gidget is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friends on the beach at Malibu. The name Gidget is a portmanteau of "girl and midget"...

 series and Beach Party films like Beach Blanket Bingo

Beach Blanket Bingo

Beach Blanket Bingo is an American International Pictures beach party film, released in 1965 and was directed by William Asher. It is the fifth film in the beach party film series...

 are less reverential depictions of the culture. Liquid Time

Liquid Time

Liquid Time is a 2002 avant-garde surf film that focuses solely on the fluid forms of tubing waves . Brothers Monty Webber and Greg Webber revived a childhood passion for perfectly formed tiny waves by filming the wake of their runabout as it pealed along the edge of a river sandbank...

 (2002) is an avant-garde surf film that focuses solely on the fluid forms of tubing waves. Blue Crush

Blue Crush

Blue Crush is a 2002 surfer film directed by John Stockwell and based on the Outside magazine article "Life's Swell" by Susan Orlean. Starring Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake, and Mika Boorem, it tells the story of three friends who have one passion: living the ultimate dream of...

 (2002) is a film about surfer girls on Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

's North Shore

North Shore (Oahu)

The North Shore, in the context of geography of the Island of Oahu, refers to the north-facing coastal area of Oahu between Kaena Point and Kahuku Point...

. The sequel, Blue Crush 2

Blue Crush 2

Blue Crush 2 is a 2011 direct-to-video surfer film and sequel to the 2002 film Blue Crush. This movie stars Sasha Jackson, Elizabeth Mathis, Ben Milliken and Sharni Vinson....

 (2011) is a film about a California rich girl who travels to South Africa to find out more about her mother and herself.

Some film events include the Sydney Fringe Festival, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. the Surf Film Festival, Saint Jean de Luz Surf Film Festival, Wavescapes Surf Film Festival, and the New York Surfing Film Festival

NYSurfFilmFestival

Founded in 2007, the New York Surf Film Festival held its inaugural event September 26–28, 2008 at Tribeca Cinemas with 25 films screened from all over the world, including a special 30th Anniversary screening of Warner Brothers' Big Wednesday directed by John Milius & co-written with Denny...

.

Television shows

Baywatch Baywatch Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production... Beyond the Break Beyond the Break Beyond the Break is an American drama series set in Hawaii, that debuted on The N in June 2006.-Synopsis:The series focuses on four women in the sport of professional surfing. Birdie Scott , Lacey Farmer , Dawn Preston , and Kai Kealoha must overcome their differences in order to capture surf... Blue Water High Blue Water High Blue Water High is an Australian television drama series, broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on ABC1 and on Austar/Foxtel Nickelodeon channel in Australia and on various channels in many other countries... California Dreams California Dreams California Dreams is an American teen-oriented sitcom that aired from 1992 to 1996 on Saturday mornings during NBC's TNBC programming block. It was created by writers Brett Dewey and Ronald B. Solomon and executive produced by Peter Engel, all known for their work on Saved by the... Gidget Gidget (TV series) Gidget is an American sitcom about a surfing, boy-crazy teenager called "Gidget" and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. Sally Field stars as Gidget with Don Porter as her father. The series was first broadcast on ABC from September 15, 1965 through April 21, 1966...

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...  lead-in. John from Cincinnati John from Cincinnati John from Cincinnati is an American television drama, set against the surfing community of Imperial Beach, California, that aired on HBO from June 10, 2007 to August 12, 2007. It is the result of a collaborative effort between writer/producer David Milch and author Kem Nunn, whose novels have been... Lockie Leonard Lockie Leonard (TV series) Lockie Leonard is an Australian children's television series adapted from the Lockie Leonard books that first screened on the Nine Network Australia in 2007. The series was filmed in Albany, Western Australia... Malibu U Malibu U Malibu U is the name of a short-lived American variety TV series that aired in the summer of 1967. Ricky Nelson starred as the dean of a fictional college called "Malibu U," where the biggest popular music stars of the 1960s performed once a week. The show lasted for only seven episodes, going... The O.C. The O.C. The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons... Rocket Power Rocket Power Rocket Power is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon.-Premise:Rocket Power involves the daily situations of a group of best friends named Oswald "Otto" Rocket, Regina "Reggie" Rocket, Maurice "Twister" Rodriguez, and Sam "Squid" Dullard, as they live in the fictional... Surf Girls (2003)

