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.
Billie Scott is prodigiously talented at anything she tries. She’s a New Zealand representative in stand-up paddleboarding despite it being a sport she’s really only just started in. And her newly hatched creative business is thriving. In this interview, NZSJ’s Isaac Chadwick delves deep into her sudden career shift, health......
Billy Stairmand puts on the standout performance of Day 1 at the GWM Sydney Surf Pro, posting a near-excellent heat total of 15.20. Competition is underway at the GWM Sydney Surf Pro presented by Bonsoy, Stop No.2 of the 2023 World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series. Opening day saw the......
It is an icon of the national event calendar and this year’s 2023 South Island Surfing Championships didn’t disappoint with Taylor Hutchison taking the win in the Open Men’s. Isaac Chadwick was on hand to bring us this edit from finals day. The first two days of the 2023 South......
Spencer Rowson and Anna Brock win the premier Under 18 divisions at the final round of The Connect Group SISA South Island Grom Series. The fourth and final event of the The Connect Group South Island Grom Series concluded at Meatworks, Kaikoura at the weekend. The event took place with......
Filmmaker Isaac Chadwick sits down with power siblings Tao and Zen Mouldey at the South Island Surfing Champs. Here’s an insight into how their sibling rivalry works for them both … Andy and Bruce Irons. Christian and Nathan Fletcher. Griffin and Crosby Colapinto. These are just a few examples of......
Amongst a surge of talented young Otago surfers, 13-year-old Keo Morrison thrives on chasing big waves and surfing new spots. Here’s his entry to the C-Skins Quick Cuts … “I love surfing and hanging with my friends here in Dunedin,” he explains. “I live close to the beach and spend......
Saffi Vette wins the Mad Mex Pro QS1000 held at Maroubra, New South Wales at the weekend. Saffi Vette and Mikey McDonagh, of Australia, have taken top honours at the 2023 Mad Mex Maroubra Pro World Surf League (WSL) QS1000. The waves turned it on for competitors on an action-packed......
Our latest entry for the C-Skins Quick Cuts edit contest features 10-year-old ripper Lennox Lindsay. Watch as he gives us a master class in being stoked. We’re big fans of stoke here at NZ Surf Journal so when this edit landed in our inbox we couldn’t help but wish we......
From a dark cloud of calamity emerges a swell like no other. This is the story of Cyclone Gabrielle … It’s a bittersweet tale for the surf community. While Cyclone Gabrielle tore communities apart throughout the North Island, days later its swell brought communities together. The ominous sight of Cyclone......
Nineteen-year-old Chilean filmmaker Fernando Jara brings us this cinematic insight into the arrival of the Cyclone Gabrielle swell as it rolled into Christchurch and eventually found favour on the banks of Taylor’s Mistake. Fernando is a budding cinematographer who arrived in New Zealand when he was 15 to join his......