Top 25 Best Surfing Books

The History of Surfing

Our biggest seller of all time. This is it — the definitive story of surfing, surfers and beach culture. It is a big, thick, textbook-like collection of stories, photos and surf history. Matt Warshaw set the bar very high with this one. A book you can read, re-read, leave on the coffee table, and still keep finding things you missed.

Surf Craft: Design and the Culture of Board Riding

A beautiful coffee table book stuffed with images of surfboards, board design and hand-shaped craft. Worth buying for the photos alone, but it also has a thoughtful look at how surfboard design evolved and why handcrafted boards still matter, even in the world of mass production.

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography. For surfers, this book has special meaning. It follows the history, travel, obsession and culture of surfing in a way that feels very real. Even non-surfers can understand the pull of the ocean after reading this one.

The Finest Line: The Global Pursuit of Big-Wave Surfing

A big wave surfing book with photos, stories and first-hand accounts from surfers who spend their lives chasing giant waves. It gives a good look at the psychology, danger and rewards of big wave surfing — best read from somewhere dry.

For the Love: Kelly Slater

Following on from his earlier autobiography, Kelly Slater gives a more personal look into his life, thoughts and surfing. If you like Slater, or surfing in general, there is a lot to enjoy here. Contributions from Jack Johnson, other pro surfers and people close to him add to the book.

Surf Is Where You Find It

Gerry Lopez’s book is made up of stories with lessons in surfing and life. I like that he talks about fear, experience and the inner side of surfing, not just perfect waves and hero shots. One of those books that feels calm, thoughtful and very Gerry Lopez.

The California Surf Project

Nice photography, interesting thoughts and two surfers travelling the California coast just for fun. Quit your job, pack your boards, and surf your way down the coast. Sounds like a daydream, and that is pretty much the point.

LeRoy Grannis: Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s

LeRoy Grannis was one of the key surf photographers of the 60s and 70s. This book taps into that longboard-era archive, with California, Hawaii and surf culture before it became quite so packaged. A good one for anyone who loves old surf photos.

Making Mavericks

Richard “Frosty” Hesson’s memoir about Mavericks, big wave surfing and mentoring Jay Moriarty. A good read for anyone interested in the northern California surf scene and the people who started taking Mavericks seriously.

Kook

This is an easy read and entertaining even for non-surfers. Heller, as a self-described kook, takes the reader slowly into surf culture, the language, the frustration and the strange commitment it takes to become even half decent at surfing.

The Kook’s Guide to Surfing

A beginner-friendly surf book that demystifies learning to surf. It explains the basics clearly and safely, with enough humour to keep it readable. Good for people who want to stop being a kook, or at least become a better-informed one.

North Shore Chronicles

A look into the North Shore of Hawaii, its waves and its watermen. The stories are true, which makes them better. A good book if you want to understand why surfing in Hawaii is not just pretty photos and palm trees.

Incredible Waves: An Appreciation of Perfect Surf

Perfect waves are some of Mother Nature’s better work. This book brings together stunning surf photography from top photographers including Clark Little, Brian Bielmann, Chris Burkard, Russell Ord and others. A proper sit-and-stare coffee table surf book.

Waves: From Surfing to Tsunami

Drew Kampion was one of the great early surf journalists, and this book is a good primer for understanding waves. It mixes surf writing, photos and illustrations in a way that makes wave behaviour more interesting without turning it into a dull science lesson.

Surfing Photographs from the Seventies

Jeff Divine’s photos from one of surfing’s most visually inspiring eras. Single fins, old cars, clean lines, and a lot of photos that would look good as posters. This book will not harsh your mellow — it may make you want to move to Leucadia and ride only one board.

Stoked

One of the better surf coffee table books. Drew Kampion gets the balance right with photos, history and writing that still feels surfy. The title says it all — each page brings out a bit of the stoke without needing to over-explain it.

Surf Science

Ever wondered where waves come from, why some peel and others shut down, or why sets arrive the way they do? This book explains wave science from a surfer’s point of view. You do not need to be a scientist — just curious and slightly obsessed with waves, which is most of us.

100 Best Surf Spots in the World

A surf travel book covering famous waves around the world, from Pipeline to Teahupoo and J-Bay. Good for learning about legendary breaks, and also good for making you wonder why you have not booked another surf trip yet.

The Way of the Surfer

Drew Kampion brings together stories, photos and the deeper feeling of surfing. It is one of those books that tries to explain why surfing gets under your skin, which is not easy without sounding silly. This one does it better than most.

The World Stormrider Guide

The classic Stormrider guide series is for surfers who like to know where the waves are, how they work, and what might go wrong when they get there. Part surf guide, part travel dream book, part reminder that the world is very big and you have not surfed enough of it.

Photo/Stoner

Ron Stoner was one of surfing’s great photographers, then disappeared from the scene. Matt Warshaw tells the story alongside Stoner’s photos, capturing a lost era of California surf culture before everything became crowded, polished and expensive.

Greg Noll: The Art of the Surfboard

Greg Noll was a character, a pioneer, a board builder and a big wave lunatic in the best possible way. This book celebrates his surfboards, his era and his place in surf history. If you are over 40 and surf, it feels mandatory. If you are under 40, “mandatory” means you should read it.

Pipe Dreams by Kelly Slater

Kelly Slater’s earlier surf autobiography, covering competition, fame, life around surfing and the strange world of being the best surfer on the planet. Good for Slater fans and anyone who followed pro surfing through that era.

Tao of Surfing: Finding Depth at Low Tide

Michael Allen connects Tao philosophy with the rhythm of the sea, surfing and life. It is a slower, more reflective surf book, using the ocean and its ebb and flow to talk about simplicity, change and healing.

Big Drop

A big wave surfing book focused on the elite crew who live to challenge the ocean’s heavier moods. It covers the history of big wave surfing, the heroes of the 50s and 60s, the skill needed to survive large waves, and the legendary spots that made the whole thing famous.