Surfing Life

This issue we unveil our sixth pillar, an invisible force that non-surfers peering in immediately recognise. Yet, many surfers are oblivious or choose to ignore it. As decades roll past, certain beliefs and mannerisms have been cultivated. Culture, f

You’ve seen a lot of changes in the culture of surfing. Do you expect to see more changes, and what will they look like? I suppose the big question really is … what is surf culture? Is it really a thing anymore? From back in the ’60s, where it seemed

I love pro surfing. It’s been my life for the best part of five decades intertwined with my other love of photography. Twin passions, in a career that was kicked off with the first surfing photo I’d ever published. It was an image of Narrabeen’s Col

There’s a cancer in our midst. A silent one. A cultural disease that’s gone through chemo, surgery, and after years of remission, it resurfaces—scaring us with another ugly cluster. Cancer is nothing to make light of … nor is discrimination. It shuts

With so many cancelled competitions during COVID, it was great to see a Gold Coast company, the Usher Group, launch the Usher Cup. But what was so different about the Usher Cup, which was held on the Gold Coast? Well, straight off the lip, the entire

Female freesurfing. A fairy tale. An idyllic fable where happily ever after means sponsors, perfect barrels, and remote tropical locations. Where Prince Charming is a sticker on a board, and the breadcrumbs lead to perfect waves. It may be a mythical

When contemplating how far surfing has come in the 50 years since the shortboard revolution, one’s head begins to resemble a tube from George Greenough’s psychedelic seventies surf classic, Crystal Voyager. That is, it begins to spin wildly. What beg

One minute, forty-three seconds marks the regular interval of a baby being born in Australia.1 A human metronome. Time is how we measure life: birthdays, graduations, weddings, and funerals. Although the hours in each day remain the same, time doesn’

• also known as the Boomers• born between 1946 and 1964, ages ranging from 57 to 75 Baby Boomers were named after a spike in birth rates post-World War Two. It was when the economic turmoil of the Great Depression and the war were diminishing and pea

• also know as and MTV generation or Gen Xers• born between 1965 and 1980, ages ranging from 41 to 56 This was the last gen with unprotected childhoods (no seatbelts, no bike helmets, and no supervision while both parents worked). Gen Xers became res

• Vietnam War ends• hippie era• jumbo jet (Boeing 747) revolutionises air travel• Fiji gains independence from Britain• Jaws is one of the first blockbuster movies (Is this why there’s less surfers in the ’70s?)• growth in women’s rights• start of el

• post-World War 2• mainstream black-and-white TV launched• Hugh Bradner invented first wetsuit out of neoprene for US Navy (’51)• scuba diving was invented• photography became easier to transport: SLR film “sport” cameras were invented (’50s)• the f

• also know as and Millennials or Megeneration,• born between 1981 and 1996, ages ranging from 25 to 40 Millennials are known to be self-confident and ambitious. They introduced the concept of entrepreneurialism to the world. Gen Ys were the first ge

• also know as iGeneration and Post-millennials• born between 1997 and 2015, the oldest is 24 Gen Z are the first generation of digital natives who grew up on social media. This is the generation of “influencers” as Instagram is used as their persona

• Puberty Blues (’81) movie with Aussie surf culture brought to mainstream• camcorders were mass-produced (’82)• mobile phones—the brick—weighed about 1kg (’80s)• MTV launched (’81)• personal computers: Mac or PC (’80s)• Wall Street crash (’87)• rise

• faster and smaller personal computers are introduced in the late ’90s• digital SLR cameras are marketed (late ’90s, early 2000s)• Google founded (’98)• DVDs release in Oz (’99)• world didn’t end with Y2K• 9/11 means airport security increases and W

We sit down with a modern-day surfing icon, Dave “Rasta” Rastovich, dubbed a “global surf activist” who over a decade ago sailed with Sea Shepherd to stop the black market dolphin trade in Japan. Now he’s raising his three-year-old son, Minoa, with l

Clearwater specialise in shaping every style of board. In the new age of surfing when there is a new shaper turning up around every corner, it is good to know you can still find quality craftsmanship. Steve Del Rosso has been shaping for over 30 year

Surf-art culture has been an evolving mystical medium shaped by generational change that’s influenced by societal shifts in fashion, music, movies, photography, events, surfboards, skate, dream-like locations, spirituality, events, and marketing conc

The funny thing about surf culture is you don’t really appreciate your own until you see someone else’s. I saw this happening in France in the 1990s, when the Biarritz Surf Festival, founded by Robert Rabagny, turned its back on its own rich (albeit

Always was, always will be Connected to the sea Nations defined by language Respect: strong identity The ocean, lore and totem We protect, listen, and learn While culture vulture takes and takes Never giving in return In the ’60s, we were beach bums

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