The 10 Greatest Surf Movies of All Time

Image via Complex Original

Director: Bruce Brown

Anyone who’s ever shown any interest in surfing is at least familiar with The Endless Summer. The seminal surfing film follows Mike Hynson and Robert August as they catch waves all around the world, on a quest to ride alongside locals and introduce newbies (in Tahiti, New Zealand, and South Africa, just to name a few) to the sport. Stunning cinematography, a laid-back soundtrack by The Sandals, and a relaxed narrative style capture the essence of the box-office hit’s mission: To chase summer after summer around the globe.

Since its premiere, the critically acclaimed film’s been credited with encouraging avid surfers to find new, undiscovered spots and also with transforming Cape Town, South Africa, into one of the world’s most famous surf destinations.

Director: John Stockwell

There isn’t anyone who watched this film as a young millennial who didn’t want to pick up a board afterward. Blue Crush is ostensibly about an amateur surfer (Kate Bosworth) who must overcome her fear of drowning to finally go pro, but really, it’s a fantasy: Live on Oahu, Hawaii’s North Shore, surf in the crisp, early morning with your friends, get through your nine-to-five, party all night, and repeat. The film made surfing not just the sport to learn, but the lifestyle to adopt for escapists all over middle America.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Before The Hurt Locker, before Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow helmed this bizarre cult classic. Let’s just run down a few facts that make this film so unforgettable. One, Keanu Reeves plays a former famed college quarterback who joins the FBI. Two, his name is Johnny Utah. Three, he goes undercover to take down a crew of bank robbers. Four, said bank robbers are also insanely amazing surfers, thus Reeves must learn to surf to be part of their tribe. Five, said tribe is led by a dude named Bodhi, played by the great Patrick Swayze. Six, surfing, shoot outs, and good old-fashioned male bonding ensue. Basically, if you haven’t seen this film, you haven’t lived.

Director: Dana Brown

Following in the footsteps of his filmmaker father, The Endless Summer’s Bruce Brown, Dana Brown created an iconic surf documentary of his own. For Step Into Liquid, Brown gathered some of the world’s top surfers—namely Laird Hamilton, Rob Machado, Rochelle Ballard, and Kelly Slater, among others—and captured them putting their lives on the line for the world’s biggest waves. From Pipeline to Cortes Bank, these famed surf spots provide a breathtaking feast for the eyes, as well as built-in cinematic tension you can feel in your bones. The immersive film is truly a passion project for Brown, who depicts surfing here as more than a sport, a profession, and a lifestyle, but a method for salvation.

Director: John Milius

As the writer of Dirty Harry, Apocalypse Now, and Red Dawn, it’s clear that John Milius lives and breathes epics. Knowing that, it would already make sense why Big Wednesday came naturally to him. But it turns out the coming-of-age surf film was much more personal to the legendary director than that. The film, co-written by friend Dennis Aaberg, was actually inspired by his childhood in Malibu, where he grew up an avid surfer. On screen, the story follows of a group of friends (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary Busey) surfing the Cali coast against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Although the film was initially a box office failure, it has since become a cult classic, finding new audiences in cinephiles and amateur surfers alike.

Director: Stacy Peralta

If there’s anyone to trust with a documentary about extreme sports, it’s Stacy Peralta. Here, the famous skater/surfer, who became icon in his own right with O.G. skate team the Z-Boys, tracks the rise of big-wave surfing. Beginning with surfing pioneer Greg Noll, Peralta digs deep into the history of Hawaii’s Waimea Bay, chronicles Jeff Clark’s discovery of Northern California’s Mavericks, and delves into tow-in surfing with Laird Hamilton. The first documentary to ever open the Sundance Film Festival, the dangerous and daring Riding Giants is not only a cinematic game-changer, but will also shake up the idea of a laid-back surf lifestyle other films on the sport likely instilled in you.

Director: William Phelps

Surf, sand, and forbidden romance—North Shore, in a nutshell. At first glance, it seems like just another corny ’80s movie, but you’d be remiss to dismiss it. Sitting pretty at an 87 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the drama tells the story of an Arizona desert native/wave-tank surfing champion (Matt Adler) who leaves the mainland behind for a chance to rebuild his life riding actual waves in Oahu, Hawaii. True to every fish-out-of-water story, he clashes with the territorial locals who doubt his talent, and eventually falls in love with his enemy’s sister (Nia Peeples). The rest you can predict, sure, but the film’s got some street cred to hold it up. Among others, pro surfers Laird Hamilton, Gerry Lopez, and Shaun Thomson also feature in the film.

Director: Jack McCoy

More than an exceptional documentary, Blue Horizon is a fitting tribute to the late, great Andy Irons. Released six years before his untimely death, the doc showcases Irons as the focused, driven, and unstoppable force he was—i.e. the epitome of a competitive surfer—in juxtaposition with Dave “Rasta” Rastovich, the very definition of a soul surfer. Rasta travels freely, meditates regularly—oh, and he hangs out with mermaids. (Yeah, you read that right.) Here, McCoy depicts the yin-yang lifestyles of surfing as a way to intrigue curious new riders. Essentially, the documentary’s mission is to expand the sport, just like Irons—who used to host his own competition for youngsters—always wanted.

Director: Ash Brannon, Chris Buck

It seems a little silly to include an animated movie about surfing penguins, but consider the facts. It’s got a) co-signs from pros Kelly Slater and Rob Machado, who both cameo in the film; b) an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature; and c) a box office take of $149 million. Meant to be a parody of past surfing documentaries, this mockumentary goes behind the scenes of the Penguin World Surfing Championship with up-and-coming surfer Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf). The voice cast also includes Zooey Deschanel, Chris Rock, Jeff Bridges, and Sal Masekela. While it’s surely a nod to passionate surfers and a wink at the art of documentary filmmaking, it’s also an enjoyable introduction to the sport for kids everywhere.

Director: Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson doesn’t just play soft rock about banana pancakes, OK? Back in the day, he was also a pro surfer. At 17, he became the youngest invitee to make the finals at the Pipeline Masters, before a serious head injury derailed his career. However, his passion for the sport still remained strong, and in 2002, he decided to pay tribute to it. In the film, Johnson travels to Sumatra, Indonesia, with pros Kelly Slater, Shane Dorian, and Rob Machado. Together, the group leaves behind career obligations, and the stresses that come with them, to simply immerse themselves in the glorious swells the country has to offer. Couple that with Johnson’s ambient score, and you’ve got one of the most visceral surf documentaries of all time.