Inspiration
Meet the people who weave life into the fabric of surfing. We profile interesting characters with an amazing story and an obsession with the ocean. Read about up and coming surfers and crusty old locals who smell like billy goats and ride single fins. If they have a story to tell, you’ll find them in here. Come and be inspired by artists, business gurus and thought leaders in our well of inspiration.
Big news out of World Surf League headquarters today with the announcement that the beleaguered Piha Pro will be staged November 5-13 as part of the 2022 Challenger Series. That comes amongst a raft of changes to the WSL event framework including a return to the mid-season cut in the......
Two super-creative and talented brothers from Auckland’s North Shore have found their feet in Otago’s student party culture and thumping line-ups. But for Sam and Ollie Charlesworth, life marches completely to their own beat. They’re not afraid to be different and they don’t conform to any one style. That’s a......
Billy Stairmand may not have made it past Round 3 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but the way he took on Italo Ferreira in his man-on-man match was inspired. Stairmand never gave up and went hunting for that magic ramp that would bring him into line with the Brazilian world......
With charm and flair Brazil’s Italo Ferreira and Hawaii’s Carissa Moore, stood up on the biggest stage in sport and produced a masterclass in surfing. Tokyo 2020 has etched a new chapter in surfing. The sport’s inclusion in the Olympics has been impressive and few could argue that two of......
Both of New Zealand’s Olympic surfers, Billy Stairmand and Ella Williams, survived Day 1 of competition at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, Tokyo, today, advancing to the Round of 16. Raglan’s Billy Stairmand was first up in a morning clash that saw him battling in average 1-2 foot waves at Tsurigasaki against......
Team New Zealand hits the ISA World Games with just two athletes: Paige Hareb and Saffi Vette. In this visual diary, Saffi Vette takes us behind the scenes as Team New Zealand hunts down an Olympic qualification spot. What they didn’t expect was countless swabs up the nose or a......
It’s fair to say Benji Lowen’s trajectory in surfing has been outstanding. He’s on a performance surge right now, punching above his weight in New Zealand and he now has Australia in his sights. Despite only being 11 years old, he’s one of the hungriest competitors we’ve seen in the......
Every now and then a young photographer comes along who just seems to have an eye for surf culture. They see the waves, landscapes and humans in a new, more youthful light and that adds volumes to the story of New Zealand surfing. Award-winning photographer, Oscar Hetherington, is one of......
New Zealand Surf Journal releases Episode 1 of its Good Salt podcast series with an in-depth chat with Paige Hareb and Saffi Vette as they endure MIQ in Auckland. Fresh back from the ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador we discuss the Olympic dream, Tokyo 2020’s waves, and we......
The World Surf League announces the updated calendar for the remainder of the 2021 Championship Tour leading into the Rip Curl WSL Finals in September. The Oi Rio Pro is cancelled, Mexico is in. The third leg of the Tour includes a stop in Mexico for the first time in......