Surfing: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Albee Layer Savors Jaws Swell Bender In ‘Less Than Easy’

“I am anything but satisfied with the surfing I’ve done here in my lifetime,” Albee Layer concludes at the end of his recent work, “Less Than Easy”. “I’m not even close to being done with what I want to do.” Albee’s got one helluva motor.

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The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Beloved Los Angeles Surfer, Artist Tragically Dies

The peninsular community of Palos Verdes, south of Los Angeles proper, and others far and wide across the surfing world, are mourning the death of Zen Del Rio.

Surfing News / SURFER / July 2

Iconic Surfer, Inventor Doc Scott Honored in Santa Cruz (Photos)

The clouds parted, and the sun peeked out. Perfect timing for a celebration of life, honoring Bob “Doc” Scott, a legendary Santa Cruz surfer and inventor, who was memorialized on Monday with a traditional paddle-out at Lighthouse Point.

Surfing News / SURFER / July 1

Filipe Toledo Unloads In Freesurfing Highlight Reel (Video)

Filipe Toledo, the two-time WSL world champion, just dropped nearly 20 minutes of unseen freesurfing footage from his year off the Championship Tour in 2024.

Rob Machado News / SURFER / July 1

Inside Rob Machado's $250,000 'Rogue Wave' Sprinter Van

In the opening segment of Pat Stacy’s 2022 film The Color of Winter, featuring Rob Machado and the waves of North County San Diego, we get an inside look at Rob’s famous 1978 Dodge van, affectionately known as "The Creeper".

Surfing News / SURFER / July 1

Surfing In Ghana? Yes, Meet The Krokobite Beach Super Hero

It was two months ago when a photographer by the name of Nico Therin reached out to me with stunning photos from Ghana, of the surf scene at Kokrobite Beach, just 25km outside of the capital of Accra.

Surfing News / SURFER / July 1

The Wave of Your Life's a Matter of Perspective

Is there a single ride that's seared in your synapses? One wave to rule them all? An epic barrel perhaps? A solitary score at sunset? Or maybe that magic moment with your family all racing shoreward together?

Surfing News / SURFER / July 1

Man Who Helped 9-Year-Old Shark Attack Victim Arrested by ICE

A man who rushed into the water to help rescue a nine-year-old shark attack victim has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Luis Alvarez, 31, was driving in the early hours of the morning on June 14th in Collier County, Florida when he was pulled over for not having his headlights on.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 30

Watch: The Dizzying Swatch Nines Surf Highlight Reel

One of the many things that stood out from the 2025 Swatch Nines Surf event was how skilled and efficient the filmers, photographers and editors were. It’s a three-day event in late June in Waco, Texas.

Kelly Slater News / SURFER / June 30

Kelly Slater Drops $6,750 Watch Inspired by Hawaiian Surf Culture

Whether it’s a status symbol, a family heirloom, or merely an accoutrement to a stylish fit, a watch can mean many things. Ironically, however, the very thing they were invented to do – tell time – is one of the lesser functions of timepieces in today’s cellular phone era.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 30

ESPN Teases 100-foot Wave Potential on Alo Slebir’s Maverick’s Bomb

ESPN did their homework on this one. If you’re going big-picture at Maverick’s, Jeff Clark and Mark Sponsler are two guys who must be mic'd up. The former, of course, is credited with being the first person to surf Mav’s in 1975.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 30

Hey Dibi: Shoud I Encourage My Kid to Chase the Pro Surfing Dream?

Editor’s Note: Have a question for Dibi Fletcher? She’s definitely got answers. Or at least a perspective. Don’t hold back, shoot her a DM on Instagram and ask away.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 30

Hey Dibi: How do I Avoid Talking Politics With the In-Laws?

Editor’s Note: Have a question for Dibi Fletcher? She’s definitely got answers. Or at least a perspective. Don’t hold back, shoot her a DM on Instagram and ask away.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 30

Flying Shark Headbutts Florida Man While Surfing (Video)

It’s common knowledge that surfing in Florida comes with the risk of shark interaction, especially with regards to New Smyrna Beach, aka the “shark bite capital of the world.” But the shark encounters in NSB usually involve sightings and the occasional nip, and they’re typically from black tip and bull sharks.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 30

Surfing in Amsterdam: Wave Pool Proposed for Famed Canals

Amsterdam and its famed system of historic canals could soon be home to something never-before-seen in the Netherlands’ capital city: surfing. Per a new proposal, a plan to build a wave pool within one of the city’s canals has been submitted.

Michael Hynson News / SURFER / June 30

Memorial Paddle Out For 'Endless Summer' Star Mike Hynson Draws Generations of Surfers

As the Saturday morning haze burned off into clear skies, surfing’s elite began to gather in droves along La Jolla’s reefs, to remember Mike Hynson, one of modern surfing’s true originals, who died on January 10 of this year.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 29

Cole Houshmand Bests His Best Friend, Molly Picklum Jumps To No. 1 After Winning Rio

More than a year ago, two childhood friends faced off in a Championship Tour final at onshore, overcast Bells. Today, Griffin Colapinto and Cole Houshmand

Surfing News / SURFER / June 29

Shark Chases Surfers to Beach After Attacking Teen (Video)

On Sunday afternoon, a 16-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while surfing Cabarita Beach in New South Wales, Australia. The boy was bitten on his right side – leg and arm – and was flown to the hospital in critical condition due to his injuries.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 29

Here's Everything You Need To Know Before Surfing Malibu

One of the most iconic surf breaks in the U.S. and in surfing history. Malibu is a world-renowned Southern California mechanical, and borderline hypnotic, wave.

Tony Hawk Names “Best Air Ever Done” in Surfing (Video)

Let’s be real: surfers suck at naming tricks. Perhaps “suck” isn’t the right word. A little harsh. Maybe it’s more like confused or disorganized, especially when compared to our boardsport brethren in the worlds of skateboarding and snowboarding.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 28

The Best (Worst?) AI-Generated Surf Clips

Enjoy it while it lasts, folks. Humanity, as we know it, is slowly slipping away like a drip of rocky road from a kid’s ice cream cone. Soon, that cone, that sweet syrupy confection will be a synthetic replica, built to stimulate the neural pathways artificially.

Surfing News / SURFER / June 27

Biggest Wave Ever Paddled? Wilem Banks Makes The Case at Jaws

There’s a chance that a sauna builder in Santa Cruz County could have a world record to his name this fall. Wilem Banks is a soft-spoken woodworker from Santa Cruz who, in December, paddled into the biggest wave of his life, and potentially the biggest ever, in his fourth session at Jaws. Is it bigger than Aaron Gold’s 63-footer from Peahi?