I'd been curious why surfboards made in Bali are catching the eye of more and more surfers around the world, and then I read an article about Bali's surfboard industry in 2026 that answered the question. It turns out Bali isn't just a tourist destination. The island has become a hub for high-quality custom boards that compete with imports from Australia and the United States.
What's interesting is that the trend is shifting toward mid-length boards and performance shortboards shaped specifically for Bali's varied waves. Local craftsmen stand out for their hand-shaped detail, which they combine with the latest material technology. The result is a board that is light but strong.
The key is the laminating material. Epoxy resin is starting to replace polyester resin because it is more eco-friendly and has a better strength-to-weight ratio. Locally made resin that stays clear and doesn't yellow protects the board from the harsh tropical sun and also holds up in seawater.
Personally, reading this left me impressed. It shows that combining craftsmen's handwork with homegrown material innovation can produce world-class products. It makes me even more eager to try shaping a board of my own someday.
Source: C'ketz
After a summer with almost no tropical swell, the U.S. East Coast has finally come alive. By late September, no hurricane had yet been named, the Atlantic had stayed very quiet, and surfers in Rhode Island said they'd had almost nothing to surf all summer. It's nice to read that patience has finally paid off.
The cause is a nor'easter, a powerful low-pressure system that forms along the North American coast with northeasterly winds. These systems are typical of late autumn and winter, so seeing one of this size as early as September is rare. It brought strong winds, heavy rain, coastal flooding and beach erosion from the Carolinas to New England.
North Carolina surfer Quentin Turko followed the system from New York before heading back down to his usual spots. He describes solid beach breaks, emerald tubes and very thick sections, with some of the biggest and most powerful waves he has seen on the East Coast in ten years.
Conditions were not easy, though. The winds created strong side currents, the sandbars absorbed enormous amounts of energy, and it took effort to stay in position. The windows were short: a few hours could be enough to transform a spot before the wind or the tide closed the door.
Looking ahead, tropical storms, usually a major source of swell on the East Coast, have practically disappeared this year. With autumn, mid-latitude lows and cold fronts can take over, and El Niño might help, without any guarantee.
Source: Surf Session
If you've been following the drumbeat of Super El Niño forecasts, here is a fun way to look at it: this winter might be one of the North Pacific's best in years, and the Boardroom Surfboard Show in Del Mar is turning that into a shaping challenge. This weekend, October 10 and 11, its Best in Show Board Build-Off has a theme that fits the season perfectly, the Super El Niño Big Wave Gun.
The rules are refreshingly open. Entry is free, any board builder in the world can join, and the winner takes home $5,000 in cash. The brief is simple: build a big wave gun, whatever that means to you. It could be aimed at Blacks, Todos, Rincon, Jaws, Nazaré, Swamis or Ocean Beach, and the judges want to see design ideas that push big wave surfing forward.
What I like most is how the judging works. Scores mix votes from expert board builders, the public and the exhibitors, and boards are judged on function, creative and forward-thinking design, and construction quality. Function comes first, but craftsmanship gets checked from nose to tail: shape, lamination, artwork, sanding and finish. It isn't an art contest, though great artwork won't hurt.
The prizes are also a nice nudge for small builders. First place gets the cash plus a free 10' x 10' booth at the 2027 show, valued with the cash at about $6,000 in total, and second place gets a free booth worth $1,000. Entries had to be dropped off on Friday, October 9, with a stand and a short write-up of the board and build process, and the winner is announced Sunday at 3 p.m.
Personally, I'd love to see how different shapers interpret a gun for a winter like this one. Whoever wins, it's a great excuse to look closely at what goes into a board built for serious waves.
Source: SURFER
I came across something that directly concerns California surfers: a large Kelvin wave is currently crossing the Pacific. To be clear, this is not a surf wave but a massive movement of warm water, driven by the weakening of the trade winds linked to El Niño.
When it reaches the American coast, it can temporarily raise sea level. Scientists generally talk about roughly 15 centimeters, with local values potentially higher. That rise does not create swell by itself.
The risk appears when it combines with spring tides, storms and winter swells. A few extra tens of centimeters can be enough to intensify erosion, and the phenomenon could also reshape sandbanks, changing how reefs, point breaks and beach breaks work.
California is particularly exposed. In recent months, Malibu, Dana Point, Carlsbad and San Clemente have already suffered heavy erosion and swell-related damage. The historical reference remains the 1997–1998 El Niño, which left a lasting mark on the coastline.
The article reminds us that nobody can say the 2026–2027 winter will repeat that scenario. But El Niño, high sea levels and this Kelvin wave are stacking up this year, and what interests me is that the stakes go beyond wave size: it is about how the spots themselves could change.
Source: Surf Session
It's great to see surfing on the programme of the West Sumatra Provincial Sports Week (Porprov) XVI, and the location couldn't be better: the Katiet tourism area in Bosua village, South Sipora district, Mentawai Islands Regency.
