Inspiration
Meet the people who weave life into the fabric of surfing. We profile interesting characters with an amazing story and an obsession with the ocean. Read about up and coming surfers and crusty old locals who smell like billy goats and ride single fins. If they have a story to tell, you’ll find them in here. Come and be inspired by artists, business gurus and thought leaders in our well of inspiration.
On the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games we turn to our trusty readers to see who you believe will win the coveted Olympic Gold medal at Chopes. Take our polls right here – we have one poll for the women and one for the men. The forecast is......
We’re on the eve of the Paris 2024 Olympics with Billy Stairmand and Saffi Vette on their way to Tahiti’s infamous Teahupo’o – the reef break at the end of the road. They’re our Kiwi hopes in a contest that will undoubtedly grab the world’s attention. Here’s what you need......
Thirty years ago, ISA president Fernando Aguerre dreamed that surfing might one day be included in the Olympic Games. No one could have predicted how challenging that pursuit would be. The Impossible Wave follows Fernando Aguerre’s improbable mission to push surfing into the Olympic spotlight. After 27 years and 12,000 hours......
Steve Morpeth epitomises the Kiwi surfer’s spirit and has built an empire around it with Sticky Johnson – New Zealand’s very own wax brand. Taira Blakely catches up with Steve in the Sticky Johnson factory in Kumeu to discover how he’s built his empire. Hailing from a line of watermen,......
Billy Stairmand and Kehu Butler put on a masterclass in big, stormy, unruly Manu Bay as a new guard rises to nip at their heels at the Backdoor King and Queen of the Point. Backdoor’s King and Queen of the Point surf competition attracts most of the best surfers in......
Jack Tyro is impossible to miss. At just 17 years of age, he has established himself as one of New Zealand’s most accomplished young surfers, and is already taking on the world. And the most exciting part? He’s only just getting started. The last time we spoke with Jack Tyro,......
This morning, the World Surf League announced that Cloudbreak, Fiji, will host the 2025 WSL Final – a winner-takes-all finale that will crown the men’s and women’s World Champions and conclude the 2025 Championship Tour season. Cloudbreak, a legendary left about 2.5 kilometers off the coast of Tavarua, is widely......
We’ve all had that dream – leaving our worldly possessions behind, grabbing our boards, and embarking on the surf-road-trip of a lifetime. For most of us, uprooting our whole lives to surf simply isn’t an option, and we are left living vicariously through folks like Matty Hannon, and his new......
Budding filmmaker Fernando Jara teams up with Jack Tyro, one of New Zealand’s best young surfers in his short film Gone Wild. Filmed in and around Jack’s home breaks near Christchurch, the film’s ethereal visuals and immaculate sound design, paired with his mastery of the surf – on both shortboard......
At 15, Maya Mateja became one of the youngest surfers to win the Open Women’s title when she won the 2024 New Zealand Surfing Championships. We catch up with the Raglan-based phenom to find out how she did it and why she won’t be surfing for Team New Zealand. With......