Matt Rohrer shares some of the highlights of his conversations with Bay Area surfer Jimmy Holt, focal point of one of the few surfing photos to ever appear in National Geographic Magazine. Selected photos: Jim Shaw

Luciano Burin catches up with Junior Faria, a pro surfer breaking the Brazilian mould, whose atmospheric photographs capture the happiness and freedom of surfing.

They're trained to defend their country and protect our freedom and liberty, but when active service is over, many soldiers find themselves struggling with personal and mental problems that the army just doesn't want to know about. Could surfing provide some answers? Words & photos: Russ Pierre

London ad exec Tom Birmingham set off in November in search of adventure on the Southwest Indian coastline. Accompanied by guesthouse owners Ed and Sofie of Soul and Surf in Kerala, he soon found himself surfing uncharted waves to an audience of school children and fisherman. Words and Photos: Tom Birmingham

Devastated by more than a decade of civil war, the Republic of Liberia is still in a serious state of flux. Could surfing bring a new hope and more peaceful future to this West African nation? Words & photos: Nicholai Lidow & Kate Thomas. Additional photos: Ted Grambeau & Jamie Bott

Chris Preston interviews Sydney's Matt Chojnacki. His surfing may be heavily influenced by the glories of the past, but to tag him as just another retro dude is missing the mark. Words: Chris Preston. Photos: Matt Johnson / thesealife.com.au

The La La Society

July 17, 2009 | Words By:

tom-shaping-alaia-by-christiaan-baileyLa La is the ancient Hawaiian word for alaia surfing. It is about sliding across the wave and then breaking trim into a sideslip or a cut back.

Jacob Stuth and I pondered the meaning of the word when we began our journey with rediscovering the alaia. As we progressed with the boards, the meaning of the word became clear. It is the freeflow of surfing where the drift is as important as engaged trim.

The La La Society started out as the small group of surfers that passionately rode the alaias and had found the secret. It was super funny at the time, in 2006-07, but then more and more people got turned on to alaia. The society grew. Now there are little tribes all around the world. If you haven’t tried an alaia and found the La La, don’t hesitate any longer. Give it a go.

   

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