Surfing is beautiful. If it wasn’t so conducive to obsessive behaviour, well, you probably wouldn’t be reading this page.
Sometimes it’s nice to see what others in the surfing world are up to and how they live out their surfing lives. There’s a lot of artistry and love that goes into many surfing-related pursuits, and they’re more often done for the love than the money.
Enjoy 5 things we think make surfing beautiful.
Table of Contents
1. Dick Van Straalen Surfboards
If you’ve ever seen a DVS surfboard in the foam and glass you’ll know why. These are more sculpture than surfboard and their finish is sublime. Dick is to surfboards as Tarantino is to film.
Humans have a tendency to create complexity from simplicity. Art reflects this and sometimes, when we’re lucky, someone like Dick brings their art into the mix, turning what would otherwise be an object of functionality into a creation that resides on a higher plane. They touch the elusive thing that underlies all artistry and the magic is that it resonates in the beholder. The essence of the idea and craftsmanship can be understood without words or explanation. A complex thing becomes wordless – simple once again.
2. Sunsets
That time when the ocean douses the flames and the wind settles in. You’re no longer getting sunburnt by Ra, the sun god, the giver of life, our closest star. Instead you can look him in the eye and give thanks for yet another day of light afforded by his inferno.
Sunsets mean shark feeding, sunsets mean pink and crimson, baubles of water splaying toward the elastic surface as your hands scoop cups of lilac plasma and you propel yourself toward shore. A silhouette to all others but in the swirl of gentle twilight you’re a god to yourself. Lost, momentary.
Then the sunset is gone.
3. Surf Art
The life of a surf artist is not easy. It’s more than likely that they’re working some other job, indulging their artistic compulsions on the side, in those rare quiet moments. But the urge to create the images in their heads – and to share them with the world – is what makes surf artists special. It’s that motivation, the hunger to turn nothing into something. And the beauty of it comes from the subject they portray: the thing we’re all here for. Surfing.
If you have a space on your wall and want to fill it with something unique, consider a local surf artist. They’ll be happy to create a new world on canvas for you. It’ll probably cost a whole lot less than you might think.
Hug your local surf artist today.
4. Surf movies
Surf movies come in all shapes and sizes, from 2 minute clips to full length features. They’re no longer amateur compilations of the same guys doing the same manoeuvres. Now there is some serious production effort and resource going into producing clips that showcase the surfing experience. Of course, most of it is driven by sponsors wanting return on their sponsorship investment – i.e. eyeballs must see their logos on the boards of their surfers.
However, a few movies are still banking on the paying public, such as John John’s epic new release View from a Blue Moon. The production value is, well, oh just watch the trailer now…
Surf movies inspire. They provide insights into different worlds and cultures. They are one of the most important elements in surfing progression. Being able to watch another surfer perform the same move over and over makes imitation possible. It breaks down the ceiling of impossibility. If they can do it, you can too – here’s how.
Great surf movies, like Castles in the Sky, can do a whole lot more. The intrepid might find themselves breaking out of their mould and embarking on trips to places they otherwise wouldn’t ever have considered.
What do you think makes surfing beautiful?