Surfing the Menu ABC TV, Australia. Eureka Seven Eureka Seven Eureka Seven, known in Japan as , is a mecha anime TV series by Bones. Eureka Seven tells the story of Renton Thurston and the outlaw group Gekkostate, his relationship with the enigmatic mecha pilot Eureka, and the mystery of the Coralians....  (not on water, however) Summerland Summerland (TV series) Summerland is an American drama television series created by Stephen Tolkin and Lori Loughlin. It is centered on a clothing designer in her 30s, Ava Gregory , raising her niece and nephews after their parents die in a tragic accident... Stoked Stoked (TV series) Stoked is a Canadian animated TV series produced by Fresh TV Inc. It is produced by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis and premiered on Teletoon on June 25, 2009. It is currently airing on Teletoon in Canada, and formerly on Cartoon Network in the United States...

TV documentary series

This Is Your Life

This Is Your Life

This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...

 presents Duke Kahanamoku

Duke Kahanamoku

Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku was a Hawaiian swimmer, actor, lawman, early beach volleyball player and businessman credited with spreading the sport of surfing. He was a five-time Olympic medalist in swimming.-Early years:The name "Duke" is not a title, but a given name...

 (1957)

NRG (1997)>

On Surfari Fuel TV Iconoclasts Season 2 Episode 1: Eddie Vedder Eddie Vedder Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...  and Laird Hamilton Laird Hamilton Laird Hamilton is an American big-wave surfer, co-inventor of tow-in surfing, and an occasional fashion and action-sports model. He is married to Gabrielle Reece, a professional volleyball player, television personality, and model... ; Sundance Channel

"Surfing 50 States" (2006)

"I'm a Big Wave Surfer" [MTV's True Life] (2004)

"Bra Boys

Bra Boys

The Bra Boys is an Australian surf gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Dating back to the 1990s, the gang has gained notoriety through violent clashes with members of the public and police...

: Blood is Thicker than Water (2007)

TV episodes featuring surfing

The Flintstones

The Flintstones

The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...

 - "Surfin' Fred" (1965).

Gilligan's Island

Gilligan's Island

Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...

 - "Big Man on Little Stick" (1965).

The Brady Bunch

The Brady Bunch

The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...

 - "Hawaii Bound" (1972)>

Even Stevens Even Stevens Even Stevens is an American comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel with a total of three seasons and 65 episodes from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003...  - "Surf's Up" (2003) The Surreal Life The Surreal Life The Surreal Life is a reality television series that sets a select group of past-their-prime celebrities and records them as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks...  - "Surf School" (2004) Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...  - Angels in Paradise (1977)

Fictional surfers in TV

• Denny Miller
  Denny Miller
  Denny Scott Miller is an American actor, perhaps best known for his guest-starring roles on Gilligan's Island and as Tarzan in the late 1950s....
  
   as the handsome surfer Duke Williams, guest starring on Gilligan's Island
  Gilligan's Island
  Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
  
  . Duke Williams is the stereotypical
  Stereotype
  A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
  
   surfer of the early sixties: simple-minded, yet handsome and athletic.

• Duke: "Man, five days on that board and I'm nothing but skin and bones." • Ginger: "What skin." • Mary Ann: "And what bones."

• Luke Perry
  Luke Perry
  Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
  
   as Dylan McKay was often seen surfing during the first few seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210
  Beverly Hills, 90210
  Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
  
  .

