Why hasn't anyone thought about this yet? Andy Anderson's Theory Map is a unique skateboard grip tape that helps skaters enhance their trick execution by providing visual markers for foot placement and board orientation. The Canadian skateboarder developed an ingenious grip tape design for both beginners and experienced skaters, enabling them to improve their understanding and performance of various tricks. The Theory Map surface features a directional graphic that indicates the front and back of the board, ensuring skaters maintain proper orientation. The idea is to be particularly helpful ..read more

The invention of the surf leash has always been controversial. The debate over who should be credited with attaching it to a surfboard is still ongoing. But we've gathered the pieces of the puzzle. Surfboard leashes are one of the sport's greatest 20th-century innovations. Imagine riding a tall and heavy wooden-based longboard in overhead surf. Every time you got caught by a sneaky set or had to overcome a powerful whitewater wave, the chances you'd be unable to hold on to your craft were high. Consequently, your board would be swept away toward a sandy or rocky shore, and you'd be left in t ..read more

Welcome to "The End of the Road," one of the nicknames for the Paris 2024 Olympic surfing venue, Teahupoo. Surfing is one of the most spectator-friendly Olympic sports to watch on the television or a computer screen. After a promising debut in Tokyo 2020, shortboard surfers are set to ignite the warm, transparent Tahitian waters with eye-catching tube-riding skills and spectacular aerial maneuvers. Here's everything you should know to follow the world's best surfers and one of the planet's biggest and most challenging waves. The Venue: Tahiti The Paris 2024 Olympic surfing competition will t ..read more

The world's first city center wave pool is ready to welcome surfers. Meet RiF010, the Dutch answer to urban surfing. Rotterdam is home to Europe's largest seaport. It is known for its architecture, arts scene, and maritime heritage. Despite being just 30 kilometers away from Scheveningen, probably the best surf break in the Netherlands, "Roffa," one of the city's nicknames, felt the need to optimize part of one of its several canals. The Dutch are world-famous for their land reclamation tradition, a vital part of their history and development. With much of the country situated below sea leve ..read more

Have you ever missed a very good-looking wave after losing precious time spinning your surfboard to start paddling? Waves don't wait for surfers. They're on a mission to crash near the shoreline, whether we ride them or not. The time between sets is often spent talking to fellow surfboarders, observing the surroundings, contemplating the sky, or meditating. Only a fraction of these waiting minutes is spent carefully looking at the horizon and the potentially incoming corduroy lines. The better surfers read the ocean, the better the waves they'll catch and ride. There's a lot of information w ..read more

Imagine a wave that behaves like a super-fast cargo train, rushing to reach its destiny at incredible speed. This wave is real. It's called Maalaea. There are few places in the world where the number of surfers in the water on a given day surpasses the local population. The census-designated place (CDP) of Mā'alaea in Maui is home to just around 310 people, but its waters can get crowded when south swells hit its beachless shoreline. Welcome to Maalaea Freight Trains, the nickname for what many believe to be the world's fastest, makeable surfing wave. The bold claim has solid structures, tho ..read more

Kelly Slater's entrepreneurial journey has always been relatively kept under the radar, with surfing doing most of his talking. Let's take a look at how the Floridian planned the move from waves to the boardroom. The world's greatest athletes are usually active businesspeople with multiple entrepreneurial projects in various fields of activity. Surfers are no different. Earnings accumulated from years of sponsorship deals and prize money must be channeled to reproductive gains. Investing in new and established business ventures is a smart way to secure a steady financial future when retireme ..read more

Life changes when you start working. And so does your surfing. Most of the freedom and flexible time schedules you had before you became a grown-up adult with responsibilities and bills to pay ends or gets seriously axed when you get your first job. The days when you could put on a wetsuit and just paddle out when the surf's great slowly vanish as you progress through your 20s and 30s. Although this is not an inevitable scenario for every surfer out there, it's the most common one. So, 99 percent of all hard-working recreational surfers end up with two days to shred and get their golden shar ..read more

Geoff McCoy, one of the world's most innovative and creative surfboard shapers, passed away at home in Byron Bay, Australia, at the age of 79 after complications following a heart attack. The pioneer of the shortboard revolution was born in 1944 in Gosford, New South Wales. As a youngster, the son of a farmer and the Killcare Surf Club captain was a talented horseman. Geoff started surfing at age 14 during his school holidays at Avoca Beach. He shaped his first boards at 17 for Bennett Surfboards and Keyo Surfboards after concluding a five-year apprenticeship in wood and metal pattern making ..read more

Big wave surfing is an industry with an industry. The relentless chase for world records translates into prize money and sponsorship deals. Athletes have been pushing their limits and putting their lives on the line to ride bigger and heavier waves. Top athletes now work with multidisciplinary teams involving personal trainers, psychologists, nutritionists, photo and videographers, and public relations professionals. This 360-degree approach brings world-renowned big riders closer to their goal of holding the record for the largest wave ever surfed. Sebastian Steudtner is one of them. The Ge ..read more