Movies about Surfing
We’ve had six epic surf holiday weeks in our Moliets surf camps already and can’t wait for high season to bring about more sunset surfs, beach yoga, hammock chilling time and fun in the sunshine. Bliss!
But, wait! Not all of us have been as fortunate as to join us for their surfing holidays during the early surf camp season. Some of us are still slaving away in badly air-conditioned offices, starring at screens rather than watching sunsets and waves. WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU, GUYS!
To sooth your summer surfing blues, we have put together a list of our favourite surf movies!
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Nekonečné léto (1966)
A Surf Camp Classic
Oni volají Nekonečné léto the ultimate surfing adventure, crossing the globe in search of the perfect wave. From the uncharted waters of West Africa, to the shark-filled seas of Australia, to the tropical paradise of Tahiti and beyond, these California surfers accomplish in a few months what most people never do in a lifetime… They live their dream. Director Bruce Brown creates a film so powerful it has become a timeless masterpiece that continues to capture the imagination of every new generation. When it first played in theatres, audiences lined up to see it again and again, spellbound by its thrilling excitement and awesome photography. But in fact, what’s most compelling about the film is the sport of surfing itself, and once you’ve seen it, you’ll never forget why. (Photo Courtesy of IMDB)
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Velká středa (1978)
Surfers love this one!
Matt Johnson, Jack Barlow, and Leroy Smith are three young California surfers in the 1960s. At first reveling in the carefree life of beaches, girls, and waves, they eventually must face the fact that the world is changing, becoming more complex, less answerable by simple solutions. Ultimately the Vietnam war interrupts their idyll, leaving them to wonder if they will survive until Velká středa, the mythical day when the greatest, cleanest, most transcendent wave of all will come. (Photo Courtesy of IMDB)
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Bod zlomu (1991)
Surf Holiday Prep Done!
Thrill-seeking criminals perform a series of daredevil stunts to steal money and gems, only to give it away to the poor and less fortunate. Training for a job with the FBI, young recruit Johnny Utah suspects that only extreme athletes could pull off these heists. Utilizing his own special skills, Utah infiltrates the gang of thieves after befriending their charismatic leader, Bodhi. As Johnny experiences the rush of their lifestyle, his superiors fear that his loyalties are being tested. (Photo Courtesy of IMDB)
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Local Boys (2002)
Get Your Surf Camp Fix
In Místní chlapci, two brothers and their surfing buddies face new challenges and adventures over the course of a memorable summer. Rebellious Randy Dobson and his sensitive younger brother, Skeet, spend most of their summer vacation surfing at the beach while their widowed mother, Jessica, works long hours to support the family. Randy grows close with a girl named Samantha but lands in trouble with a jealous gang leader. Jessica’s new boyfriend gradually becomes a source of comfort for Randy – and distress for Skeet. (Photo Courtesy of IMDB)
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Single Fin: Yellow (2005)
Surfers like it Chilled
We really liked the concept of Single Fin: Yellow. Man builds a surfboard which he then ships it off to a friend with a simple note stating, “Enjoy it!” Friend then ships it to another friend, and so it goes. Over the course of the film the board heads to Australia, Hawaii, and Japan to name a few destinations. ‘Yellow’ was shaped by Tyler Hatzikian to be a vintage noserider, something that you wouldn’t normally find on shop racks. The dimensions were taken from a board that his father had shaped and it speaks of earlier generations, and a time when surfing was more about the journey and friendships than sponsorship and contests. The board itself sets the tone for the whole film as a quest for the true sprit of surfing that has been largely lost through years of commercialisation. Each surfer describes their own surfing journey, their take on longboarding, the spirit that drives them to surf, and their experience with ‘yellow.’ The common thread of the yellow longboard was the starting point for each of their perspectives. (Photo Courtesy of IMDB)
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Surf’s Up (2007)
Perfect Family Surf Holiday Entertainment
Surf’s Up is a behind-the-scenes look at the annual Penguin World Surfing Championship, and its newest participant, up-and-comer Cody Maverick. Surfing means everything to teenage penguin Cody Maverick. Followed by a documentary film crew, he leaves his home in Antarctica for Pen Gu Island, site of the the Big Z Memorial Surf Off. Cody wants to be respected and admired, and he believes that winning the competition will bring him what he craves. However, an encounter with washed-up surfer Geek teaches Cody about what is truly important. (Photo Courtesy of IMDB)
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Soul Surfer (2011)
A Surf Camp Favourite!
