Surfing Greats

As an Australian, the beach and surf are very much ingrained in our culture. As a child and even well into my twenties I had the fortune of living near a surf beach. I remember monster waves dumping my body back into shore as a child when I thought I was body surfing. I discovered many years later that my childhood experience of being swept up in the salty foam of a broken wave that made me feel like I was caught in a gritty washing machine was not anywhere near body surfing once I finally mastered the art.

I have taken a couple of surfing lessons at Manly Beach in Sydney, Australia and the surf school there is a great one for beginners. Surfing is a great sport because you really have to focus on what you are doing which forces you to clear your mind of other things. It also combines strength with aerobic exercise and the beauty of nature. Tim Winton wrote a book based largely on his memories of surfing in Western Australia in the 1960s and 1970s called Breath and the book captures the thrill and culture of surfing in Australia really well.

There are very few really good surf movies. The Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello beach movies, while endearing are miles away from surfing as a sport and a passion. There are a few gems that have been released over the years and with the improvements in camera technology and special effects over the decades, the surfing footage now can place you on the waves as it were.

Ones that I think that are worth watching purely for surfing are The Endless Summer, Step Into Liquid, Big Wednesday, Riding Giants, May Dayz and Bombora: The Story of Australian Surfing (a two part television series, not strictly a movie but worth watching nonetheless). For the die hards, there is also Morning of the Earth which is a good example of surfing in Australia, Indonesia and Hawaii in the 1970s but I find it to be quite dated now.

For those that want a narrative to accompany the surf footage then you cannot go past Point Break. Others that on a good day you might enjoy include Blue Crush, North Shore, Bondi Tsunami, Newcastle, Blue Juice (because there aren't many British surfing movies) and more recently Chasing Mavericks and Drift.

Are there any that you think I have missed. If so, let me know.