Nearshore with Steve Hawk

There was a time when surf magazines didn’t just report on surf culture—they helped create it.Before influencers, reels, blogs, vlogs, and even the internet, magazines like Surfer were our conduit to the wider surfing world. They told us who mattered, what was happening, where surfing was going, and what was worth celebrating, questioning, or remembering. And the editors were the stewards of that culture.Steve Hawk was at the helm of Surfer Magazine—the “Bible of the Sport”—from 1990 to 1998, one of the most transformative periods in modern surfing. The Momentum Generation was emerging, VHS surf videos were reshaping how we consumed surfing, the culture and aesthetics were changing, and the internet was about to upend everything.In this episode of Swell Season Surf Radio, Steve joins us to look back at those years: the beautifully chaotic Surfer newsroom, the rivalry with Surfing Magazine, the blurry line between editorial independence and the surf industry, and what it meant to help shape surf culture before algorithms took over the job.We also talk about what surfing has gained—and lost—in the digital age, the importance of community in the lineup, and Steve’s fascinating career after Surfer, which took him through Surfline, Swell.com, the Tony Hawk Foundation, HBO, Sierra magazine, and Stanford Business.Those seemingly disparate experiences all collide in Steve’s debut novel, Nearshore, a fast-moving ocean noir that brings surfing together with Silicon Valley, nuclear terrorism, AI, environmentalism, and some uncomfortable questions about technology, power, and who gets to shape our future.In many ways, Nearshore feels like Steve Hawk’s entire career packed into one story.And that gives us a lot to talk about.Steve Hawk is our guest on this episode of Swell Season Surf Radio.Follow Steve on his instagram: @stevehawk6211You can Purchase his new book, “Nearshore” here: https://inkspellbooks.com/book/9798217062331 The Swell Season Surf Podcast is recorded by The NewsStand Studio at Rockefeller Center in the heart of Manhattan and is distributed by The Swell Season Surf Radio Network. For more information, you can follow @swellseasonsurfradio on Instagram or go to our website: www.swellseasonsurf.com Music: Artist: David BowieSong: The Man Who Sold The WorldAlbum: The Man Who Sold The World00:00 Surf Magazines Matter02:08 Meet Steve Hawk04:30 From Rookie to Leader07:13 Learning to Manage09:16 Money and Surfing13:04 Swag and Sponsors15:50 Did Surfer Shape Culture17:39 Great Stories and Writers22:05 Inside Surfer Office30:26 North Shore Slide Nights36:01 Show Up and Be Kind41:14 New York Surf Culture44:35 Rockaway Boardwalk Scene44:54 Diversity In The Lineup47:48 Surf Clubs And Community48:45 Offline Culture Comeback50:38 Surfing And Intellectual Life54:13 Crowds And Finding Empty Peaks55:36 Democratization Of Surf Media01:01:16 Algorithms And Tech Oligarchs01:06:54 Cambridge Analytica And Precrime01:08:48 Billionaire Villain Blueprint01:14:14 Nuclear Terror And Scapegoats01:17:47 Ocean As Antidote01:20:10 Unfettered Capitalism Critique01:24:38 Politics In Fiction01:25:02 Surf Authenticity Details01:25:47 Real Life Stories01:28:52 War Tech And Surfing01:31:21 AI Fear And Control01:33:04 Magazine Rivalries01:35:34 Donut Prank Fallout01:38:58 Split Cover Debate01:42:51 Tudor Cover Myth01:45:38 Surfing Future Predictions01:48:09 Climate And Ocean Threats01:51:33 Media Diet And Bubbles01:55:49 Surfers Questionnaire01:59:25 Where To Find Nearshore02:00:58 Final Thanks And OutroBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/swell-season-surf-radio--3483504/support.