For Surfers, By Surfers: A New Generation Takes the Lead
The next chapter of the surf industry may be getting built by surfers themselves. CJ Hobgood, Kolohe Andino, Kekoa Cazimero and Jamie O’Brien shared what happens when athletes stop simply representing brands and start building their own, bringing authenticity, creativity, community and a willingness to take risks back to the center of the surf business.
Their message was simple: show up, stay close to the culture and build something you actually believe in.
2026 SIMA Super Summit Gallery
The 2026 SIMA Super Summit brought the surf industry together in Laguna Beach for a day of leadership, connection and candid conversations about where our industry is headed. From AI and retail to athlete leadership, industry insights and surf history, the Summit created space to learn from one another, strengthen relationships and help shape what comes next.
More Than Awards: Three Speeches That Reminded Us What the Surf Industry Can Be
At Waterman’s Ball, the night’s biggest takeaway wasn’t about looking back, it was about protecting what’s next.
Every year at Waterman’s Ball, we gather to celebrate the people who have shaped surfing. We recognize extraordinary careers, share stories, reconnect with old friends, and raise critical funding to protect the oceans that have given us so much.
Attention Photographers! Show The World What The Ocean Means To You.
The 11th annual competition by the National Marine Sanctuaries is introducing four new categories designed to welcome photographers with different perspectives, styles, and connections to the water. Whether you shoot wildlife, coastal landscapes, underwater scenes, or moments of human interaction with marine environments, there’s a category built for your work.
About the 2026 Surf Industry Growth Report
The surf industry isn’t standing still. Participation is changing. Access is expanding. Consumer behavior is shifting in ways that don’t always match how our industry has traditionally operated. Right now, every brand is making decisions about products, pricing, distribution, and marketing. The question is whether those decisions are made in a vacuum or with real context.
The Future of Wholesale: Building Smarter, Stronger Retail Partnerships in the Surf Industry with Meghann Butcher, Founder and CEO of RepSpark
Meghann Butcher, Founder and CEO of RepSpark, shares a clear view into how digital tools, operational discipline, and smarter systems are reshaping wholesale. Her insights offer a practical roadmap for surf brands looking to grow sustainably, support their retail partners, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.
Fireside Chat: Community, Change, and the Future of Surf Retail
What makes a surf shop matter today? That was the heart of this fireside chat at the SIMA Super Summit this past October moderated by Ryan Hitzel, Founder at Roark, in talking with Julie Cox from Traveler Surf Club, Will Hutchinson from Proof Lab, and LG Shaw from Wave Riding Vehicles. While their businesses look different on the surface, the conversation quickly revealed a shared belief: surf shops still work when they’re built around real community, not just product.
50 Years of Surf Expo
What a journey! As we celebrate 50 years of Surf Expo, it feels right to take a moment and look back at the year we just navigated together. 2025 challenged all of us. It was loud, unpredictable, and filled with disruption and seismic shifts. Even so, we made it through. Now that the dust has settled, we can see more clearly who we are as an industry and what we stand for.
The Global Surf Park Boom is Reshaping Where, and How, The World Surfs
At the SIMA Super Summit, Baptiste Calonque (Endless Surf; former CEO, Rip Curl Europe) and Tanner Wilson broke down why surf parks are no longer niche experiments, they’re becoming billion-dollar lifestyle destinations.
If you work in surf, sport, real estate, tourism, or consumer brands, this session is worth your time.
Watch + learn, this is the future taking shape in real-time.
The Tribe Reunites: Key Takeaways from the 2025 SIMA Super Summit
Across every conversation, one theme stood out: the surf industry thrives when it connects.
From protecting brand integrity to rethinking retail experiences, from staying authentic to adapting to change, the SIMA Super Summit reminded everyone why this community exists in the first place.
The tribe’s back together, and the stoke is real.