Television advertising

Major advertisers appeal to the surfing market (and to would-be surfers) with commercials featuring, in some cases famed surfing athletes, such as the Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

 commercial featuring Kalani Robb and Maila Jones, and a Kashi food commercial featuring Kashi nutritionist and surfer Jeff Johnson, 2006

Surfing magazines

Surfer's Journal Surfer's Journal The Surfer's Journal is a surf publication based out of San Clemente, California. The reader-supported magazine comes out six times a year. It is edited by Scott Hulet and published by Steve Pezman.... The Surfer's Path The Surfer's Path The Surfer's Path is an international surfing magazine which is published every two months. Founded in 1997, the magazine is a bit of an anomaly in the surf-publishing world. Based in the United Kingdom, the Path is low-key and philosophical. From the start, its Caribbean-born editor, Alex... Tracks Tracks (magazine) Tracks is a monthly Australian surf magazine, promoting itself as "the surfer's bible". It is published by Next Media.It was established in October 1970 by Alby Falzon, starting as a kind of counter-culture tabloid, printed on cheap paper and produced on Queensland's Gold Coast. Since then it has... Australia's Surfing Life Australia's Surfing Life Australia's Surfing Life is a monthly magazine about surfing published in Australia. It features articles about surf trips in Australia and overseas, surfing technique, board design and wetsuits....

Pitpilot magazine Pitpilot magazine Pitpilot is the first magazine solely devoted to the UK surfing scene. It is published in Newquay, Cornwall. The owner is Arcwind Ltd, based in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.*... Wave Action Surf Magazine Wave Action Surf Magazine Wave Action Surf Magazine is a publication about surfing.Wave Action Magazine began in a small apartment in Huntington Beach, California through the vision of Mike Freihofer and Pete Rocky. Both surfers had been working at a local Southern California Surf Magazine called International Surf,... Surfer Magazine 18seconds Magazine 18seconds Magazine 18seconds Magazine is based in Currumbin on Australia's Gold Coast. Founded in 2010, 18seconds Magazine was the first core surfing magazine in Australia to be available on all media devices including mobile devices ....

Surf Girl magazine Surf Girl magazine SurfGirl Magazine is Britain’s most widely-read surf and beach lifestyle publication for women. As the first independent magazine for women’s surfing in the UK, it is a huge milestone for the sport... Surfing Magazine Surfing Magazine Founded in December 1964, Surfing Magazine is a magazine originally published by Primedia and later by Source Interlink Companies, Inc. As of 2008, the corporate offices are in Norcross, Georgia. Editorial, production, and ad sales function remain in San Clemente, California, close to the same...

Video games about surfing

Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer is an extreme sports video game in the Activision O2 brand. It was developed by Treyarch and published by Activision in 2002 for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Game Boy Advance. In 2003, it was published for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh... TransWorld Surf" TransWorld Surf: Next Wave TransWorld Surf: Next Wave TransWorld Surf: Next Wave is a video game of the sports genre released in 2003 by Angel Studios....

California Games California Games California Games is a 1987 Epyx sports video game for many home computers and video game consoles. Branching from their popular Summer Games and Winter Games series, this game consisted of some sports purportedly popular in California including skateboarding, freestyle footbag, surfing, roller... Sunny Garcia Surfing

Surfing in non-fiction

Conceptual metaphor

The word "surf" is polysemous

Polysemy

Polysemy is the capacity for a sign or signs to have multiple meanings , i.e., a large semantic field.Charles Fillmore and Beryl Atkins’ definition stipulates three elements: the various senses of a polysemous word have a central origin, the links between these senses form a network, and ...

; having multiple, related meanings. "Surfing" the World Wide Web

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...

 is the act of following hyperlink

Hyperlink

In computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...

s. The phrase "surfing the Internet" was first popularized in print by Jean Armour Polly

Jean Armour Polly

Jean Armour Polly is a librarian by profession, the author of a series of books on safe Internet services , and has been an active Internet user since 1991....

, a librarian, in an article called "Surfing the INTERNET", published in the Wilson Library Bulletin in June, 1992.

Popular

• Surfing: A History of the Ancient Hawaiian Sport, Finney, B.
• Australian Beach Cultures: The History of Sun, Sand, and Surf, Booth, D.
• Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing, Holmes Coleman, S.
• The Illustrated Discography of Surf Music (1961–1965) Blair, J. Riverside, California, 1983.
• A Pictorial History of Surfing. Finney, B. and Margan, F. Paul Hamlyn, Sydney, 1970.
• Cowabunga: The Complete Book of Surfing. Wardlaw, L. Avon Books, New York, 1991.
• The History of Surfing. Young, N. Palm Beach Press, 1983.
• Stoked! A History of Surf Culture. Kampion, D. Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2003.
• Surf Culture: The Art History of Surfing. Colburn, B., Finney B., Stallings T., Stecyk, C., Stillman D., Wolfe T. Laguna Art Museum in association with Ginko Press, 2002.

