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references : surfing magazines

surfing magazines

For a detailed reference for Australian and international surfing magazines, see Al Hunt's excellent site at
allaboutsurfing.com

The Surf
1st December 1917- 27 April 1918, 20 issues
1st credited Australian/World Surfing magazine (1 December 1917)
Image facsimile from Margan and Finney, page 85.
In depth atricle by Sandra Hall : 'First Edition'
Longboard magazine Vol 5 Number 2 May/June 1997, pages 74 - 76.
Image: Vol 1 #1
Cover : Unknown.
Note that the image does not show surfboard riding but Aquaplaning (towed behind a boat).
Furthermore, the image is credited to Union Theatres Co., an Australian film distributor, and could have been sourced from anywhere. It may not even be shot in Australia.
See Source Documents - The Surf : Extact

Surf in Australia.
1936-1940
Surf Life Saving Association of Australia.
Official Organ of the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia
(Head Centre), 119 Phillip, Street Sydney.
Editor: W.G. Simmonds Esq.
Published by Alexander Leo Finn, 149 Dover Road, Rose Bay.
Printed by Lake and Ashes Pty Ltd., 389-391 Sussex Street, Sydney.

See Source Documents:
SLSAA: Surf in Australia, 1936.
SLSAA: Surf in Australia, 1937.
SLSAA: Surf in Australia, 1938.
SLSAA: Surf in Australia, 1939.

Image: Volume 1 Number 1 September 1936.

Surfer (USA)
1960 -
Box 1028 Dana Point, California 92629
Editors : John Severson, Steve Pezman 1973,
Originally produced as a film program for Severson's Surf Fever 1960, demand saw the magazine move to regular issues. It's artistic style, cross-pollination with surf films, longevity and commericial success set the benchmark and earn the title of the Father of Surfing Magazines.
This is SURFERmag.com
Image, top : Reproduction ofVol 1 # 1, 1960
Cover : Jose Angel at Sunset Beach. Photograph by John Severson
Printed in Leuras page 132, Kampion page 92, Carroll page 34.
Image, bottom : Vol 14 # 3, September 1973
Cover : Buzzy Kerbox at Velzyland. Photograph by Steve Wilkings
See Perfect day : 40 Years of Surfer Magazine

Australian Surfer
Editor : Lee Cross.
Only two editions: July/August 1961 and December 1961
See Nat's Nat, page xx.

Images Vol 1 and Vol 2 contributed by Ben Wilson.
The magazines were originally purchaced in 1961 and subsequently held by Ben's father, Ron Wilson.
June 2005 - Many Thanks.

"The first issue of The Australian Surfer contained four full-page, five half-page and two quarter-page advertisements.
Advertising included the promotion of balsa by Arthur Milner & Co. Pty. Ltd based in Double Bay, Sydney and Springvale, Victoria.
The possibilities of enhanced surf photography through the use of a telephoto lens were pointed to in an advertisement for Vic Joyce’s Camera Store based in Dee Why, Sydney.
An advertisement for the Ferris Factory in Caringbah, Sydney announced that one could ‘look like a rider’ in Ferris Bermuda Shorts; ‘feel like a rider’ in a Ferris Rubber Suit and ‘be a rider’ on a new 1962 Ferris Surfboard: Balsa or Poly.
Advertisements for surfboard manufacturers included Barry Bennett, McDonagh, Scott Dillon and Gordon Woods in Brookvale, Sydney; Bill Wallace in Waverley, Sydney and The Surf Shop in King George Square, Brisbane.
The issue also contained a full-page cartoon of sharks threatening surfers, an article on surfing spots around Sydney and an article on surfing for beginners, similar to that published in The Surfer.
There was no introduction, editorial, letters page or promise of further issues."

Paul Scott: Australian Surfing Magazines: The First Wave (1961-1962)
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:e8FzNGFdjFUJ:live-wirez.gu.edu.au/jea.papers/
Scott.doc+ferris+surfboard&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=au&client=firefox-a

Surfing Illustrated (USA)
1962 - 1966 ?
Box 697 Hermosa Beach California
Publisher/Editor : Walt Phillips
In the style of Surfer, Walt Phillips was a surf movie maker.

Image: Vol 2 number 2, April-May 1964
Cover : Unknown/ Waimea Bay.
Photograph by Don James

Surfing World
Some later editions were labelled on the cover as SW.
The title was later adjusted to Australia's Surfing World.
1st issue September 1962.
Bob Evans Intrnational Pty. Ltd.
62 Goulburn Street Sydney
Editor 1962 : Bob Evans
Editor 1966: Albert Falzon, others include John Witzig, Bruce Channon,
Australian version of Surfer magazine, Bob Evans took the lead from John Severson and integrated his magazine with film making.
Image: Vol 1 #1
Cover : Unknown. Photograph by
Still in pubication
Note that some commentators credit Bob Evans with producing "Australia's first surfing magazine".
This obviously does not include The Surf (1917) and Lee Cross' The Australian Surfer (1961).
Also note that Jack Eden's first edition of Surfabout is reported as dated August 1962, but it unclear which magazine first appeared on Australian newstands.

