The Waves Surfed On The Search

The waves surfed on The Search hold a certain mystique in our culture.

That insane right in Africa. That triple, spitting tube in Indo. That sketchy slab that didn’t look surfable but we had a go at anyway. 

There’s also specific waves people still talk about years later, like Tom Curren’s first ever wave at J-Bay.

While the culture, the travel, and everything else that happens along the way, are a key part of The Search, it’s the waves that are the ultimate draw. How many times have you seen a poster of an empty lineup, or stopped scrolling on social media to see a spot, and thought ‘I need to go there!’

It’s not just the surf spots in videos or web clips either. Newly discovered waves are the stuff of legend in every surfer’s bag of stories. Anyone who has gone exploring beyond the boundaries has been rewarded with a moment they’ll remember, and relive, forever. All Searchers have a time when they and a few friends scored a place not written on the maps. Did they name it? Absolutely. Does someone else call it by another name now? Most likely. That’s even more amazing. It means the feeling of discovery continues to stay alive, even in this day and age where it seems like there are no new spots left.

That idea - that everything has been discovered already - is, of course, not true. 

“There's just still so many waves that are undiscovered,” says Crosby Colapinto. “Searching for waves, having to get rogue to get places. Push yourself and get uncomfortable. Do those long travels and camp somewhere and just do the stuff that makes up for, like, a good story.”

There are still miles of untapped coastlines, islands and nooks around the globe just itching to be surfed. There are some places so fickle, they only turn on once every few years. 

If you have the drive to head out and Search, you can still be rewarded. 

Feed your curiosity. Live The Search.