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

Stephen Jones, director of triple-award-winning surf film El Mar Mi Alma, shares his vision of the surf-blessed land of Chile, its people, and the ocean that defines it.

Using locally sourced timber and having designed a manufacturing process that minimises waste, Mike LaVecchia of Grain Surfboards has cornered the market in beautiful, sustainable wooden boards. And the best bit? They ride like a dream. Photos: Nick LaVecchia

From cliff-top vantage points to harbour hop-offs, beach-side hammocks to unglamorous car parks, Mat Arney raids his photo archive to document a different perspective in surfing

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

Mark Sankey and Alexa Poppe discover Autumn's aquatic gifts in a late September road trip spanning France and Spain. Words: Mark Sankey. Photos and Design: Alexa Poppe


Braving the cold

December 29, 2009 | Words By:

snowy-seaI love Christmas and all its traditions, but there’s one tradition I abhor. At 11am on Boxing Day the local surfers and lifeguards of Portreath strip off to their bare essentials, exposing pasty, flabby winter bodies, hoon across the beach and plunge into the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.

This is a tradition that has been going on years, since the surf club was founded in the fifties, and now happens at beaches all over the country.

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