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Viewfinder: Massive Waves Descend on Northern California Beaches

A surfer rides a wave at the famous Mavericks surf break on December 17th, 2018, in Half Moon Bay, California. A giant swell brought waves of up to 50 feet high to Northern California.

Pacific Standard Staff

Kelly Slater slashes the lip at the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California, on May 5th, 2018.

Environment

Sea Change: What Is the Future of Surfer-Powered Ocean Conservation When the Best Waves Come On-Demand?

We spoke with surfing sage Steve Hawk about how the new breed of artificial wave pools may reshape the soul of the sport.

Zachary Slobig

A view of the Golden Gate Bridge is seen through a hole in a fence closing off a part of Fort Point in San Francisco.

Social Justice

How a Local Surf Break Became the Last Bastion of Old San Francisco

Fort Point, a novelty wave located underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, is a flash point in the ongoing struggle surrounding gentrification in the Bay Area.

Jack Persons

Economics

Surf Tourism Is a Fun Vacation That’s Killing Central American Economies

Ethnographers are working on solutions to help prevent Central American economies from being overtaken by surf tourists. But the real answer may lie in surfing itself.

Cinnamon Janzer

People gather on Fistral beach as surfers compete in a heat of the World Surf League Boardmasters Quicksilver Open at the annual Boardmasters festival on August 9th, 2017, in Cornwall, England. Since 1981, the Boardmasters surfing competition has been held in Newquay and is now part of a larger five-day surf, skate, and music festival. It attracts professional surfers from across the globe to compete on the Cornish beach that is seen by many as the birthplace of modern British surfing.

News in Brief

Viewfinder: Surfing for Sport in Cornwall

People gather on Fistral beach as surfers compete in a heat of the World Surf League Boardmasters Quicksilver Open at the annual Boardmasters festival on August 9th, 2017, in Cornwall, England.

Pacific Standard Staff