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.
PODCAST: The State of the Industry
The surf industry is evolving and in this podcast recorded at the recent SIMA Super Summit, Paul Naudé shares an unfiltered look at where we’ve been, what went wrong, and how surf culture can reclaim its place at the center of it all.
From the rise and fall of the major heritage brands to the rebirth of independent labels and the future shaped by LA28, this conversation dives deep into the balance between business and culture, and why the ocean must remain our shared foundation.
What a 400-Year-Old Brand Can Teach the Surf Industry About Relevance
For surf brands and retailers, the Zildjian story is a reminder that staying relevant isn’t about chasing what’s trendy, it’s about building a foundation that lasts. Quality, authenticity, and adaptability never go out of style. The surf industry’s most resilient brands will be the ones that honor their roots, invest in their communities, and evolve with purpose, just like Zildjian has for nearly 400 years.
Q&A with Vipe Desai, Executive Director of the Surf Industry Members Association
I started my career in 1991 when I bought a small surf shop with little experience, learning quickly from mentors who taught me the business from the ground up. That experience led to opportunities in marketing, helping brands like Red Bull connect authentically with action sports and discovering the power of giving back through nonprofit work. Today, as Executive Director of SIMA, I focus on supporting the entire surf industry—from startups to global brands—by strengthening the business, culture, and sustainability of surfing.