Journal

Summer is in full swing, so it’s swell season in the southern hemisphere. If you’re like us, you need periodic reprieve from SoCal summer crowds. While south swells occasionally bring fun surf to the California coast, and hurricane season can light up the East and Gulf Coasts, we’d rather chase south swells closer to the source. From May to September, the southern oceans are particularly active, thanks to winter storm activity in Antarctica that revibrate powerful south swells for thousands of miles. Central America and Mexico’s Pacific Coasts are ripe with world-class waves just a stone’s throw from the mainland US....

It’s no secret that, as surfers, we spend a lot of time in the sun. Regardless of where you surf, your skill, or what equipment you’re riding, we all are surfing under the same sun. According to a recent study from Southern Cross University in Australia, surfers, swimmers, and stand-up paddlers are six times more likely to develop skin cancer than others. In the study, over 180 surfers, swimmers, and stand-up paddlers were screened, and over 40 percent were identified as having premalignant or malignant skin cancers. Even if you’re not surfing under the unforgiving Australian sun, spending copious amounts of time...

The beauty of surf travel is that there’s always somewhere to go. No matter what time of year, world-class waves are breaking somewhere. In the summer, surfers in North America typically head south across the border into Mexico and further south to Central and South America, where warm water and summer south swells are abundant. In the fall, cold water hubs like the Pacific Northwest and Western Europe light up with early Northern Hemisphere swells while summer air and water temperatures linger. During the winter, the northern Pacific comes to life, and many West Coast residents are content to surf...

Surfing, boating, time spent on the ocean, and sun protection go hand in hand. No matter where you paddle out, from your home break to the far-flung tropical corners of the world, you’re going to want to cover up. Whether you’re surf-tripping around the world or paddling out close to home, severe sunburn can sideline you for days at a time.