Surfer Magazine

Over its six decades in print (1960-2020) the legendary Surfer magazine was considered to be the bible of surfing and surf culture. This carefully curated anthology, showcasing the best covers and interior pages serves as a quintessential reference guide to the history of surfing, surf style and design. Founded in 1960 by surfer, artist, and filmmaker John Severson, Surfer was the longest continuously published surf magazine, referred to as “the bible of the sport.” Surfer was firmly established as the sport’s leading voice, serving as a template for a small but growing number of surf magazines around the world. Featuring a mix of travel articles, contest reporting, surf spot profiles, big wave pictorials, and surfer interviews, Surfer worked with the world’s best photographers, writers, and graphic designers. This voluminous anthology features the most time-less, inspirational, and historically significant covers and interior pages from the magazine’s extensive archive and depicts the chronological progression of the sport, the gear, the style, and the world’s top surfers throughout the decades, from Mickey Dora to Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton. This is the perfect book for those who surf or spend time in the ocean and for anyone interested in a historical reference guide to modern day surfing and its highly influential style and subculture.

Since 1960, Surfer magazine has been chronicling a pastime that confounds description. Now for the first time, Surfer has collected its eclectic array of surf journalism into one volume, from dyspeptic editorials and gnarly travel pieces to great fiction and humor writing. Each piece is introduced by the editors and accompanied by the full-color cover of the Surfer issue in which the article first appeared. With the top names of surf journalism, this authoritative volume defines almost fifty years of Surfer styleand substance.

Surfer Magazine offers the ultimate guide to catching the best waves from the pristine points of Santa Barbara to the sunny beaches of San Diego. For more than 250 spots, this sturdy manual sporting a water-resistant cover delivers a clear assessment of wave quality, prime wave conditions, and local hazards (both natural and manmade). Informative text answers the burning questions that surfers often pose: What tide? What wind? What swell? How are the locals? Are they worse than the sharksor the traffic? With helpful maps, photos, and directions, this Surfer's Guide is sure to become the gold standard for anyone looking to score the perfect wave.

With 1,500 alphabetical entries and 300 illustrations, this resource is a comprehensive review of the people, places, events, equipment, vernacular, and lively history of this fascinating sport.

Discover the untold story of African surf culture in this glorious and colorful collection of profiles, essays, photographs, and illustrations. AFROSURF is the first book to capture and celebrate the surfing culture of Africa. This unprecedented collection is compiled by Mami Wata, a Cape Town surf company that fiercely believes in the power of African surf. Mami Wata brings together its co-founder Selema Masekela and some of Africa's finest photographers, thinkers, writers, and surfers to explore the unique culture of eighteen coastal countries, from Morocco to Somalia, Mozambique, South Africa, and beyond. Packed with over fifty essays, AFROSURF features surfer and skater profiles, thought pieces, poems, photos, illustrations, ephemera, recipes, and a mini comic, all wrapped in an astounding design that captures the diversity and character of Africa. A creative force of good in their continent, Mami Wata sources and manufactures all their wares in Africa and works with communities to strengthen local economies through surf tourism. With this mission in mind, Mami Wata is donating 100% of their proceeds to support two African surf therapy organizations, Waves for Change and Surfers Not Street Children.

A jaw-dropping photographic display of the world of big wave surfing, featuring the biggest and most dangerous waves and the legendary men and women who risk their lives to surf them. Over the last decade, a handful of surfers have been progressing the sport of big wave surfing to new extremes. Kai Lenny, one of the preeminent big wave surfers, offers readers a glimpse into this world. Lenny shares his personal stories and perspectives, and invites over 30 elite surfers—from legends who pioneered the way, to young guns who are the future of the sport—to contribute personal tales of the greatest waves ever ridden. These are the stories we’ve been waiting for: Shane Dorian pushing the boundaries in the gladiator arena of Pe‘ahi (Jaws), Maui; Peter Mel on riding the greatest wave ever caught at Mavericks, California; Keala Kennelly breaking the women’s glass ceiling at the death-defying slabs of Teahupoo, Tahiti; Kai Lenny and Lucas Chumbo’s groundbreaking wins at the incredible Nazaré, Portugal; Brett Lickle’s epic incident at the mystical Pyramids with Laird Hamilton, and many more. Accompanying stunning photographs from the world’s top surf photographers capture the drama of life and death, and the unwavering commitment of these brave extreme athletes.

This in-depth, photo-packed look at the history and culture of surfers is “meticulously researched, smartly written . . . required reading” (Outside Magazine). Matt Warshaw knows more about surfing than any other person on the planet. After five years of research and writing, Warshaw, a former professional surfer and editor of Surfing magazine, has crafted an unprecedented, definitive history of the sport and the culture it has spawned. With more than 250 rare photographs, The History of Surfing reveals and defines this sport with a voice that is authoritative, funny, and wholly original. The obsessive nature of Warshaw’s endeavor is matched only by the obsessive nature of surfers, who are brought to life in this book in many tales of daring, innovation, athletic achievement, and the offbeat personalities who have made surfing history happen. “The world’s most comprehensive chronicler of the surfing scene.” —Andy Martin, The Independent

Surfing, Jack London remarked, is “a royal sport for the natural kings of earth.” The greatest of those natural kings grant readers an audience in this glorious celebration of the world’s best surfers. Part exquisite picture book and travelogue to the top of the world, part biography and reference guidebook, Legends of Surfing profiles one hundred great surfers, men and women, from throughout the world. In life stories, and in exclusive interviews--which only the surfing icon Duke Boyd could have pulled off--stellar surfers such as Wayne Bartholomew, Tom Curren, Andy and Bruce Irons, Duke Kahanamoku, Dave Kalama, Gerry Lopez, Rob Machado, Mark Occhilupo, and Kelly Slater give us a rare firsthand look at what it’s like, in this crowded world, to “seek and find the perfect day, the perfect wave, and be alone with the surf and his thoughts.” (John Severson, Surfer magazine, 1960)