The competition was scheduled for 7 to 10 October. By Monday (5 October), the venue and supporting equipment were reported to be about 90 percent ready, and Iswendi, the supervising official from KONI (the National Sports Committee) West Sumatra, visited the site in person to make sure everything was ready before the athletes competed. Wawan, chair of PSOI (the Indonesian surfing association), also confirmed the event was ready while waiting for athletes from the regencies and cities of West Sumatra.
Six regions are taking part: Mentawai Islands Regency, Pesisir Selatan, Agam, Pariaman City, Pariaman and Padang City. They compete in the waters of Katiet, known as one of Mentawai's marine tourism areas.
I think this is good news for local surfers. Mentawai's waves have so far been better known to foreign tourists, yet there's plenty of local talent too. Events like this give them a stage at home.
And the hosts came out strong right away: on the second day, the Mentawai contingent added three golds, one silver and one bronze in men's shortboard, women's shortboard and men's aerial. Full results here:
https://nestsfmmedia.com/cabor-surfing-porprov-xvi-sumbar-mentawai-ta…
Source: Posmetro Padang
The third Twin Fin Invitational has wrapped up in Zarautz, in the Basque Country, and what stands out to me is how different it is from a normal contest. Local legend Ander Mendiguren won the men's division, and Zoe Jaeckin, a young surfer from nearby Hossegor, took the women's. Each winner received a 3,000 euro check and a guaranteed spot in next year's event.
The format is the point. There are no heat scores, no priority and no interference. Surfers are asked to trust one another to do their best and to respect each other, and the emphasis in the water is on style, creativity and flow. It's still a contest, with heats, rash guards and prize money, but the idea is that it feels like much more than that, and the twin fin boards at the center of it are a big part of the mood.
Pro surfer Alex Gray, with over 20 years on tour, said he had never been to a contest where he was so well looked after. The free days were reportedly just as fun as the competition days. Tom, Pat and Leann Curren played an intimate show at Shelter Bar after the first day of competition, and when the swell got too big for Zarautz, the group split up on strike missions to Hossegor, Mundaka and closer spots.
The Mundaka day sounded special. It wasn't the legendary perfection of September 9, 2006, with side-shore, choppy conditions and a swell of six to eight feet, but Tom Curren, Clay Marzo, Kepa Acero and Ander Mendiguren were all in the lineup, and many felt they had been part of a memorable day.
I enjoy events that put the focus back on how a board feels under your feet. SURFER says four YouTube episodes recapping the week are on the way, and I'll be watching for them.
Source: SURFER
The Banco do Brasil São Sebastião Pro 2026, the third stop on the Challenger Series, wrapped up on Saturday, October 3, at Maresias Beach in São Sebastião (SP). It was the first time the state of São Paulo hosted a CS event, with 80 men and 48 women competing between September 26 and October 3.
Finals Day had the best conditions of the week: waves of about 1.5 metres, good shape and offshore wind. Ryan Kainalo, 20, was the only Brazilian in the final stage, and he won the title in his first CS final, beating Alister Reginato 14.50 to 5.83. In the semifinal he landed a full-rotation aerial worth 8.50, the highest men's score of the day.
In the women's event, Australia's Charli Hately, 17, beat Portugal's Francisca Veselko 14.33 to 10.67 in the final. Hately trailed for the first 20 minutes of her semifinal against Anat Lelior but turned it around near the end. Veselko scored 7,800 points and moved into second place in the rankings, behind only Sierra Kerr.
With the 10,000 points from the win, Kainalo took the lead of the Challenger Series. The top ten men and top six women earn spots on the 2027 Championship Tour, so every event carries a lot of weight.
It was great to see such a young Brazilian surf with steady progress in front of a home crowd, at an event that also shows how the CS is growing in the country.
Source: Waves
A pop-up event for surfboard brand ALBUM is running from Saturday, October 3, through Monday, October 12, at "NICE WEATHER / California General Store Funabashi" on the 2nd floor of the south building of Lalaport TOKYO-BAY in Funabashi, Chiba. The shaper is Matt Parker, who is based in San Clemente in Southern California.
What caught my eye is that Matt actually surfs in Japan and has prepared special boards designed to suit Japanese waves. Five boards, shaped and laminated by him personally, are on display and presented as highly artistic pieces.
The store carries a selection of new models and personal boards that riders actually used. During the event, personal orders are accepted for every model, and an "ALBUM×CGS" T-shirt is sold, exclusively at the CGS Funabashi store and the online store. Drinks are served on October 3 and 4.
Matt has a background in fine art and graphic design, and he started making surfboards in a garage in Southern California in 2001. He treats foam and resin like a white canvas, and creates designs that go beyond conventional ideas by combining curves, outlines, colors, and materials.
ALBUM sees its boards as one-of-a-kind art pieces that combine performance and design. It is rare to see a board shaped by the shaper himself in person, so if you live nearby, I would really recommend stopping by.
Source: Surfing Life
On December 13, 2025, at Nazaré, Portugal, Michelle Des Bouillons rode a wave her team estimates at 24.99 meters, or about 82 feet. The measurement comes from an independent technical report commissioned by the surfer herself. She was towed in on a jet ski by her partner, Brazilian surfer Ian Cosenza.