In Surfařka, teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton overcomes the odds and her own fears of returning to the water after losing her left arm in a shark attack. A natural talent in the sport of surfing, teenager Bethany Hamilton loses an arm in a shark attack. Bolstered by the love of her parents and refusing to give up, she plans to return to competition, although questions about her future continue to trouble her. Upon seeing the devastation in Thailand caused by the 2004 tsunami, Bethany discovers a greater purpose: to make a difference in the lives of others. (Photo Courtesy of IMDB)
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Mělčina (2016)
Surf Camp Thriller Alert
Still reeling from the loss of her mother, medical student Nancy Adams travels to a secluded beach for some much-needed solace. Despite the danger of surfing alone, Nancy decides to soak up the sun and hit the waves. Suddenly, a great white shark attacks, forcing her to swim to a giant rock for safety. Left injured and stranded 200 yards from shore, the frightened young woman must fight for her life as the deadly predator circles her in its feeding ground. mělčině gets our taut thriller alert. (Photo Courtesy of IMDB)
Best Surfing Movies of All Time to Watch Now
If you call yourself a surfer or just love to watch Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton take on giant waves, check out this list of the best, most epic surfing films ever made.
Blue Crush
Kate Bosworth stars in this Surf drama, and gained 15 pounds of muscle to play the orphaned Anne-Marie Chadwick, a traumatized big-wave surfer. Anne-Marie struggles to care for her rebellious younger sister, while simultaneously battling flashbacks of a surfing accident.
When she receives an invite to compete at North Shore’s famous Pipeline competition, she’s suddenly confronted with fears of drowning beneath one of the heaviest waves in the world (apparently surfers cant be afraid of that stuff).
But everything changes for her when she meets a famous football quarterback, who makes her see she just needs to “be that girl he met on the beach”, and go for the gold.
While the plot is fairly predictable, Blue Crush does offer some dope shots of kooks dropping in on each other, and no one can deny Kate Bosworth makes a pretty amazing surfer babe.
Chasing Mavericks
This 2012 Hollywood biopic is based on the life of famous Santa Cruz, California-native surfer, Jay Moriarity.
In 1987, 8-year-old Moriarity is saved from drowning by his surfer-neighbor Frosty Hesson, played by “Phantom of the Opera” actor, Gerard Butler.
He soon becomes interested in the sport, and Frosty becomes his teacher. Moriarity watches Frosty surf at Mavericks beach in Half Moon Bay, California. In reality, waves at Mavericks break between 8-18 metres in height, making the break home to some of the biggest waves in the world.
Before Frosty lets young Moriarity take on Mavericks, he puts him through a series of brutal tasks. For example, Moriarity must paddling 58 kilometres across the ocean from Santa Cruz to Monterey Bay. He also makes him tread water for 40 minutes, and hold his breath for a solid four minutes.
The biopic is a wonderful way to memorialize Jay Moriarity, who the surfing community remember as an incredibly talented surfer. Moriarity died at age 22 while free-diving in the Maldives. So keep his memory alive by grabbing some popcorn and sitting down to enjoy this one.
Andy Irons- Kissed by God
Kissed By God earned a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is an absolute must-see. This documentary is an intimate look at the late Andy Irons life, and the struggles he faced, all while being the poster boy of surf.
With his brother Bruce by his side, the two take the surfing world by storm. They become sponsored at 16 and 17, and Andy Irons was making over $ 120,000 a year by that time. He and Bruce started a journey fueled by passion surfing all around the world.
Without parental supervision and little structure at such young ages, the boys partied often, used drugs, and slowly spiraled out of control. But Andy also battles with bipolar disorder, which often made life harder for him. Yet Irons was still able to become a 3x world champion surfer, beating out one of the best surfers in the world, Kelly Slater.
This film is an emotional and inspirational look into the raw reality of a pro surfer the world will miss dearly.
Vezměte každou vlnu
“Take Every Wave” is a 2017 documentary about Laird Hamilton, known for surfing the absolute biggest waves in the world- and looking like a greek god while doing it.
The San Francisco-born son of a surf lady and absent father soon moved with his mother to Honolulu. He eventually met Bill Hamilton on the beach in Pupukea, who quickly became a surf teacher, companion and stand in father. Eventually Bill Hamilton married Laird’s mother. But Laird’s life is revealed as less than perfect- as he experienced violence both at home and at school.
