The Best Surfing Websites (maybe)

A comment by Beach Bum yesterday has induced the kind of guilt that I thought had left my pysche after I gave up being a Wrecking Machine. For it is true: I have promised to put links up not merely to Beach Bum's website (interestingly replete with skimpy bikinis of late) but to a host of other excellent surfing sites. By excellent, I mean maverick, non-mainstream and quirky, rather than those of the Here is a large and perfect wave being ridden by the kind of hotshot that you and I will never be variety. The problem, as you can see, is that there isn't a heap of room here on my home page, and I'm loathe to remove those who have been fellow travellers from the beginning of The Times's foray into surfing (and, yes, skateboarding, though I've rather sneakily sneaked skating in, as it were). Anyway, to stop digressing for a moment: I'm looking into this, and it may well be that more space for links becomes available soon, or it may be that links have to be cyclical. But in the meantime, without further ado, here are a few top sites that you might enjoy (in no particular order):

The Surf Hog site - this is a regularly updated and very entertaining surf diary put together by a man I'm due to interview soon. Check it out.
Penfold's Paper Surfer site - curious and humorous musings from a south-east London-born surfer who has met the Buddha and now lives in Portugal.
Paula the Surf Mom - needs no introduction. The Pirate Queen rocks.
Switch Foot - as Chuck E. Weiss would say: extremely cool.
Middle Age Shred - billed as "the meeting place for the mature skater." Need I say more?
Riptionary - qualifies by dint of its title alone.
Shawn Alladio's site - Alladio is a waterwoman of serious pedigree.
Drift Magazine - environmentally friendly UK-based surf mag with excellent writing and photography
Kirstin Prisk's site - surfing snapper based in Cornwall; scroll through the Portfolio section and try and work out which shot appears in Surf Nation.
The Barrister Blog - Lawyers Don't Surf - so goes the saying in Point Break. This one does.
 
That's it for now.There are many more out there (not least Simon Jayham's informative Live Surf Travel) and I'll mention some of them soon. Right now, though, having missed the miniscule swell currently lapping the far west of Cornwall thanks to work yesterday I'm keen to get everything else done ASAP so that the same thing doesn't happen later. Adios and vaya con dios.   

Comments

[Paula The Surf Mom]

'maverick, non-mainstream and quirky',I like that description cos that be me.

Thanks Alex for being one of the best supporters my blog has... you have a special place in my heart as well as on my blog.

Now it's a good thing you gave Bum his just do today because I was going to make him the Surf Mom Surf Report Sponsor of the month and make you feel bad about it, because it was through his blog I found Surf Nation and I think he deserves a finders fee.

[Veronica Isaksen]

Hallo!

I did not find another way to contact you, thats why this is written as a comment:

We are two Norwegian students from the Norwegian School of Management, BI (http://www.bi.no/templates/StartPageEN____13111.aspx)who are writing master thesis about blogging. We ask you kindly to help us fill out a survey that only takes two minutes to complete.It is about news blogs.

This survey is for research purposes only, and your answer is very important to the accuracy of our research. We are not selling anything, and your personal information is secured and your answers will be grouped anonymously. Click the link bellow to begin the survey.

http://confirmit.bi.no/wix/p1516330.aspx

We really appreciate your time and thank you for helping us developing this theory of blogging!

Sincerely
Annicken Hejna and Veronica Isaksen
Graduate students

If you have more time we have a similar questionnaire about social network blogs like myspace.com, youtube.com etc:

http://confirmit.bi.no/wix/p1515330.aspx

[penfold]

Cheers Mr Wade. When are you popping over for some warmer waves and Portuguese hospitality??

[Paula The Surf Mom]

Ahhhh Norwegian Grad students.... get their phone number for me would you Alex....

[Tim Kevan]

Only just spotted this post, Alex. Very many thanks for the mention. Much appreciated indeed. Very best wishes, Tim