Jack Johnson Lands 2026 SURFER Magazine Cover

For this issue, we had the opportunity to sit down with Jack and reflect on his journey -- both in and out of the water. It's a rare glimpse into the man's life, and for that we are eternally grateful. A huge thank you goes out to Jack and Kim Johnson for their belief in this issue, as well as the Malloy family and Johnson's support team. They opened up their archives, shared their time and stories, and what we have in this issue is a thoughtful look at a surfer that picked up a guitar and changed the world.

But it takes a village to make a surf magazine, and we're also indebted to artist Thomas Campbell and photographer Todd Glaser for their contributions. It felt important to put a surf shot of Jack on the cover since, after all, his story starts on the beach. Glaser was gracious enough to allow us to dip into images he created with Jack and Kelly Slater on a trip to Martin Daly's Marshall Island getaway. The shot of Jack on the cover is from that trip (more on that to come later).

And what can we say about Campbell's contribution? The cover is literally one of a kind, handmade, stitched together using patterns, prints, and images selected by the artist. In its 65-year history, there's never been a SURFER cover like this. John Severson would have absolutely loved it. Campbell also did the hand lettering and graphic elements found in Jack's feature, which bring it to life and harken back to Jack's early albums and concert flyers.

But that's not all. This issue also pays homage to the late Rick Griffin. SURFER's first illustrator and cartoonist, he famously created the Murphy character in the early '60s before graduating to San Francisco's psychedelic scene later on in the decade. From the original lettering for Rolling Stone magazine to Grateful Dead album art, as we learn, it was the sea that always brought Griffin back down to Earth.

Donald Brink stepped into the shaping bay to craft six very unique, very beautiful surfboards special for this issue. He calls the collection the "Realmotionships." We have some grand plans to showcase the boards later this summer, but for right now, we wanted to take a minute to shine some light on the artistry of handmade surfboards.

Also featured in this issue are interviews with Phil Edwards, John John Florence, and Torren Martyn. Iconic surf photographer Tom Servais opened up his vault and let us paddle around in his vast archive. And, of course, there are pages dedicated to the year's best surf photos.

We hope you enjoy the new issue and it inspires you to go out, ride some waves, make some music, paint a painting, or just make the world a better place however you see fit. A huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone that helped bring these pages to life.

Preorder your copy of the new 2026 SURFER print issue here.Hits newsstands on May 8.