surf Archives - New Zealand Surf Journal

Conservation Week: Surfing With Sea Lions, A Short Film

Derek MorrisonApr 25, 2026April 23, 20260

In this short film, Moss Thompson, a surfer and DOC coastal ranger in Otago, explains what surfers need to do to safely surf with sea lions. We’ve all been there: trying desperately to enjoy a surf only to have a sea lion turn up and get in your grill. Well,...

Watch: One Of A Kind

Keo MorrisonApr 7, 2026April 17, 20260

A glimpse into the life of Hawaiian surfer Matt Meola as he shares his hunting, fishing and surfing experiences around his home in Maui and surfing throughout the world. One of the world’s leading freesurfers, Matt is multi-talented, and in this film he brings his hunting and fishing skills to...

Review: Wai-Tai Aotearoa Boardshorts

Derek MorrisonOct 29, 2025October 29, 20250

A fresh brand out of Gisborne, Wai-Tai Aotearoa’s all-new four-way stretch boardshorts are punching with the best right from the get-go. In a surf industry dominated by big brands that give very little back to New Zealand surfers, this new boardshort company makes it easy to support New Zealand design....

Barrels, Beers & Dislocations: An Indonesian Rookie’s Story

Isaac ChadwickNov 15, 20230

Isolated beaches with no one in sight. Dreamy barrels curving onto a perfectly shaped volcanic reef. Amazing food for the price of next to nothing. And now Jack McLeod is being precariously lifted onto a wooden tuk-tuk boat with his left arm painfully protruding from its socket, muscles throbbing in...

Video Review: Aquatech DC-5 Water Housing

Derek MorrisonMar 16, 2022July 25, 20240

After more than 10 years of swimming around lineups with this housing we decide to give the DC-5 housing from Aquatech a thorough review. The DC-5 is designed for the Canon EOS 5D range of cameras and we ran in ours a 5D MkII, 5D MkIII, 5D MkIV and the...

40 Frames: The Duke Festival of Surfing

Derek MorrisonMar 22, 2021July 25, 20240

There are very few surfing events that really buck the trend and blow their participants and spectators away. Even fewer deserve the “festival” monicker, but The Duke Festival takes the challenge by the short and curlies and knocks it right out of the park. Many years ago local Christchurch surf...

Watch: Jordy

Derek MorrisonJul 28, 2020July 25, 20240

Filmmaker Morgan Maassen teams up with South Africa’s Jordy Smith to bring this insight into one of the World Surf League’s most stylish surfers. “My longstanding attraction to surfing has always been through the elegance of style,” offers Morgan. “Watching the way someone can navigate a wave, connecting moves, making...

Buy Local: Help Pump New Zealand’s Surf Industry

Derek MorrisonMay 28, 20200

The Covid-19 health crisis has taught New Zealanders a lot of things, but nothing has become clearer: we need to support local surf businesses. By supporting them we pump the vascular system of our very own New Zealand surf industry. And that reaches deep into the heart of our surf...

Book Review: The South Seas Revised Edition

Derek MorrisonDec 9, 2018February 8, 20190

The South Seas Revised Edition features the work of some of the best photographers in New Zealand. These are combined with short pithy stories that offer a glimpse into our favourite beaches, surf history and characters of New Zealand’s surf culture. The South Seas Revised Edition came out of the...

Ricardo Surges To The Podium At Hawaiian Pro, Now Seventh In QS

Derek MorrisonNov 18, 2018March 1, 20190

Ricardo Christie laid down a new chapter in New Zealand surfing history today when he went blow-for-blow with three of the world’s best in the final of the Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa. His third place finish catapulted Ricardo from 14th to seventh on the WQS rankings and puts him in...