Swell Lines Mag

Bodysurfing yarns woven ‘tween crest and trough

Volume 4 Issue 5

  • Volume 1 Issue 10

    a. Swim to THE Spot b. Glassy: Neal Miyake c. Terminal Velocity: How big is too big? d. Ode to Winter e. In This Place

  • Swim to THE Spot

    Successful wave-riding is very much about being in the right place at the right time. Sure, you might get lucky and have a wave come directly to you, but most of the time its important to be on the move, finding the sweet spot. The ability to read and understand the Ocean is vital. How…

  • Glassy: Photographer Neal Miyake

    Ten years ago I got assigned to write about a surf spot. I’m actually still working on the article, but along the way I’ve had the pleasure to connect with a different subculture of waveriders: bodysurfers! They are a “chop suey” mix of personalities, ethnicities, and skillsets, many with styles that reflect the surf spots…

  • Terminal Velocity: How big is too big?

    We have all watched massive Jaws, in awe of the surfers who claw their way into cavernous walls of water. Whenever I see surfers pushing the limits of board surfing I am pulled back into the limits of our own persuasion. What waves are bodysurfable?   When we are considering what waves are makeable we…

  • Ode to Winter

    Sure the days are short and morning’s cold. But the Exhilaration! Stripping off warm layers… To enter a wet, clammy wetsuit… in freezing offshore wind… At dawn. Big, purple blobs flood NPAC models. The Harvest Buoy spikes…its coming. Butterfly stomach excitement. Impending glory rides… …and poundings. Wintertime! The North Pacific Ocean. The Polar Jet Stream.…

  • In This Place

    Sam punches the clock at eight. Shortly thereafter he crawls through a web of memos in passive-aggressive tones. Upcoming deadlines dot his plain desktop calendar, so he fills another cup of joe. Tuesday’s powerpoint and quarterly review roll in and out of memory. Sam’s glassed over eyes would draw attention, but all are focused on…

Instagram Feed

Scenes from a very special run of swell. Merry everything. Find your happy little corner. WBC 2025 is on. We hope everyone creates lasting memories with the big bodysurfing family. Thanks to Scott, Casenelli and all of the awesome volunteers who keep this tradition going. Yew! June was solid with consistent combo swells and windows of clean conditions. July began with 6 days of pumping SSW swell. An excellent start to Summer! We met Mark in the water during a massive swell at a local North County San Diego beachbreak. Today our bodysurfing family is saddened to learn of the passing of Fred Simpson. Fred Simpson played a major role in shaping modern bodysurfing performance, culture and equipment. He was a fatherly figure to many young guys scrapping for waves at one of the most famous surf spots in the world. He also designed a fin built to perform for wave surfers. As a vessel of bodysurf and surf knowledge we have lost a titan. He was humble, kind and always willing to share his wealth of experience with us. While he loved Newport, he would often be seen roaming the Oceanside Pier on the Sunday of the WBC championships watching the performers and talking about technical bodysurfing. We wish our wedge family peace in their time of grief and we wish his family the same. Feel free to share memories here and read our two articles about Fred on Swell Lines Mag. 🖤💛 Thanks 2024…here’s to a swell-filled 2025 for all! Pocket rider.

Categories

The History of.

How to.

All-Time Sessions.

Salty Fins.

The Science of.

Sandy Pages.

Glassy Feature.

Ocean Verse.

Tripping Fins.

Visions of the Month.