Natural science

• The Science of Surfing Waves and Surfing Breaks, Scarfe, et al. (2003), Scripps Institution of Oceanography Technical Report.
• Mathematics and bodysurfing, Neville de Mestre, Faculty of Information Technology, Bond University.
• A numerical study of breaking waves in the surf zone, Pengzhi, L. et al., School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University.
• Waves and Beaches, Bascom, Willard
  Willard Bascom
  Willard Bascom , was an engineer and scientist, who first proposed using Neoprene for wetsuits to fellow scientist Hugh Bradner. He also proposed the hypothesis that anoxic water in the Black Sea could have preserved ancient Black Sea shipwrecks...
  
   Anchor Doubleday. (Science Study Series)
• The Wetsand Wavecast Guide to Surf Forecasting: A Simple Approach to Planning the Perfect Sessions Cool, NT.
• Ocean Surface Waves: Their Physics and Prediction Massel, SR.
• "Waves of Semiosis: Surfing's Iconic Progression", Flynn, PJ (1987), The American Journal of Semiotics
• "The Aesthetics of Risk: A Study of Surfing", M Stranger (1999), International Review for the Sociology of Sport, irs.sagepub.com
• To the Extreme: Alternative Sports, Inside and Out, Rinehart, RE. Sydnor, S. (2003), State University of New York Press
• "Good to the last drop! Understanding surfer motivations", Butts, SE. (2001), Sociology of Sport, physed.otago.ac.nz
• Sick, "Filthy, and Delirious: surf film and video and the documentary mode", Beattie, K. (2001), Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Vol. 15, No. 3.
• "Putting up your Dukes: Statues Social Memory and Duke Paoa Kahanamoku", Osmond, G. Phillips, MG. O’Neill, M. (2006), The International Journal of the History of Sport, Taylor & Francis
• Hangin' ten: The common-pool resource problem of surfing, Rider, R. College of Arts and Sciences, Economics Program, California State University, San Marcos, California, 92096-0001, U.S.A.
• "Surfing the Other: Ideology on the Beach", Rutsky, RL, (1999), Film Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 4.
• "We shall Fight on the Seas and the Oceans…We shall: Commodification, Localism and Violence", Scott, P.(2003), MC: a journal of media and culture, Vol.6, No.1.
• ‘Just the lemon next to the pie’: Apocalypse, History and the Limits of Myth in Big Wednesday, Ormrod, J. (1978), Manchester Metropolitan University.
• "Surf tourism and sustainable development in Indo-Pacific islands: I. The industry and the islands". Buckley, RC. (2002), Journal of Sustainable Tourism
• "Surf tourism and sustainable development in Indo-Pacific islands: II. Recreational Capacity Management and Case Study". Buckley, RC. (2002), Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Vol. 10, No. 5, 2002.
• A Sociological Study of the Surfing Subculture in the Santa Cruz Area Masters Thesis by Stephen Wayne Hull (1976), Department of Sociology, San Jose State University.
• Waves of Transformation Crawford, C. Masters thesis.
• "Surfing, the Ultimate Pleasure". Lueras, Leonard. Honolulu: Emphasis International, 1984.
• "The Search Issues of Play, Identification, Agency, and Deviance in the Absence of Mainstream Sports: Towards a Discovery of the Social Meaning of the Sport of Surfing". Ehrlich, JN. Honors Thesis for the Undergraduate Research Program in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine.
• "Civilising Surfers: Exploring Subculture Through Historical Consumer Research" Robin Canniford (2006) PhD Thesis.
• ""Marketing the Savage" Canniford, R. & Shankar, A. - Book Chapter in Cova, B., Shankar, A. and Kozinets, R. (2007) Consumer Tribes: Theory, Practice and Prospects, Oxford: Elsevier
• "Surf Soundtracks" Canniford, R. & Ormrod, J. - European Association for Consumer Research Conference, University of Bocconi Milan 2007.
• How to Surf", Evers, C. (2006), Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 30, No. 3.
• Locals Only! Evers, C. (2006), Conference Proceedings, Everyday Multiculturalism, Macquarie University.
• "Men who Surf", Evers, C. (2004), Cultural Studies Review, 10, No. 1.
• "Becoming-Man Becoming-Wave", Evers, C. (2005), Doctoral Thesis, University of Sydney, Australia
• "Ripping waves: exploring the surf as a natural domain for young men, Warren, A. (2006) Honours Thesis: School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Australia.
• "Talking shit over a brew after a good session with your mates: surfing, space and masculinity", Waitt, G and Warren, A. (2008), Australian Geographer 39(3), pp. 353–365.

