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 the history of bodysurfing, as there are very few existing resources on this particular topic.
Therefore, I have done a deep dive over the past couple months to discover as much historical information as possible, and am currently creating a timeline (which I will release as a new blog post next month).
During this process, I have compiled a list of books, articles, films, photos, posters, and podcasts that mention or feature bodysurfing. This list is by no means final, so please email me if you have any resources to add.
Bodysurfing Books
The Kanaka Surf – Jack London (1916)
The Art of Wave Riding – Ron Drummond (1931)
Swimming and Surfing – Harry Hay (1931)
The Art of Surf-Riding on the Cornish Coast – Ronald S. Funnell (1953)
Yoga and Health – Selvarajan Yesudian (1953)
Swimming Australian Style – Jack Pollard (1963)
Modern Surfing Around the World – John Severson (1964)
Surf and Sea – John M. Kelly Jr. (1965)
Know-how in the Surf – John Bloomfield (1965)
The Complete Book of Surfing – Peter L. Dixon (1965)
Men and Waves: A Treasury of Surfing – Peter L. Dixon (1966)
Surfing: A History of the Ancient Hawaiian Sport – Finney & Houston (1966)
Surf’s Up! An Anthology of Surfing – H. Arthur Klein (1966)
Surf and Sea – John M. Kelly (1967)
Great Surfing: Photos, Stories, Essays, Reminiscences, and Poems – John Severson (1967)
Better Surfing – Cook & Romeika (1967)
The Surfrider: The Complete Book on Board and Body Surfing – Jack Pollard (1968)
How to Body Surf – Nelson Dewey (1970)
A Pictorial History of Surfing – Margan & Finney (1970)
The Art of Body Surfing – Robert Gardner (1972)
Surfing Fundamentals – Nat Young (1985)
North Shore Chronicles: Big-Wave Surfing in Hawaii – Bruce Jenkins (1990)
Are We Winning Yet? – Mariah Burton Nelson (1991)
Girl in the Curl: A Century of Women in Surfing – Andrea Gabbard (2000)
The Complete Guide to Surfing – Peter L. Dixon (2001)
Bodysurf: Aux Origines du Surf – Verlomme & Masurel (2002)
Passion Bodysurf: Le Corps et la Vague – Muguet, Verlomme & Masurel (2008)
Bodysurfing – Neville De Mestre (2009)
Fierce Heart: The Story of Makaha & the Soul of Hawaiian Surfing – Stuart H. Coleman (2009)
Hawaiian Surfing: Traditions from the Past – John R.K. Clark (2011)
Surf Survival: The Surfer’s Health Handbook – Nathanson, Everline & Renneker (2011)
Fearless Swimming for Triathletes – Ingrid L. Miller (2011)
The Plight of the Torpedo People – Woodshed Films (2012)
Deep in the Wave: A Surfing Guide to the Soul – Bear Woznick (2012)
Amazing Surfing Stories: Tales of Incredible Waves and Remarkable Riders – Alex Wade (2012)
Surfing Newport Beach: The Glory Days of Corona Del Mar – Claudine & Paul Burnett (2013)
Saved by the Sea: Hope, Heartbreak, and Wonder in the Blue World – David Helvarg (2015)
The Yoga of Bodysurfing: An Illustrated Guide to Water Pranayama – David Lane (2018)
A Book of Waves – Stefan Helmreich (2023)
Bodysurfing Articles
At the Seaside: Shooting the Breakers – The Sydney Mail (1906)
Do You Body-Surf? – Esquire (1937)
Surf Riding A Favorite Summertime Sport – Life Magazine (1940)
Sportsmen Against a Moving Wall of Water – Sports Illustrated (1958)
Bodysurfing The Pipeline – Surf Guide Magazine (1964)
Body Surfing Survey – Surfabout 2.11 (1965)
The Closest Thing to Being Born – Sports Illustrated (1971)
Bodysurfing: Flipper’s Fine Art – Tracks (1978)
Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic Won by Mike Stewart – Surf News Network (1991)
Bodysurfing – Men’s Fitness (1998)
The El Rollo Rocks Oahu – Sports Illustrated (2004)
The Lip Comes Down – Outside Magazine (2004)
The Perfect Storm – London Financial Times (2004)
Mathematics and Bodysurfing – AMS Gazette (2004)
Bodysurfers and Australian Beach Culture – Journal of Australian Studies (2007)
The Surfing Tommy Tanna – The Journal of Pacific History (2011)
Dream Day for Bodysurfing at Dreary Ocean Beach – SF Gate (2011)
Bodysurfing: The Ecstatic Motion – Hilltromper (2014)
All Stripped Down – Birdwell (2015)
The Rush of Bodysurfing in Rio – Wall Street Journal (2019)
Black Sea Breakers – The Financial Times (2020)
Bodysurfing San Francisco When the Epic Winter Swells Arrived – The Frisc (2021)
How To Make Your Own Bodysurfing Handplane – Otter Surfboards (2021)
The Dazzling Blackness – Huck Magazine (2022)
Pointless Beauty: The Art of Bodysurfing – Patagonia (2022)
A Strange Diversion: Remembering Teahupoo’s First Surfer – Patagonia (2022)
Riding the World’s Biggest Waves, Without a Surfboard – New York Times (2022)
USA Bodysurfing Contest Ignites Olympic Dreams at Steamer Lane – Good Times (2023)
Surfer Magazine
Body Busters – Surfer 2.4 (1961)
Swimming, a Part of Surfing – Surfer 5.1 (1964)
Big Drop at Little Avalon – Surfer 7.2 (1966)
The Unsung Bodysurfer – Surfer 8.4 (1967)
The Body Art Pure and Simple – Surfer 18.3 (1977)
Sandy Beach Affair – Surfer 20.11 (1979)
The 21st Annual Pipeline Bodysurfing Contest – Surfer 43.6 (2002)
Surfer’s Journal
Body Chemistry – TSJ 8.4 (1999)
The Body Will Suffice – TSJ 10.3 (2001)
Our Wedge Our Way – TSJ 14.2 (2005)
Please Lie Down – TSJ 15.4 (2006)
A Tree for a Calendar – TSJ 22.2 (2013)
Where Silence Reigns – TSJ 25.3 (2016)
What Lies Beneath – TSJ 25.5 (2016)
Skin of the Ocean – TSJ 26.5 (2017)
The Panic Response – TSJ 27.1 (2018)
Sessions Measured in Millimeters – TSJ 31.1 (2022)
Whomping for Gold – TSJ 31.5 (2022)
Seeking the Surface – TSJ 31.6 (2022)
Bodysurf Films/Videos
Riders of the California Surf (1947)
A Personal History of Australian Surf (1981)
Bombora: The Story of Australian Surfing (2009)
Come Hell or High Water (2011)
The Yoga of Bodysurfing (2018)
The Church of the Open Sky (2018)
Mark Drewelow, Bodysurfer (2019)
Kalani: Gift from Heaven (2020)
Cunningham Talks Bodysurfing Point Panic (2023)
Other Resources
Sydney Mail Bodysurfers (1906)
St. Kilda Beach Bodysurfers (1930)
How to Bodysurf at Bondi (1955)
