The Wipeout Weekly - Surf Podcast

One of our unofficial taglines is "normalize smiling in the lineup"—and that's exactly what this Hey Zuz, I'm Confused is all about. What happens when you paddle out with good vibes and kind words… and get met with cold stares and zero eye contact? This week's listener wants to know: Does being friendly in the surf actually make you a target?

This week's surf news roundup takes us to Australia, Hawaiʻi, Northern California, and Florida.  In Western Australia, a 61-year-old surfer survives a shark attack by punching it in the face. In Hawaiʻi, four legendary ocean athletes are inducted into the Waterman Hall of Fame. NorCal sees the first proper Maverick's swell of the season—40-foot faces, snapped boards, and one very determined 19-yea...

Is it possible to paddle like a pro without training like one? Maybe—especially now that science has receipts. In this episode, we break down a brand-new study out of Australia that strapped motion sensors to elite surfers to find out exactly what separates their paddle stroke from the rest of us flailing mortals. Spoiler: it's not brute strength.

Surfer Mag says there are 8 beginner mistakes. We say… Gimme a break. In this episode, we break down why beginner surf advice is often so off—especially when it's written by people who haven't been beginners in decades. We're not here to nitpick whether your back foot is too far back or whether your pop-up is "fast enough." We're here to talk about the one mistake that actually matters: going into...

You may not have seen Gidget —but without her, surfing as we know it wouldn't exist. In this episode, we dive into the unlikely true story behind the original surf girl icon: Kathy Kohner, a 15-year-old from Brentwood who surfed Malibu in the 1950s, told her dad all about it... and inspired a book, a movie, a TV show, a comic series, and a full-on cultural wave. You're living in the post-Gidget wo...

This week's Sunday Poem takes us to the shorelines of New England, where time, patience, and the art of wave-watching blur into poetry. Time Surfers by John Reilly captures the quiet anticipation of surfers waiting for the perfect moment—and the poignant reflection of what it means to miss or seize it.

What if I told you cold-water surfing is better than drugs? And by cold, we mean below 60°F (16°C) . Today, we dive into why winter waves might actually be the best waves—and why that freezing paddle-out could leave you buzzing for hours.

A beginner surfer is doing everything right… or are they? After a string of bad vibes, stink eyes, and even one board shove, they're wondering: why is everyone yelling at me? What could possibly be happening here?!

This week's surf news roundup is a total hodgepodge—but mostly good vibes. From Sierra Kerr's jaw-dropping backflip to major airline wins for traveling surfers, plus: dolphins crash a longboard contest at Rincon, and the East and West Coasts go all in on wave pools.

I surfed 5 days out of 7 and ended up feeling stoned off—and then had to nap like a toddler. If you're also wondering why surfing makes you so bloody tired, this episode is for you. We have some ideas how to make it less so.

Your wetsuit stinks? Welcome to the club. Neoprene: the miracle that keeps us warm—and smells like a wet dog after one too many surfs. In this episode, we talk about why wetsuits get so rank (hint: it's you, it's the ocean, and yes, it's also pee), what actually helps with the stink, and how to clean and dry your suit without destroying it.

Spooky season may be over, but this week's word is scary as hell We're talking tombstoning—that eerie moment when a surfboard sticks straight up out of the water like a gravestone, signaling a surfer is still being held down beneath the surface. In this episode, we break down what causes a tombstone wipeout, why it's such a serious sign in heavy surf, and what to do if you see one in the lineup.

Is this a poem about surfing? Not exactly. But maybe that's what makes it perfect. This week's Sunday Surf Poem is Surf-Casting by W.S. Merwin—an American poet who spent decades living simply on Maui's north shore, restoring a palm forest and writing haunting, unpunctuated verse.

This week's Word of the Week is: beach boys . You've probably heard the term if you've ever been to Waikīkī—but do you know where it really came from? We're diving into the fascinating (and sometimes scandalous) history of Hawai'i's original surf instructors, lifeguards, and aloha spirit curators.

What do you do when your family doesn't want you to surf? In this episode of Hey Zuz, I'm Confused , we tackle probably the hardest question we've ever received—from an 18-year-old who wants to surf but is facing a hard no from their parents. Is it fear? Cultural pressure? Safety concerns? We unpack it all without the internet's usual "just do you" energy. 

This week's surf news has it all: a surf comp postponed after teen girls were harassed in Scotland, a heroic surf rescue in Oceanside, and a surfboard that floated across the Tasman Sea. Also in the mix: China's first surf-themed mega resort opens in Hainan, and a coven of paddleboarding witches casts good vibes across Wisconsin.

Ever wondered how well you need to swim to surf? In today's episode, we dive into one of the most overlooked but critical questions in beginner surfing. From the myth of "you'll be fine in waist-deep water" to the real risks of wipeouts, rip currents, and leashless boards, we talk about what "water competence" actually means. I share why I skipped my first surf lesson in Malibu, what lifeguards re...

Tiffany Barwick, also known as Midlife Surfista on socials is a self-described fully stoked "begin-termediate" surfer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who began learning to surf at 40 years old, just two years ago. Among many other things, we talk about her lack of fear of the ocean, tackling the more unusual obstacles to learning to surf, and why Tiffany keeps coming back to the Big Wave Risk...

Before plug-in fins, there were glass-ons—clean, sleek, and permanently part of the board. This episode dives into the history of glassed-in fins, how they shaped modern surfing, and why some surfers still swear by them.

This week's Sunday Surf Poem comes from French surfer‑academic Jean‑Baptiste Mognetti and his piece Rise and Shine , first published in The Inertia . We don't quite get it, but you might.    

Like this never happened to you. You fell out of love with your surfboard on day two and regretted it ever since. This episode dives into why new board might feel all wrong and why having six boards doesn't mean you've "figured it out". We do get real though.

Becoming a local isn't about your zip code—it's about your surf attendance record. In this episode, we unpack what it really takes to become a local at your surf break (spoiler: it's not about living two blocks from the beach). From building trust in the lineup to the politics of localism, we explore why being a familiar face matters—and whether it's even worth chasing. Plus, a few warm-fuzzy stor...

What do Olympic surf teams, economic development boards, and rogue sea otters have in common? This week's surf news! Hawai'i wants in on the Olympic action — Officials are inviting national teams to train on the islands ahead of LA 2028.  Save the Waves Summit — What coastal protection looks like in 2025, and how surf ecosystems are becoming everyone's business. Arizona goes full send — A surf/ska...

We haven't done a Weekly Popup segment in a while—but this one's worth it. We return with a game-changing tip: stop obsessing over the pop-up, and start focusing on just one thing. For her, it was a 45° takeoff. The result? Her brain chilled out, the pop-up happened faster (still clumsy, let's be real), and it was actually fun. Also: a Reddit user delivers the best-ever breakdown of why so many of...

Ever wanted to become a serial aerialist? We're going airborne in this episode, tracing the flight path of aerial surfing (going full Top Gun, here)—from its skatepark origins to today's jaw-dropping surf maneuvers. We unpack what an air actually is, why it didn't take off until the '90s, and how a once-mocked trick became a high-performance art form. Plus some fun names: flying squirrels, stalefi...