The good, the bad and the fugly. Now you can see it all for yourself with the first annual Surfer’s Yearbook  from Surfer’s Village. A first of its kind, the Yearbook features over 240 illustrated pages of the who, what, when and how big of 2008. Handsomely hard bound and etched with gold-leaf lettering, this treasure will keep you captivated in your bathroom for hours. But don’t just take our word for it, the Yearbook has been officially endorsed by the International Surfing Association.

Although it’s not officially recognized as a legal holiday (not yet anyway), International Surfing Day provides ocean lovers one of the few legitimate excuses to have a day at the beach. Now in its fifth year, ISD unites surf enthusiasts around the globe to to give back to Mother Ocean through various organized events and restoration projects.

This year, each regional event will host several “challanges” as a means to encourage creativity through active involvment. With a wide variety of themes ranging from “Most Unique Piece of Trash” to “Best Trash Sculpture”, contestants will submit photo and video essays of their projects for a chance to win cool swag and prizes.

With more than 100 event sites around the globe, chances are a needy beach near you is anxious for your participation. Check out ISD’s official website, here.

When it comes to the great city of Chicago, Illinois, the first things that usually come to mind are windy weather, baseball and phenomenal jazz. But thanks to a pair of renegade eco-activists, surfing may one day be added to that list.

Former pro surfer James Pribram and Surfrider Foundation’s Lake Michigan Chapter Co-Chair Vince Deur are being hailed as the heroes responsible for lifting a 30-year ban on all flotation devices throughout city-wide beaches. The ordinance was initially launched following the tragic death of three young girls and an inflatable raft. (more…)

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Hammer pants have made an unexpected comeback. And no one was more surprised about it than these unsuspecting skinny jeans shoppers. If you’re new to the rising flashmob phenomena, prepare to be shocked and amazed.

Ultra Slow Motion Wave Footage that Will Make You Wet Your Wettie.

Although only a short teaser, this 500-1000 frames-per-second clip has already had over 500,000 viewers drooling on their monitors over the 12 foot barrel footage. Captured by a new slow motion camera (don’t ask how much it costs; your “beer fund” coin jar isn’t gonna come up on this one), capable of capturing 300,000 frames per second, this footage is the first of its kind. With only 10 seconds of memory, one could imagine the time it took surfer Dylan Longbottom and camera man Bali Strikland to get these few extraordinary shots. The clip was shot for a Planet Earth type show about the South Pacific, scheduled to air some time this year. There are things on the footage the human eye has never been able to capture. Things you never even new happened on a wave.

Watch it and immerse yourself in an underwater realm of unconstrained joy. Or read the comments on the Youtube clip for some more colorful adjectives describing this amazing footage.

Here at the world’s best online surf shop, we make a point to celebrate Earth Day everyday. Which is why we have the biggest selection of organic and eco-friendly surf clothes ANYWHERE! You reading this Kermit? You’ll be changing your tune once you check out Swell—we make it so easy to be green.

Throughout Surfer Magazine’s illustrious multi-decade history, only a handful of women have been featured on the cover. To put it mildly, this is a VERY big deal for both Carissa and the sport of women’s surfing. At just 16, Carissa has shattered records, nabbed unprecedented sponsorship deals, and is currently saddled with lofty world title expectations. At such a young age, it’s safe to say that no other professional female surfer has ever felt as much pressure to perform.

To see how far the coverage of women’s surfing has come, check out the past Surfer Magazine covers after the jump.

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As if toxic waste, Great Whites and localism weren’t enough to keep you out of the water. Now we’ve got giant sea worms to worry about.

Recently discovered at an aquarium in Cornwall, England, this 4-foot long menace was destroying coral and terrorizing fish before it could be captured and moved to its own tank. Turns out the worm, better known as “Barry”, had arrived at the aquarium as a baby and had gone unnoticed. That is until large coral displays were found bitten in half. Barry was also reported to have eaten entire bait traps–hooks and all–as well as chewed through a 20-pound fish line.

Should you ever meet up with one of Barry’s cousins, resist the urge to tough him. Unless you don’t mind being stung by painful and poisonus bristles that will leave permanent numbness.

Further proving he’s cool like that, President Obama invited RVCA founder and CEO PM “Pat” Tenore and several other small business owners to the White House this month to discuss strategies aimed toward helping small businesses. Pat was gracious enough to provide an in depth rundown of his visit, including President Obama’s strong interest in Kelly Slater’s tour standings after the recent Australian contests. (more…)

 From the surf to the slopes, Swell has your Spring Break essentials: Sunglasses, sunscreen, swim, sandals, sweatshirts… you get the idea.

Ever wonder how the idea of Spring Break came about? Turns out the ancient Greeks liked to get their freak on in a big way. (more…)