Best Surf Blogs for Culture, Adventure & Community
Looking for a fun read about surfing? Maybe something inspiring or insightful? I have been too...
There's a lot of content about competitive surfing and gear reviews to wade through, but with a little filtering I've been able to find thoughtful and interesting commentary.
Here are the best blogs (and similar formats), categorized to help simplify your search.
Surf Stories, Commentary & Interviews
The Surfer's Journal
This is a paid subscription worth considering: Great stories, unique commentary, and fantastic imagery. I find this content more enjoyable in print format, but you can subscribe and read online for a fraction of the cost.
When it comes to capturing the surfing lifestyle and "stoke", TSJ stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Liquid Salt
Liquid Salt interviews a variety of surfers outside the mainstream surf industry for a refreshing take on the surf lifestyle.
The format is Q&A. Access them all for free in their Features section.
Drifter Surf
Drifter Surf is a surf shop in Bali... but they have an unusually high quality blog that embodies the carefree surfer lifestyle of their brand.
Their Journals section champions adventure and experiential travel, operating under the philosophy that "life is in the experience."
Surf History & Culture
While some other online resources touch on aspects of the history of surf culture, this is the only dedicated resource I've found worth mentioning.
EOS - Encyclopedia of Surfing
The Encyclopedia of Surfing (EOS) functions as a comprehensive hub of surfing history, transforming a foundational surf book by Matt Warshaw into a digital resource. It covers various aspects of surfing's past, including historical interviews, details on surfboards, records of contests, and archival videos.
It is primarily a subscription service, offering access to an impressive collection of historical content.
Tips: The website is a little difficult to navigate. If you're looking for a specific type of content or you're interested in a specific time period, use the search page.
Mainstream Surf Industry Blogs
This set of "blogs" are big operations with multiple writers, editors, and a wide variety of content that spans from stories to interviews and general surf news. With significantly more resources than solo blogs, these provide more frequency and sometimes a more polished feel. The downside is that they can be more oriented toward the mainstream surf culture and capture less of the surf spirit.
Surfline's Surf Travel section is the best place to find stories and interviews.
Surfer's Surf Culture section allows you to filter for coverage of History, Shapers, and more.
Stab - mostly surf community news and commentary on professional surfing.
tracks is an Australian published surf magazine with some coverage outside of pro surfing / guides and some articles available for free on their site.
Surf + Outdoors & Action Sports
These blogs cover surfing as a key element but also dive into other water sports and outdoor activities.
The Inertia covers news, gear, etc. and also reaches into general outdoor topics like hiking. The Opinion section is the best filter for some entertaining commentary on surf culture.
Surfer Today covers multiple board sports spanning from news to popular culture and commentary.
Surf Guides & Reviews
The majority of these "surf blogs" focus on providing:
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Guides - surf breaks, regions, surf camps, boat trips, etc.
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Reviews - boards, gear, etc.
Some of them incorporate surf stories, interviews, and surf culture commentary, but this is small portion of their content.
Chris, a surf traveler, shares his advice and reviews on surf destinations, resorts, and gear.
Couple Ani and Julian share their surf and travel experiences along with guides and travel tips.
Content related to various aspects of surfing, including gear reviews, comprehensive guides, cultural insights, and industry news.
American Surf Magazine has some interviews and highlights some local surf businesses, but mostly publishes news, guides, and reviews.
The Search Continues
If you know of any thoughtful and authentic blogs about surfing please share them with me and I'll add them to the list: Contact