A sign on the 130-year-old pier at Saltburn-by-the-Sea warns people not to jump off it. On a big surf day surfers make their way to the end of the sturdy 206 metre structure and jump like lemmings into the cold, murky North Sea. Words: Simon Palmer Photos: Ian Forsyth

Chris Burkard's photographs are about more than barrels, perfect point breaks, and carving radical lines – they capture a moment in which the surfer is a mere player and the real star is the scenery. Words: Dan Hamlin Photos: Chris Burkard

Crime and punishment, it's all relative. A brush with the law is nothing more for most of us than a speeding fine or curt telling off, but we're a very privileged bunch... Words & photos: Carly Lorente

In Florianopolis - Brazil's surf capital - during prime swell season, an incomplete line-up gets Clare Howdle thinking... (Photos 2, 3, 4&8: André Côrtes; photos 1&7: Zander Grinfeld, www.venncreative.co.uk)

God Went Surfing with The Devil is a film by Alex Klein, which documents the war-torn region of Gaza. At a time when tensions are high, this film investigates the attitudes and aspirations of a small pocket of people where surfing removes socio-political divisions and lets the ocean carry their aspirations for peace.

Rebel wave riders on a mission to enlighten the Western world to the true culture of the Middle East, blakkbox redefine the notion of surfers as beach bums who only care about the next wave. Photos: Cole Estrada & Anthony Allen


Localism

April 26, 2010 | Words By: Chris S

the-wreck-byron-smallI’m a fairly fortunate surfer – I’ve very rarely encountered localism and even when I have, it’s been pretty mild and mainly down to people being ignorant of the unwritten code of surfing.

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Re-losing my surf virginity

March 07, 2010 | Words By: Chris S

chris-stevensFew people would imagine that I’ve spent the last three months in envy of my brother. He is currently in his second year at Swansea University – in the freezing Welsh valleys, completing assignments and attending lectures. I’m currently in my fifth month of travelling, enjoying the baking heat of the Australian summer, sleeping in late and partying away the night.

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