Comics

• Captain Goodvibes
  Captain Goodvibes
  Captain Goodvibes, aka the Pig of Steel, was the creation of Australian cartoonist Tony Edwards and became an icon of Australian surfing culture in the 1970s....
  
  
• Wilbur Kookmeyer
  Wilbur Kookmeyer
  Wilbur Kookmeyer is the title character of a cartoon strip by Bob Penuelas which first appeared in Surfer magazine in 1986.Wilbur is a kook, a wanna-be surfer of limited skill...
  
  
• Silver Surfer
  Silver Surfer
  The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
  
  , who rides a surfboard-like vehicle

Prose

• "Tapping the Source: Waves and Mystery, Guns and Grit" "Dogs of winter" and "Tijuana Straights" By Kem Nunn
• Surfing in Hawaii: A Personal Memoir, by Desmond Muirhead
• Paunalu, by Rustom Calisch
• The Impact Zone, by Ray Maloney
• Fear Nothing, Seize the Night, by Dean Koontz. Christopher Snow, the main character, is a surfer, as are his best friend Bobby Halloway and girlfriend Sasha Goodall. Bobby makes his living running a surf forceasting service called Surfcast. Christopher's experience of surfing is rather unusual: suffering from the genetic disorder xeroderma pigmentosum
  Xeroderma pigmentosum
  Xeroderma pigmentosum, or XP, is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder of DNA repair in which the ability to repair damage caused by ultraviolet light is deficient. In extreme cases, all exposure to sunlight must be forbidden, no matter how small. Multiple basal cell carcinomas and other skin...
  
   he cannot go out during the day, but only at night.
• In Search of Captain Zero, by Allen Weisbecker.
• Where Tigers Rest at Midnight by Christopher Hess
• "Breath" by Tim Winton
• "The Winter of Frankie Machine" "The Dawn Patrol" and "The Gentlemen's Hour" by Don Winslow

Philosophical novel

Philosophical novel

Philosophical fiction refers to works of fiction in which a significant proportion of the work is devoted to a discussion of the sort of questions normally addressed in discursive philosophy. These might include the function and role of society, the purpose of life, ethics or morals, the role of...

s

• West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief, by Steven Kotler

See also

• Surfing
  Surfing
  Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
  
  
• History of surfing
  History of surfing
  The riding of waves has likely existed since humans began swimming in the ocean. In this sense bodysurfing is the oldest type of wave-catching. Standing up on what we now call a surfboard is a relatively recent innovation developed by the Polynesians...
  
  
• World surfing champion
• List of surfing topics
• List of surfing areas
• List of surfers
• Surf forecasting
  Surf forecasting
  Surf forecasting is the process of using offshore swell data to predict onshore wave conditions. It is used by millions of people across the world, including professionals who put their forecasts online, meteorologists who work for news crews, and surfers all over the world...
  
  

External links

• Surfing Heritage Foundation in San Clemente, California
  San Clemente, California
  San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish...
  
  
• International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach, California
  Huntington Beach, California
  Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
  
  
• Santa Cruz Surfing Museum in Santa Cruz, California
  Santa Cruz, California
  Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
  
  , with museum panoramas at the City of Santa Cruz's website.
• History of surfing and surf culture
• History of the term surf nazi