Surfing The Internet

Posted by James Marshall on

Hey there Cyber Surfer,
 
Surfing the Internet (Pun Intended)

Our increasingly online lifestyles have lead to mixed outcomes for surfing. On the one hand, the availability of weather models and forecasting data is a gold mine if you’re planning a weekend surf trip, or contemplating setting an early alarm for the dawn surf session. On the other hand, secret spots have been exposed to anyone who knows how to use Google, as evidenced by the now abandoned ‘Wannasurf’ web site, which attracted criticism for educating the masses about the intricacies of thousands of surf breaks worldwide.
 
Having said that, I am starting to get the feeling that this internet thing is here to stay for a while, so what’s the best way a surfer can make the most of it? By mind-surfing the myriad of mind-blowing content, of course! 

 

I am sure you have your favorite sites for checking weather charts and surf forecasts, or getting the low down on a bunch of pros chasing swells across the Pacific and just generally living the dream. But, below I am going to outline a few of my favourite surfing related online goodness to keep an eye on. Read on to enrich your surfing experience (literally and virtually).
 
The one to keep you up to date with competitions

Who? World Surf League (www.worldsurfleague.com) 

 

Platforms? Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more.

Why follow them? The World Surf League (WSL) is the international body responsible for organizing professional surf competitions, and broadcasts the top tier of these, live, for your viewing pleasure. This amazing source provides hours of live surfing from the world’s top competitive surfers across the spectrum from shortboards to longboards and Masters to Juniors. The best (or worst) element is that this a fantastic procrastination tool during the day, and will keep you up all night to see the 3:45am heat between your favorite surfers when the world tour is in a different time zone to your own…trust me, I know…Even if you miss it all, there are daily highlights packages, and a heat analyzer to break down each heat wave by wave, and cut out the down time between sets.
 
The one for interesting articles and interviews

Who? Surf Bunker (www.surfbunker.com). 

 

Platforms? Website, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Why follow them? If you’re like me and want a bit more substance than the 160 characters of a tweet, or want to know more about some of the movers and shakers in the surfing world, check out Surf Bunker. The interviews are candid, and articles easy to read and you won't find this content anywhere else. Additionally, Surf Bunker wont let you miss out on any cool videos or news that does the rounds if you follow them on Facebook or Twitter, which ensures you always have a cool little vid to watch. James and his team are working on a bigger master plan too, so keep an eye on this one.
 
 
The ones to give you a laugh

Who? @kook_of_the_day, @kookslams etc.

 

Platforms? Instagram.

Why follow them? A combination of laughing at others misfortunes, seemingly intriguing choices or actions, or just watching people get caught out by bone-breaking shore-break, will regularly give you a giggle (and maybe an excuse for karma to bite you in the arse). I am not a big fan of the posts that laugh at people going about their daily lives and doing their food shopping in a wetsuit; its not for me but who am I to judge? What I would suggest is that you keep an eye out for videos of rogue sets catching people unaware; we can empathise from behind the safety of a little a glass screen.
 
The one to mindsurf the day away
 

Who? @surf_porn, @surfimages, @surf_daily etc.

Platform? Instagram & Twitter.

Why follow them? For all the time you cant be in the surf, and lets face it, for most of us, that’s actually quite a lot, you can still dream about your perfect waves; day in, day out. There are some incredibly talented photographers out there, and many of them regularly submit photos to these accounts in the hope of growing their own following. I haven’t decided if filling my Instagram feed with these people is inflicting torture on myself, or more of a masochistic pleasure, but either way I do thoroughly enjoy a constant stream of wave perfection on my phone.

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Thanks – talk soon,

James

SETT

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