Surfing World Magazine

Surfing World is the oldest, deepest and most respected surfing magazine in the world. Founded in 1962, it's become a cornerstone of surfing culture both in Australia and right around the globe. It's a premium, high concept magazine, showcasing the best surf writing and photography. It's both classic and contemporary, reflecting the kaleidoscopic surfing culture of today.

Surfing World Magazine

THE LORDS OF DADCORE — a Tasmanian thing • Twenty years, maybe more. That’s how long these lads have been at it. While most surfing mates in their thirties or forties bond over a run of swell at a local point, or maybe an annual Indo boat trip, for over 20 years now this group of Tasmanian surfers has watched the maps on every swell, packed the cars the night before, woken in the dark… and gone to war together. “The things we’ve seen, hey,” ponders Tyler Hollmer-Cross of the accumulated memories of those 20 years. These guys have ridden some of the biggest barrels ever, anywhere… and they’re still at it. “We’re getting a bit older now, but we still want to see a bit more, you know.”

BIRD NOISES—Margo migrates south • Brenden Margieson holds a special place in the hearts of Australian surfers. On a pure surfing level, there was something about the way he moved on a wave – easy, yet radical at the same time. He swooped across waves with the grace of a big gannet… and is still swooping today. But beyond that he was Margo: ego-free, easygoing, as genuine as they come. But since dropping out of the public eye a couple of decades ago, life has thrown him sideways a couple of times. He’s had to deal with a lot, but this morning finds him on his veranda in his farmhouse in the bush, the morning sun warming the scene, his wife Lorena inside making a coffee, and the only thing disturbing the hinterland peace are calls of a green catbird in the nearby trees. Interview by Jon Frank

ALOHA AND GOODNIGHT—the final act of the Jack McCoy Show • In the wake of Jack McCoy’s recent passing, a beautiful clip did the rounds. It was the unmistakable silhouette of McCoy, sitting side of stage as the closing sequence of Blue Horizon played on a cinema screen. Coldplay’s Clocks faded out as Dave Rastovich carved a swooping backhand turn, almost tearing through the screen and spraying the audience. That’s when the crowd started hooting, the whole lot of ‘em. You didn’t need to see Jack’s face to know he was having the same moment. It was a perfect denouement for his film… and in many ways a perfect denouement for Jack’s own story. This was the Sunshine Coast show, the final stop of the Blue Horizon tour. Two nights later, Jack was gone. In true McCoy style the show had gone on to the very end. Rasta had been alongside him for this final tour, and the month they spent together on the road allowed Dave to slowly say goodbye to Jack while reflecting on the subliminal joy Jack had left him… and three generations of surfers around the world.

SUCCESS—the long, happy life of Clyde Aikau • Clyde Aikau first fell ill in February 2024, in Las Vegas. It wasn’t an unusual thing — Clyde being in Las Vegas, that is. Hawaiians love Las Vegas. Hawaiian plate-lunch joints can be found all up and down the Strip. Myra Jean Aikau, Clyde’s big sister, goes there every summer — something to do with the warm dry weather. “Lots of people around,” Myra explains. “Not the slots! I don’t play them too much. Plus, you gotta get away from here sometimes.” Small island? She nods: “Yes.”

MILLA BROWN WAS BORN TO SURF—“Straight outta the fucking womb”, kinda. • Memory lies. It’s a sick game we like to play on ourselves. Memories don’t pop into our heads like sepia-toned movie scenes, they are crystallised through our senses, repeated through stories, until they harden into what feels like truth. Milla Coco Brown, the hotshot 17-year-old from Sydney’s northern beaches, has been shaped heavily by her...