Surfing: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Features

Like bees heading towards the hive, at the beginning of each April, surfers from all over the world make their way from their corners of the globe to The

Surfing News / SURFER / May 11

Gabriel Medina Surfs “World’s Largest” Wave Pool After Injury (Video)

Back in January, less than a month before the kickoff to the 2025 World Surf League Championship Tour, three-time world champ Gabriel Medina withdrew from the season indefinitely.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 10

Filipe Toledo Returns to Form, Bettylou Sakura Johnson Breaks Through at Gold Coast Pro

A decade ago, a 20-year-old Filipe Toledo got his first Championship Tour win over Julian Wilson at Snapper Rocks. Yesterday, history repeated itself as

Surfing News / SURFER / May 10

Freddie Meadows' New Home Is The Ultimate Arctic Surf Exploration Vessel

“I was doing winters in the Baltic and the Arctic, exploring waves by car, jet ski, and on foot. I was getting to a point where I was dreaming of a warm cabin on the water,” Freddie Meadows told SURFER.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 10

The 6 Best Places To Surf in May

May's an interesting month in the surfing world. The northern hemisphere's starting to fall asleep into summery swell lulls, but still the odd rogue swell around.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 9

Is This the Best Wave Ever Surfed at Teahupo’o? (Video)

After hosting surfing during the Paris 2024 Olympics, the presence of Teahupo’o, Tahiti became a worldwide phenomenon. Folks who had likely never seen any surfing in their entire lives were tuning in from their homes in Nebraska, or Naples, or New Delhi, and beyond.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 9

Looking For A 1 Board Quiver? Meet The DeadKooks “Yin Yang”

Sometimes the old adage that ‘less, is more’ sounds a welcome tone, especially when it comes to surfboards. Don’t get me wrong, having a well-stocked quiver, with boards in all sizes from 5’ to 11’ is what surf dreams are made of but, then again, it can also be a burden.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 9

Wildcard Julian Wilson Continues Rampage into Gold Coast Pro Quarterfinals

Julian Wilson is so back. Sort of. If you watched Julian’s two heats yesterday at the 2025 Gold Coast Pro, it felt like a strange time warp looking into the past and future simultaneously.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 9

Man Dies Rescuing Dog from Waves at Ocean Beach (Video)

Ocean Beach, San Francisco’s gladiator pit of sand-bottomed peaks detonating like a minefield across the vast lineup, is a dangerous place. There’s many-a tale of surfers struggling at the spot, and in countless cases, they’re lucky to even make it through the impact zone, especially when it’s big.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 9

Saudi Arabia Enters the Wave Pool Game with “Surftopia”

Landlocked regions of the globe are quickly collecting surf spots, as the modern-day explosion of surf parks rages on. The latest to jump on the man-made wave train?

Surfing News / SURFER / May 8

Hawaiian Lifeguard TV Show 'Rescue: Hi-Surf' Canceled After 1 Season

Rescue: Hi-Surf, the television drama based on the lives of Hawaiian lifeguards on the North Shore of Oahu, has officially been scrapped after one season by Fox.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 8

Could A New Big Wave Come from Underwater Mountains?

Cortes Bank, the famed and elusive wave 100 miles off the coast of California, is an anomaly. The massive peaks that have seen XXL records and near-death

Surfing News / SURFER / May 8

Less Than 0.001% of the Sea Floor Has Been Seen by Humans

If you can harken back to your elementary geography class, for a moment, picture the size of Rhode Island on a map. Tiny, rectangular, just a sliver of land on America’s east coast.

Stephanie Gilmore News / Outdoors on SI / May 8

Veteran Surfer Stephanie Gilmore Defeats Caitlin Simmers at WSL Gold Coast Pro

After making her iconic return to the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour, wildcard surfer Stephanie Gilmore has been turning up the heat at the Gold Coast Pro.

Stephanie Gilmore News / SURFER / May 8

The Queen Vs. The Champ: Stephanie Gilmore Knocks Out Caity Simmers at the Gold Coast Pro

This has been a long time coming. Caity Simmers and Stephanie Gilmore have danced with each other in four three-woman heats since 2023. But they have never had a one-on-one matchup until today at the Gold Coast Pro.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 7

Surfer Has Nightmare Boardbag Debacle with Airlines (Video)

All surfers have been there. We approach the ticketing counter, giddy for a flight somewhere warm and tropical, with our boardbags in hand. A surge of

Surfing News / SURFER / May 7

Rip Curl’s New Surf Watch Is a Stat-Stuffed Guru

During their icons heat at Bells Beach last month, Mason Ho and Mick Fanning both caught 16 waves apiece. Mason topped out at 23 miles per hour (which may have been jet ski-assisted) and covered more distance than the four-time Bell wringer by over half a mile. Mick, however, was more efficient with his time.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 7

Matthew McConaughey, Tony Hawk Buy Property at Kelly Slater Wave Pool

Big names, big wave pools, big luxury – makes sense for a place like Texas, where everything is, well, you know. The Kelly Slater Wave Co.’s latest manmade

UC Santa Cruz News / SURFER / May 7

UC Santa Cruz Student Presumed Dead After Steamer Lane Cliff-Jump

Sad news out of Northern California this week, after the University of California, Santa Cruz, confirmed the death of a male undergraduate student who went missing on Sunday after jumping off the cliff at Steamer Lane. The Santa Cruz Fire Department was called around 4:45 p.m.

Surfing News / SURFER / May 7

RIP Clyde Aikau: An Interview by Bruce Jenkins

As the surfing world mourns one its greatest watermen, Clyde Aikau, homages, tributes, and eulogies have been pouring in from around the world. Uncle Clyde, as he was known, was loved by all who knew him and many more who didn't.