20 Of The Best Surf Movies Of All Time

10 Dec 20 Of The Best Surf Movies Of All Time

During our recent visit to Western Australia, Stevo’s oldest brother took it upon himself to help tick off number 68 from our Wanderlist, by helping us “learn to surf”. And so a few days before we had to leave, with surfboard beneath both my and Stevo’s arm, we trotted off onto one of Perth’s many fabulous beaches.

With hot sand beneath my feet, and the sticky waxed board clenching to my body, all I could think was, “THIS IS AMAZING.” Already I was loving the surf life, and I hadn’t even gotten the board wet.

A quick paddling demonstration on the sand, and we were in the water faster than a YouTube viewer skipping through an ad. After a few dodgy attempts at getting past the break (and my acceptance of the fact that my internal balance needs to catch a wake up,) we were (sort of) cruising along the waves. No, we didn’t get up on our first attempt…turns out the boards we were using were semi-pro, so I’ll blame it on that…but simply being out in the water, on what felt like the most perfect day, has roped me in so hard, that I am in absolute awe of the surf culture.

And so it was no surprise that when I spotted a surf movie on my Emirates flight back to the EU, my headphones were on my head before we’d even taken off. I quite liked Helen Hunt’s interpretation of the sport (and I loved all her falls in the movie because it didn’t make my sprained toe and constellation of bruises on my legs look so bad) but it made me hungry to find the best surf movies of all time.

So in honour of the Surf Film Festival, launching today in Cologne, Germany, here is the list of best surf documentaries and motion pictures of all time, as suggested to me by my surf-obsessed and movie-loving arsenal of friends. I’ve also included one of our favourite documentaries of all time, North of the Sun, which inspired us to go explore Norway earlier this year.

I will be aiming to watch all of the below, one crashing wave at a time. If you feel I’ve left some off the list, pop them in the comments section below!

Here goes…

 

The Endless Summer, 1966

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Morning of the Earth, 1971

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT9kjQ3LLH0

 

Point Break, 1991

Available for download from iTunes here

 

The Endless Summer II, 1994

 

In God’s Hands, 1998

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Thicker Than Water, 2000

 

Blue Crush, 2002

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAyG60RPv-k

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Step Into Liquid, 2003

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Riding Giants, 2004

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Flow, 2006

 

Down the Barrel, 2007

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G44RlxKkeDg

 

Bustin’ Down the Door, 2008

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Half Life Scotland, 2008

 

Clay Marzo: Just Add Water, 2008

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Dark Side of the Lens, 2010

 

Bra Boys, 2011

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Soul Surfer, 2011

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Chasing Mavericks, 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh09vEGNrXc

Available for download from iTunes here

 

Splinters, 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LolnBhPZI_8

Available for download from iTunes here

 

North of the Sun, 2014

Available for download from iTunes here

 

CC