Surfabout
August 1962 - Spring 1968.
Editor :Jack Eden
Image: Vol 1 #1 August 1962
Cover : Unknown .Photograph by Jack Eden probably.
The Southside/Cronulla version of Bob Evans' Surfing World
Vol1 #2 December 1962

Surf Scene
1964 -Number 1.
Editor :Jack Pollard
Image: #1
Cover : Unknown.
Short lived (possibly only one edition) released following the publication of Pollard's The Australian Surfrider in early 1964 with several of the photographs printed in both and an advertisemnet for the book on page 47.

(International) Surfing
1964 -
2720 Camino Capistrano, Box 3010 San Clemente, California 92672 USA
First Issue October 1964
Editors :
Image: Vol 1 #1, December 1964.
Surfer magazines' most successful, long term competitor.
Cover : Nat Young. Photograph by

Surf International
1967 December to circa 1970.
Gareth Powell Associates 369a Pitt Street Sydney
Editors: John Witzig, Paul Koller
Volume 1 - 12 issues
Volume 2 -
Image: Vol 1 # 1, December 1967.
Cover : Butch Cooney Newcastle Contest
Upmarket/alternative (a contradiction?) competitor to the by now dominant Surfing World.
Music, Lifestyle, Enviroment and Politics were introduced.
In an attempt to give a balanced approach the first three issues, articles by Midget Farrelly, Nat Young and Bob McTavish were given equal space.
The Bob McTavish article is at "WRITING in the sun is a cinch..."
The dates of Surf International magazines are not specified in the publication details.
Some commentators have dated this issue September 1967, yet the cover article on the Newcastle Contest notes it was won by Russell Hughes on 10th September 1967.
Given the publishing lag in this period (up to 6 weeks), a later date seems reasonable.
The magazine's agenda was to be futher explored by Witzig in Tracks magazine.

Image Left:
Surf International
Volume 1 Number 2
January 1968
Cover photograph:
Yellow Surf Express, Palm Beach.
Bob McTavish Article:
"... CHILDREN OF THE SUN.."

Image Right:
Surf International
Volume 1 Number 12
Cover photograph:
Bob McTavish, Little Red, Honolua Bay Maui, 1967-1968.

Tracks
1970-
Tracks Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd.
PO Box 178 Avalon Beach 2107 NSW
Editors :John Witzig, Albert Falzon, John Stewart, John Grissim, Paul Holmes, Kirk Wilcox, Neil Ridgway, Phil Jarratt, Nick Carroll
In 1970 Tracks magazine had a significant impact by foregoing colour and using a newsprint format that slashed production time from 12 to 4
weeks.
Colour inserts (advertising) first added 19xx
Colour photograph inserts first added 19xx
Change of format to all colour 1999.
Change of format to standard magazine size 2000.
See Waves magazine.
Image: Number 1 , November? 1970
Cover : Unknown,
Note : Jack Sullivan was the contest director for the Newcastle Contest, 1970

Oceans
1973
Raymond Rowe Publications, Alstonville NSW.
Newsprint format (folded in half for sale), 8 pages.

A short lived, free publication from northern NSW.
Image right: Volume 1 Number 2 May 1973.

Dated from a Honesee Surfboards that notes the Bells contest winner as Michael Peterson.
Features
- Results from Queensland championships - results Rabbit, PT, MP, Richard Harvey, Keith Paull and Billy Grant.
- Surfer's photographs - Brad Myers, Terry Iredale, Ian Monaghan, others and 'Murph'.
- Advertising for Ron Wade, Jackson, Honesee and Bare Nature Surfboards, Pau wax, Jepson's A Sea for Yourself and Quicksilver Surfgear, Taree.
- Innermost Limits style cover illustration by Geoff Walters.
- Reproduced Fury Freak Brothers comic strip with surfing theme from Hightimes Publications, page 7.

Breakaway
December 1973 Issue 1 to circa 1975
Victorian magazine in Tracks magazine format,

Sunshine Fluid
May 1976 Volume 1 Number 1
1st Edition

Backdoor
1976, December - 197?
PO Box 100 Torquay, Victoria 3228
Editor : Michael Gordon
Assistant Editor : Doug Warbrick
Printed monthy.
Victorian magazine in Tracks magazine format, that eschewed lifestyle/humour in favour of a hardcore/surfers only style.
Image: August 1976, Issue Number 8
Cover : Rory Russell, Waimea Bay. Photograph by Hoole/McCoy.

