All Things Bodysurfing
Bodysurfing is the oldest and simplest form of wave riding, and prior to the invention of the surf leash in the 1970s, was once a prerequisite skill for any surfer swimming after a lost board post-wipeout. For centuries, anyone who surfed—by way of necessity—also knew how to bodysurf. As the purest form of surfing, bodysurfing is arguably the best way…
Growing up in Bermuda (yes, like the triangle), I’ve always been drawn to the ocean. In fact, I spent nearly every day at the beach for my first 18 years of life. But it wasn’t until recently that I started bodysurfing. For me, fear of the ocean hardly ever existed. Well, maybe at some point it did. But for as long…
Bodysurfing can be a life-saving tool if you know how to use it properly. I believe bodysurfers, using their unique skillsets, are perfectly suited to assist any beachgoer in need of rescuing. Ideally, bodysurfing should be a prerequisite skill for any ocean bather, swimmer, surfer, or lifeguard. Bodysurfing teaches us how to identify strong rip currents and stay calm while…
One of the great things about bodysurfing is that we can always get better at it. Wave riding is a lifelong pursuit, and the better we are, the more fun we have. Whether you are a beginner bodysurfer honing your technique in the white water, or an intermediate bodysurfer attempting to get barreled for the first time, here are four…
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 took a surf trip to a distant part of the tropical country where I live. The goal of any surf trip is always the same: to score perfect waves. Yet true to the sport, when we got to the surf break it wasn’t exactly what we imagined. As a matter of fact, it was a lot better! Huge…
It wasn’t Patagonia’s gear that first caught my attention; it was their identity as a responsible business comprised of bodysurfers. I originally learned about Patagonia’s business ethos while watching 180 Degrees South. This 2010 documentary film retraces a road trip taken in 1968 by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard from Ventura, California to Patagonia, Chile. I came away from watching 180…
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.…
My pal Hannah Walsh likes to think she will someday develop gills and live in the sea. She is a former collegiate swimmer, ocean lifeguard, bodysurfer, and talented surf cinematographer. “My passion for bodysurfing started not in the ocean but in a pool,” says Hannah. “I spent ten years as a competitive swimmer before moving to Costa Rica. Competitive swimming…
The Osa Peninsula is one of the most biodiverse places on earth relative to its size. Located in the Southern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica, this remote region contains 2.5% of the terrestrial species of plants and animals on Earth. Additionally, the Osa provides breeding habitat for migratory marine species like hammerhead sharks and humpback whales, and contains the largest…
Pablo Solano thought he had discovered the art of bodysurfing one day when he accidentally caught a breaking wave while swimming in the ocean. After sliding down the green face of the wave with nothing more than his body, Pablo was hooked. He immediately went home and did some research, discovering that other bodysurfers did, in fact, exist. Pablo had…
The following post is an interview with Jason Hackforth, a bodysurfing handplane shaper based in Santa Cruz, California. Jason is the owner of Superbiscuit Handplanes. So Jason, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into bodysurfing? Bodysurfing just kind of happened for me as an extension of being at the beach all the time. I…