There’s More to The Search Than Surf…
09/09/2024

There’s More to The Search Than Surf…

Steph Gilmore walking along the road in Indonesia carrying her surfboard. Steph Gilmore walking along the road in Indonesia carrying her surfboard.

Let’s face it. Surfers are all about surfing. Our obsession is scoring waves. At home. Overseas. Wherever we can find them.

But when you’re on The Search, it’s not just about surf (or snow). It’s really the catalyst for a fuller experience of life. A reason to travel and meet new people. A chance to explore new countries and cultures. That kick to get out and expand beyond your current limits.

Those connections and memories just make everything so much brighter and you more interesting. Like that time your friend dared you to try the spicy chilli growing on a tree in Mexico, and it felt like your face was going to melt off. But, how good did the beer taste after? Now you enjoy spicy food everywhere. Or that group of crew you met in Canada. They’re going to Japan soon and want you to join them. Another reason for another adventure. A positive feedback loop that keeps The Search spiralling outward.

“You get all this bonus stuff you didn't even know you're gonna get,” says Mason Ho.

“All these happy feelings. And then you journey home and you come back home and, like, I don't know if there's one word for that. It's just a big, happy, fulfilling process.”

So when you’re on The Search, don’t just get tunnel vision (or barrel vision). Open those blinkers and stay curious for the other possibilities too. The location. The people. The opportunity. Who knows, that street cart might serve up the best meal you’ve ever had. That extra person you meet might even know about a secret wave around the corner. It always comes back to surf, but continues out and in again, just like the tides and weather maps we revolve around. Never ending. Forever changing. The Search never gets old.

Mason Ho sitting on his board in the waterMason Ho sitting on his board in the water
Rip Curl Women standing around a fire on the beach with fireworks in the skyRip Curl Women standing around a fire on the beach with fireworks in the sky
Rip Curl Women Crew surfing together in the MentawaisRip Curl Women Crew surfing together in the Mentawais