Summer Surf Movies.

By Steve Honeysett

I am often asked what I do when it gets too hot out on the beaches to be productive. I am not one who likes to bake and bask in the sun as it has done some damage to my skin over the years. I prefer to get active on the beach before the sun becomes too intense. If I miss the morning window, I will wait it out until the afternoon when it gets cooler.

But even after taking all the precautions, sometimes it does get too hot to do anything on the beach and that’s when I head home to the comfort of the shade, and pass the time watching surfing movies. So why watch surf movies and what can I personally gain from watching them?

Have you ever wondered why surfers become so fanatical about this strange sport and the lifestyle that goes with it?

Well, it starts with the history and then it moves on to the different types of surfing and the boards that go with it. Then there is the vast plethora of designs, shapes and fin combinations that can spin one’s mind around. When we say it’s a lifestyle, its true because when you get hooked, it takes a lifetime to work all this out and understand how it will impact on your own surfing ability and you can blend it into your personality.

Surfing movies give you a better understanding about how surfing has evolved. Getting to understand board design and function helps you decide what type of surfboard and ride style might work best for you.

The older films like The Endless Summer 1, Barefoot Adventure, and Gidget and Beach Party are a few of the films coming out of the 60’s era that give you an insight into the fun aspect of the sport in the era of Rock ‘n Roll music that influenced the lifestyle back then. Next came the 70’s with shorter surfboards, Woodstock and rock music that inspired films like Morning of The Earth, Five Summer Stories, Crystal Voyager and Tales from the Tube. These brought in the era of the soul surfer .

As we progressed further, and surfboards began to evolve into high-tech, lighter equipment, surfing began to change, allowing surfers to bring skateboarding moves into the sport, which had never been thought of in the 70’s.

Then came the 80s, 90’s and 2000’s with development in full swing and we were able to get our hands on camera equipment like the GoPro which started a frenzy of home-made movies and pushed the boundaries of being able to film different angles on a wave.

Today we have drones that have taken the place of vastly expensive helicopters to film up close, and so we get to the modern films of today which are mind blowing epics ­– from the professional surfing events, to riding waves so big it has brought excitement like you can’t believe into the sport. Big wave surfing is somewhere between a good thriller or a horror movie as you watch the intrepid few push to ride the biggest wave ever ridden by mankind. Then there’s competitive surfing that leaves you so pumped up you need to take a jog to burn off the adrenalin.

Just google 45 of the best surf movies and that will be enough to get you interested in one of the greatest sports in the world, handed down to our generation by the Polynesian Kings.

So whether you are interested in trying to understand surfing or you actually want to learn to surf, start with a good surf movie and who knows where that will take you!