In the 1970’s being a fair skinned, bleach blonde kid was made you an automatic outcast and target for bullies. So Laird turned to the ocean for refuge, and earned respect with his otherworldly surf skills and fearless big-wave charging.
Take Every Wave is a well-made documentary about one of best surfers the world will ever see- pay your respects to surfing god that is Laird and check it out!
North Shore
While North Shore is a relatively ‘B’ grade film, it’s considered to be a classic with surf fans. The story is centered around Arizona surfer Rick Kane, played by Matt Adler (i t’s okay, we’ve never heard of him either). Rick wins an artificial-wave surf contest, and then flies to Hawaii with his prize money, thinking he’s about to be the next world-champion surfer.
Much to his dismay, he quickly finds out that his Arizona surfing skills don’t quite make the cut on the legendary North Shore. He’s lost on everything from surf technique to Hawaiian surf culture. After some humiliating experiences, He meets both his new surf mentor, Chandler, and the most beautiful babe on the island.
Apparently she is considered to be some kind of property however, and the locals don’t feel great about him stealing their prized local lady away.
What’s cool about this film is that is features real-life legendary surfers like Gerry Lopez, and Laird Hamilton, who plays the film’s antagonist, Lance Burkhart.
The film is slightly cheesy, but it’s a heart-warming, definite must-watch tale for anyone that calls themself a surfer.
Nekonečné léto
No jokes to be made here- this 1966 documentary about surfing is the ultimate classic surf film – not to mention the iconic Endless Summer artwork inspiration for bedroom wall posters worldwide.
Filmmaker Bruce Brown introduces viewers to what it’s like to be a surf bum traveling the planet in search of perfect waves. Winter water temperatures in California are downright frigid. The film follows California-native surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they depart America for warmer conditions.
The two cross the Pacific Ocean to Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa, finding all the best surf spots along the way.
Endless Summer is the film that has inspired surfers everywhere to opt-out of day jobs, and into a life built around traveling to surf. Much to the disappointment of traditional parents everywhere, of course.
Bod zlomu
This early 90’s film stars Keanu Reeves in his breakthrough role as Johnny Utah, and Patrick Swayze as surfer Bodhi. As an FBI newbie, Reeves needs to learn how to surf in order to stake out a group of robbers that have been tearing up the banks in Los Angeles.
Keanu Reeves enlists the help of that annoying girl from Volný Willy and pretty soon he’s surfing some radical waves (unrealistically bigger than would be appropriate for his skill level to be frank). Next thing you know, the king of the beach, Bodhi invites him to hang out with the other cool surfer kids for no apparent reason.
Eventually, Utah discovers these hooligans are the robbers he has been looking for all along, and things spiral out of control from there. Breakups ensue, shots are fired, and people flee the country.
Point Break is considered a classic, although most 90’s movies are pretty cringeworthy, and this is no exception. However, it’s one to put on the list of having had seen. Point Break does indeed have some epic surf shots, and frankly inspired an entire generation to take up surfing, so it’s worth a look.
Bethany Hamilton- Unstoppable
Na rozdíl od Surfařka, the Hollywood biopic about Bethany Hamilton, Unstoppable is a documentary which offers a much more intimate look at the surfer’s life. The now-famous Bethany Hamilton lost her arm when she was 13 to a 15-foot Tiger shark attack while surfing off the coast of Kauai.
The film follows Bethany’s life- from her beginnings as the daughter of two surfers. Her main focus was to surf competitively, and become a world champion. After the attack, she had to relearn how to surf, which proved to be only a matter of determination for her.
When the world got word of Bethany Hamilton’s courage, she became a media sensation. From a speaker to an actress, her focus slowly shifted from surfing to media and then to becoming a wife and mother.
But Bethany finds her way back to her first passion- surfing and reclaims her competitive goals for big wave surfing. Unstoppable is a touching, inspiring piece about the life and passions of Bethany Hamilton, and is definitely worth 1 hour 40 minutes of your time!
mělčině
If Unstoppable was worth your time, mělčině is probably worth a little less of it. However, it’s still a decent surf film, just don’t except příliš much. That is, unless you have a thing for Blake Lively, because in that case this is the film for you!
The ‘Gossip Girl’ actress plays Nancy (no last name), a medical student looking for a secret beach in Mexico in memory of her deceased mother. She commits all kinds of no-no’s when she goes surfing ALONE on a deserted beach well into the evening.