Seanotes
1977 June /July
John Witzig and Company
PO Box 34 Avalon Beach NSW 2107
Editor :John Witzig
Seven issues
John Witzig's upmarket/intellectualized version of Tracks magazine, contast with Backdoor magazine, above.
Printed on newsprint with glossy cover and insert.
Image: Vol 2 #6, 1979
Cover : Uncredited

Surf (Australia)
1976 -1979
Editor : Steve Core
Bi-monthly
First Edition Vol 1 No. 1 November 1976
Strong Cronulla influence,

Steve Core made surfboards in the late 60's, photographer, surf film maker (In Natural Flow, circa 1973), film distributor and published a
magazine.

This magazine was overlooked until October 2003,
This omission was pointed out by Greg Clark, via email..
Thanks Greg.
Image right ; Vol 1 No. 8 February 1978 $1.45
Cover : Rabbit Batholomew/Stradbroke Island by MartinTullemans

Line Up
1981 -
5/103 Thistle Street Gordon Park, Queensland 4031
May 1981 to March 1981 Queensland distribution only
April 16 th 1982, Number 12 First national issue
Editor : Terry Kavanagh
Queensland based version of Tracks magazine format.
Heavy accent on Queensland surfers, contests, manufacturers.
May 1981 to March 1981 Queensland distribution only

Image: April 16 th 1982, Number 12,
Cover : Wayne McKewan Photograph by Bede/Brobes

Australia's Surfing Life
1986
Publisher : Peter Morrison
Editor :Derek Rielly
Po Box 832 Burleigh Heads, Queensland 4220
Image : Number 1, 1986
Cover : Unknown

Longboarder
1992 - 1994 ?
419 Main Street, Suit 158 Huntington beach CA 92648 USA
Publisher : Bob Bohanan
Editor : Chris Ahrens
Image: Vol 1 #1 Summer 1992
Cover : Rich Chew. Photograph by Guy Motil

Longboard (Quarterly)
1993 -
'Quarterly' dropped after 18 months?
Publisher : Guy Motil
Editor : Scot Hulet
Image: Volume 2Number 1 June/July 1994
Cover : Uncredited (Josh Baxter/ Makaha ?), Photograph by Jim Russi

Waves
1994 -
PO Box 746 Darlinghurst 2010
Editor : Jesse Faen
Managing Editor : Neil Ridgway
Full glossy offshoot from Tracks magazine, staff includes Neil Ridgway, Mark Sutherland and Andrew Kidman from a previous stint at Tracks magazine.
Also see Litmus.
Image : July/August 1995
Cover : Steve Clements. Photograph by

Nalu - Longboard Surfing Discovery
1995 ?
Copyright by El Publishing Co. Ltd.
Publisher : Tsuguji Urushima
Editor : Akifumi Funakushi
Image: 1995 No.1
Cover : Brian Keaulana, Photograph by Yoshihto Ozawa

Deep
1996
PO Box 211 Newport Beach, NSW 2106
Editor : Reggae Ellis
Contributing Editor : Tim Baker
Another Tracks magazine offshoot, changed newspaper format and went to standard magazine size after 18 months.
Image: Issue 4 March/April 1996
Cover : Noah Johnson/ Waimea Bay, Photograph byTed Grambeau

Pacific Longboarder
1996 -
12 Attadale Court Elanora, Queensland 4221
Editor : Chris Bystrom
PLB Core page
Image: Vol 1 #1
Cover : Jason Blewitt. Photograph by Scott Ovens

The Australian Surfers Journal
1998 - 2000.
The Blue group PO Box 321 Noosa Heads Queensland 4567
Editor : Steve Pezman / Phil Jarratt
Published in Australia under liscence, it featured mostly high quality articles and photos from the American edition, with some australian content. the project folded in 2000 when the liscencing arrangement faulted.
Image: Vol 1 #1
Cover : Cloud Break, Tavarua, Fiji, March 19 1997,
Photograph by Warren Bolster

Longboarding (Australia)
1998
First published by Waverider Magazine Pty Ltd
PO Box 12, Cotton Tree, Queensland, 4558.
28 Price Street Nambour, Queensland 4560
Editor : Mike Perry, Shane Peel,
Image: Number 1 Autum 1998
Cover : Josh Constable, Sunshine Beach, Photograph by Peel.

Free Surf
1988
Editor :

MalMagic

SurferGirl Magazine
Waverider Magazine :

Geoff Cater (2000-2009) : References : Surfing Magazines
http://www.surfresearch.com.au/rm.html