The Waterways Mixed Tape
Your carefully curated surf culture hits for your next surf trip.
Even the most wave-packed surf trips have a significant amount of downtime. I mean, that’s part of the appeal. But in a world of information overload, it’s hard to find the movies, books, and podcasts that might really float your boat. That’s where the Waterways Mixed Tape comes in. A carefully chosen multi-media list of gold-plated hits
Surf Flicks
The Road to Patagonia
A box office sensation in Australia that has won awards all over the globe. Director Matty Hannon documents a two-year, 30,000-mile surf road trip from the Alaskan wilderness down to the tip of Tierra del Fuego, first by motorbike and then on horseback. On the way, he falls in love, gets barrelled, encounters Zapatista rebels, Amazonian shamans and examines how we can reframe our relationship with ecology and nature.
Astronaut In The Ocean
Keith Malloy’s film on underground booger Shane Ackerman is one of the best this year, if ever. The crane driver and underground charger is as hardcore as surfing gets. “You could go ask all the best guys and they’d tell you that Shane is a f#@king legend. I had to tell his story,” said Malloy.
Milk & Honey
Milk & Honey is a full-length surf film starring Caity Simmers, Steph Gilmore, Coco Ho, and Frankie Harrer. It is a polished film put together by Stab, loaded with integrity and cutting-edge surfing. The girls go nuts at Cloud nine on high-performance and alternative boards.
Podcasts
The Ocean Outlaw Series
If you want to know what’s happening on and below the high seas, The Ocean Outlaw is a fascinating and important true crime investigative series. A second season has just dropped that explores the most lawless place on earth — the vast unpoliceable ocean. From Chinese commercial fishing exploitation, the refugee crisis, whaling, slavery and ship repo men, it’s a fascinating and terrifying glimpse into a murky, dangerous, and hidden world.
Waterpeople Podcast
Lauren L. Hill and Dave Rastovich talk story with some of the most adept waterfolk, activists, filmmakers and scientists on the planet. The couple are fun and intelligent hosts and crucially good listeners. The wide array of guests over five seasons has included Tom Carroll, Jock Sutherland, Torryn Martin, Gerry Lopez and Paige Alms.
Jamie O & The Mason Ho Show
The monthly pod isn’t exactly groundbreaking, and surfing may have reached peak JOB saturation levels, but any chance to hear Mason Ho talking to his heroes and friends like Tom Carroll, Liam McNamara, The Florence brothers and Jack Robinson, is well worth the admission price.
Books
Unbound Vol. 1 by Rambo Estrada
We are massive fans of Kiwi photographer Rambo Estrada. This year, he dropped his first book, Unbound Vol. 1; a masterpiece of a hardback tome that captures the essence of surfing and New Zealand.
Life Around the Sea by Russ Ord
Another legendary lensman Russ Ord, did the same in Australia, with his book Life Around the Sea. Personal stories are retold by author Alex Workman to make a visually stunning and deep dive into the best Australian waves and rich surf culture.
Quint by Robert Lautner
You might remember Quint, the taciturn and grizzled sea captain from the movie JAWS, who survived the shark-ridden sinking of the USS Indianapolis. In this vivid and utterly compelling masterpiece, Robert Lautner reimagines the life of that character. It’s a slightly odd premise, but one that has been described as “whisky-soaked, guttural, stinking and funny,” and has been compared to Steinbeck. Though maybe not so good for a boat trip.