She predictably gets attacked by a great white shark which for no logical reason happens to be swimming in the breakwater. She has to fight to survive in her orange bikini with a shark bite wound and no one around to save her.
If nothing else, the movie is about how unattainably gorgeous Blake Lively is. At best, you’ll be inspired to do some sit-ups, and see a few nice surfing shots while you’re at it!
Top 15 Soul Surfing Movies Everyone Should See
This is the first list in a series of recommendations, on topics that inform us as individuals and as a company. Travel, adventure, nature, ocean, culture, soul, art, music, community. Today we talk our kind of surf movies.
Words by Rachel Lingham | 23rd July ’20
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The surf films that I connect with and that have motivated me to give it all up and just go surfing show more than just ‘rad waves’. A great surf movie needs to inspire us, to say something important, to move us, to make us grateful for our time spent in the ocean and to make us desperate to get back out there.
Chris Del Moro in The Heart & The Sea – Nathan Oldfield
A marriage between music, cinematography, content, nature & documentary.
Movies depicting kaleidoscopic views of surfing, not just world champs surfing gnarly waves on tiny boards. For me a great surf movie should somehow get across the soul of surfing, that intangible thing that drives so many of us to the sea each day.
This list below forms a significant part of the motivations and foundations of Soul & Surf.
1. Morning Of The Earth
Director: Albert Falzon. 1972
One of the first surf movies of its kind, an artistic travel and lifestyle documentary with an amazing original score. It is also credited with bringing Bali as a surf destination to the attention of surfers around the world for the first time.
2. Forgotten Island of Santosha
Director: Larry Yates. 1974
An early example of the off the beaten path surf/adventure/discovery-type movie that has motivated so many of us to continue the ’search’.
3. Thicker Than Water
Directors: Jack Johnson, Chris & Emmet Malloy. 2000
Beautifully shot on 16mm film, this movie documents the life and times of a pro surfer. It has an infamous section shot in the Andaman islands, pre-earthquake and tsunami, which inspired us to run a few crazy Pop-Ups to the Andamans.
Alex Knost in Sprout – Photo by Thomas Campbell
4. klíček
Director: Thomas Campbell. 2004
A beautifully shot film with a great soundtrack and a totally open minded look at the joy of surfing, it shows how many ways we have to access the ocean and feel the glide.
5. Glass Love
Director: Andrew Kidman. 2004
This film explores the generational link and love of surfing that gets passed down through families.
6. Přístřešek
Directors: Taylor Steele, Chris Malloy. 2007
A film that explores the foundations of surfing with a soul soundtrack. A film that looks as good as it feels.
7. Seaworthy
Director: Nathan Oldfield. 2008
An exploration of the variety of ways we can approach wave riding, beautifully shot and once again, a great soundtrack.
8. The Present
Director: Thomas Campbell. 2009
Another surf film that could be a music video. Shot on film, combining exploration, experimental surf craft and soulful surfers.
9. The Drifter
Director: Taylor Steele. 2009
A biopic of pro surfer Rob Machado as he drops out of the competition surf business to focus on the soul of surfing.
10. 180 Degrees South
Director: Chris Malloy. 2010
Recreating a trip that Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard took in 1968 from California to Patagonia, combing surfing, sailing, climbing and adventure.
11. Castles in the Sky
Director: Taylor Steele. 2010
A cross between a music video and travel documentary with surfing at its core. Shot in off the beaten path locations including India, Peru, Vietnam, Africa, Iceland.
12. The Heart & The Sea
Director: Nathan Oldfield. 2012
The film celebrates the joy that lies at the very centre of a surfing life: family, friends and a shared intimacy with the sea.
13. Spirit of Akasha
Director: Andrew Kidman. 2014
This 2014 film was made as a follow up to the classic Morning Of The Earth. Aiming to recapture the values and spirit of the original, but for the modern world.
14. North of the Sun
Director: Inge Wegge +Jørn Ranum. 2015
An arctic island adventure, following two surfers as they hole up, alone in a driftwood cabin, for a nine-month Norwegian winter of surfing.
15. Self Discovery For Social Survival
Mexican Summer & Pilgrim Surf + Supply . 2019
A surreal symbiosis of music, surf, the environment and local culture.
The Present – Photo by Thomas Campbell
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