All Things Bodysurfing
It’s difficult to put into words how good bodysurfing feels. However, some bodysurfers have been successful in describing the experience, and their writing is featured in this post—An Anthology of Bodysurf Writing. Humans have been bodysurfing for thousands of years, but have only written about the experience for several hundred. One of the earliest descriptions of bodysurfing (see below) was…
Jeff Johnson is a freelance photographer, director, writer, brand ambassador and former North Shore lifeguard. He became Patagonia’s first staff photographer in the early aughts. Johnson is also passionate about bodysurfing. In 2001, he wrote an adventure piece for the Surfer’s Journal titled The Body Will Suffice: Self-Propelled Through Primordia. This article details a “feral” bodysurfing mission along a rugged…
If you’re looking for inspiration to start swimming, look no further than Bonnie Tsui’s Why We Swim. This bestselling book will not only explain why swimming is good for you physically, but also mentally and emotionally. Swimming is a great way to improve your aerobic endurance and anaerobic threshold for bodysurfing. It’s a simple equation: the better you are at…
Surf and Sea is a rare book about surfing published in 1965 by legendary waterman John M. Kelly Jr. Surf historian Matt Warshaw calls Surf and Sea, “the most intelligent, well-crafted book ever written on surfing.” Now a collector’s item, the book includes a chapter of particular interest to me titled “Body, Mat and Belly Board Surfing.” Luckily, I was…
I am thrilled to announce that I have started writing a book about bodysurfing! The title of the book is Shaped by Water: The Complete Guide to Bodysurfing. I look forward to the day when I can add my book to this ultimate list of bodysurfing resources. One of the most challenging chapters for me to write has been about…
Although there are just a handful of books for bodysurfers, two great ones exist: The Plight of the Torpedo People (2012) and The Art of Wave Riding (1931). Whether you are a surfer, bodysurfer, or ocean enthusiast, I highly recommend you check these books out. The Plight of the Torpedo People (2012) The Plight of the Torpedo People is one…
Leading a healthy lifestyle has always been important to me. I eat clean, exercise regularly, meditate occasionally, and average eight hours of sleep per night. I also surf or bodysurf for at least an hour on most days. But there was a chapter in my life when this was not the case; I was not healthy. During this time I…
I recently reached out to some of my favorite bodysurfers on this blue planet—Jeff Johnson, Mike Stewart, Belinda Baggs, and Chris Kalima—and asked them to answer two simple questions about bodysurfing. Not only are these individuals great waterpeople, but they also strike me as great humans, and I was pleasantly surprised to receive answers (however brief) from each of them.…
Keith Malloy’s debut film Come Hell or High Water is, in my opinion, the best bodysurf movie of all time. For me, the film encapsulated the simplicity and beauty of the ancient pastime that is bodysurfing. It also reinforced an idea that I had long held true: bodysurfing is the purest form of wave-riding. Prior to discovering this film, I…
Some of my favorite quotes about bodysurfing: 1. “As the simplest of all ocean sports, bodysurfing requires little more than swim fins and some waves.” – The Plight of the Torpedo People 2. “There are no phonies in bodysurfing. There is no glory in carrying a pair of fins. It’s a basic, primitive thing. It’s just you and the ocean.”…
I thoroughly enjoy reading articles and books about bodysurfing. I also love watching videos of people bodysurfing. The problem with this niche obsession of mine is that there are relatively few bodysurfing links that exist on the internet today. When it comes to board-surfing, however, there are hundreds of books, magazines, films, and websites to be found when browsing the…