The report was prepared by Paulo Vinicius Lopes, who had already analyzed Rodrigo Koxa's record wave in 2017. He worked frame by frame, using the surfer's body proportions to estimate the height.
The current women's record has belonged to Maya Gabeira since 2020, at 22.4 meters (73.5 feet), also set at Nazaré. If the 24.99 meters were ratified, the margin would be clear, but for now Guinness World Records still recognizes Maya Gabeira.
In September, Michelle Des Bouillons also won the women's category for biggest wave at the Big Wave Challenge, at a ceremony in Newport Beach, California. It was already her prize from 2024, and she was a finalist for the third year in a row.
Her team is preparing a file for Guinness: the technical study, footage shot from more than three angles, letters of support from big-wave surfing figures, and legal help. She says she first wants to understand the steps and the criteria, and she sees this recognition as symbolically important for women's big-wave surfing. I am curious to see how it unfolds.
Source: Surf Session
Brazil won both Biggest Wave categories at the Big Wave Challenge 2025/26. Rodrigo Koxa took the men's award and Michelle des Bouillons the women's, at the 26th edition ceremony held on September 19, 2026, at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach, California, which handed out more than US$100,000 in prizes.
Koxa's wave was ridden on December 19, 2025, at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, and has a preliminary measurement of 29.15 meters. If it is confirmed and ratified, it would surpass the 26.21 meters of German Sebastian Steudtner, the current record holder. It was his second win at the awards, competing against Lucas "Chumbo" Chianca and Frenchman Clément Roseyro, and all of the finalist waves were also ridden at Nazaré.
Michelle, a 36-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, was honored for the wave of December 13, 2025, also at Praia do Norte, with a preliminary measurement of 24.99 meters. Until that measurement is ratified, the women's record of 22.40 meters stays with Maya Gabeira. Her husband, Ian Cosenza, piloted the tow-in, and she beat finalists Justine Dupont and Michaela Fregonese.
Nazaré dominated the night: ten waves from the spot were among the nominees, and the location was tied to four trophies, including the Men's Paddle award for Grant "Twiggy" Baker and the Wipeout of the Year award for Alberto Truncer. Tom Lowe and Justine Dupont were named Surfers of the Year.
One detail impressed me. According to Surfer magazine, organizer Bill Sharp said the event would have been canceled without the waves recorded at Mullaghmore and Teahupo'o, since Hawaii and the US West Coast were left out of the nominations. Now it is a matter of waiting for ratification.
Source: Waves
The Kitaizumi Surf Festival 2026 wrapped up after three days, from October 2 to 4, at Kitaizumi Beach in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture. Reiya Oba won the men's division, and Kokoro Baba won the women's division.
In the men's division, Reiya Oba (a goofy-footed surfer whose home break is Kugenuma) took first place, and Dai Fujiwara finished second. In the women's division, Kokoro Baba, who has been in great form this season, came first, and Mirai Ikeda, who had just won gold at the Asian Games, took second. In the kids' division (U-12), Masanari Fujimoto won the boys' title and Konami Oe won the girls'.
This is the fourth consecutive year the event has been held, with the goal of spreading the appeal and safety of Fukushima's coast both in Japan and abroad. This year it was run as a reconstruction support project selected for a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry subsidy program, aiming to attract more visitors through surfing and to clear away the reputational damage that followed the earthquake.
On the final day, October 4, many spectators came to cheer on the riders. The contest was run while watching the conditions, and the beach was busy with surfers, locals, and tourists.
Fifteen years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, I feel that surfing has become one way to share nature, culture, food, and tourism. Beyond the results, I think this event was a chance for people to get to know Kitaizumi.
Source: Surfing Life
Hurricane Rachel is still hundreds of miles offshore, but Southern California is already feeling it. Dramatic footage from Long Beach shows waves slamming into seawalls and sending spray several stories into the air, while in Laguna Beach, ocean water pushed into downtown streets as high tides, hurricane swell and already elevated sea levels combined.
Rachel has weakened into a tropical storm. As of Thursday evening, the National Hurricane Center placed it roughly 995 miles west of southern Baja California with winds of 60 mph, and forecasters expect a sharp turn toward Baja and Southern California. The NHC warns that the swells will keep building through the weekend and are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
What I found interesting is that the official numbers are less spectacular than the videos. The National Weather Service forecasts 3 to 5 foot surf for Los Angeles County, and in Orange and San Diego counties surf has been running 3 to 5 feet with sets to 7 feet, with tides peaking around 6.5 to 7 feet.
The key detail is the baseline. An El Niño-fueled Kelvin wave has reached California, capable of raising background sea levels by roughly 6 to 12 inches, and ocean temperatures are running about 7 to 8 degrees above average. That is why even modest swell causes so much trouble, and a coastal flood advisory stays in effect through Tuesday, with Sunday looking the most concerning.
For anyone planning to surf or just watch the waves this weekend, this is a good reminder to check the forecast and tide times carefully and to respect the rip current warnings.
Source: SURFER
