PODCAST · sports
Surf Stories
by Florida Surf Film Festival
In both Q and A and narrative format, we will hear stories from local surfers, filmmakers from around the world, and inspiring and/or charismatic folks who have a story to share. John Brooks and Kevin Miller will host in-person and Zoom-recorded chats.
Episodes
-
Under the Hull with Alan Van Gysen
Kevin Miller sat down with Cape Town filmmaker Alan Van Gysen @alanvangysen in person during a trip to South Africa, so John Brooks sits this one out. Alan traces his path from a waterproof Minolta and selling prints to bodyboarding friends, through 20 years shooting stills for Zigzag, to...
-
Do What You Love with Mike Ruthnum
Mike Ruthnum is Jeffreys Bay's resident surf photographer and filmmaker, the eye behind @jbaytv. Raised in Isipingo Beach south of Durban, he took up kneeboarding at 13 and first made the pilgrimage to J-Bay at 16, settling there for good in 2007. After a near-fatal illness kept him in hospital…
more -
The Ski Plug with Torrey Meister
In this episode of Surf Stories, John Brooks and Kevin Miller talk with professional big-wave surfer Torrey Meister about his path from childhood at Banyans on Hawaii's Big Island, shaped early by Shane Dorian's grom contests, through a decade chasing the Qualifying Series in California. Torrey...
-
Barrel Hunter with Nate Zoller
Nate Zoller, a professional surfer, photographer, and writer based in Southern California, has spent over a decade with Roark as a Brand Ambassador and storyteller. He produces branded content and narrative campaigns from surf and adventure trips around the globe — from Iceland and Japan to the...
-
Gorkin Style with Aaron Cormican
Aaron "Gorkin" Cormican, New Smyrna Beach's own aerial pioneer and two-time Quiksilver King of the Peak champion, joins John Brooks and Kevin Miller for this homegrown NSB chat. Known equally for his high-flying competitive career and for shaping boards under his own Gorkin Surfboards label,...
-
Waves of Navy with Jeff Easson
Jeff Easson is a retired U.S. Navy Command Master Chief with 30 years of service — an achievement earned by less than 1% of enlisted sailors. Born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, he moved to Ormond Beach, Florida at age 11, where he traded hockey for surfing and competed in the ESA and SSA through...
-
Endless Stoke with Eric Geiselman
Eric Geiselman @ericgeiselman , the third Geiselman to join us after Father Greg and Brother Evan, brings a New Smyrna Beach pedigree built on a run of competitive surfing and a 2007 Surfer Poll Award for Most Radical Maneuver. Known as "Lark," he's built a reputation as one of freesurfing's most...
-
Around the World with Morgan Maassen
Morgan Maassen grew up in Santa Barbara chasing waves at Rincon, but it was an injury that got him behind a camera instead of on a board — and the rest is history. He's since become one of surf's most recognizable visual storytellers, known for that dreamy, slow-shutter style that's landed his…
more -
Mediterranean Pulse with Luca Merli
Luca Merli is a Milan-based filmmaker, photographer, and surf culture champion who has spent more than two decades documenting the soul of Italian surfing. A Goldsmiths College graduate, he founded Block10 and the Onde Nostre collective, producing five award-winning feature films — including...
-
Nalu with Derek Hoffmann
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Derek Hoffmann @derekhoffmann808 fell in love with the ocean and still photography at his home break, Sandy Beach, before moving to the North Shore and picking up a movie camera. His in-water 16mm work on the 1989 theatrical release Rolling Thunder set the...
-
Deep Spear with Cameron Kirkconnell
Cameron Kirkconnell @camkirkconnell sheds skin to scales when the moon is full or as soon as his toe touches saltwater. He holds his breath for three-times longer than a normal joe, and finds the biggest, and of course, tastiest of fish. He began his career as a merchant marine, achieving the…
more -
The Saltcreek Kid with Pat O'Connell
Pat O'Connell didn't touch saltwater until he was twelve and somehow became one of surfing's most beloved figures. A natural competitor, he represented the U.S. at the 1990 World Amateur Championships before landing a starring role in Bruce Brown's Endless Summer II — a film that introduced...
-
Singular Soul with Jose Plaza
Born and raised in Punta Hermosa, Peru, José Plaza grew up steeped in surf culture — his father Miguel was a pioneer wave rider in Peru and Hawaii during the 1960s, befriending legends like Eddie Aikau and Greg Noll. That legacy pushed José into the water early and eventually behind the camera....
-
Viva Peru with Miguel Tudela
Miguel Tudela is one of Peru's top professional surfers, known for his powerful style and consistency on the world stage. A standout in international competitions, he represented Peru in Olympic surfing, showcasing the country's deep surf heritage. Raised on Lima's coastline, Tudela has built a...
-
Wave of a Lifetime with Otto Flores
Otto Flores is a Puerto Rican surfer, ocean safety advocate, and environmental activist whose life has been shaped by the OCEAN. After beginning his career as a professional surfer, Flores traveled the world chasing waves and appearing on the covers of major surf publications. One such cover has…
more -
Well Designed with John Moore
John Moore @bonfirebeachkids is a designer and co-founder of the sustainable apparel brand Outerknown, launched in 2015 with surfing legend Kelly Slater. A seasoned fashion industry veteran, he brings decades of design and leadership experience to the brand, with a focus on timeless style…
more -
End of the World with Julian Azulay
Julian Azulay is an Argentine filmmaker, surfer, and environmental advocate best known as co-founder of Gauchos del Mar @gauchosdelmar. Alongside his brother Joaquín, he has traveled the world by van and sailboat, documenting remote coastlines, surf cultures, and conservation stories. Their...
-
A Florida Family with Charley Baldwin
We are honored to have longtime Florida surfer and shaper, Charley Baldwin @charleybrealtor, on the podcast, and as an added bonus, his daughter, Marcie, chair of the Smyrna Safari Club. Charley managed to find success in competition through grit and love for surfing. CB has humble beginnings,...
-
Wingnut with Robert Weaver
Other than not sharing the derivation of the nickname, "Wingnut" @thewingnut is an open book with a candor and flow meant only for us folks in-the-know. Sure, Robert Weaver, star of Endless Summer 2, is a part of the adult-learner apparatus, but he does it in the middle of nowhere with not a lot…
more -
South Country with Glen Casey
Glen Casey @glen_casey is an Australian surfer best known for his deep roots in surf culture and his raw, no-nonsense approach to riding waves. Growing up around Australia's powerful south coast, Casey earned respect for his commitment to heavy water, classic boards, and the kind of surfing…
more -
Trim with Ryan Lovelace
Ryan Lovelace, known for blending timeless craftsmanship with progressive design, is based in California and Hawaii. His feature film, Almost Cut My Hair, was officially selected for the 2013 Florida Surf Film Festival and is available on YouTube. Lovelace has built a devoted following for boards...
-
Wave Killer with Allen Sarlo
Allen Sarlo, @allen_sarlo known as the "Wave Killer," is a legendary surfer whose powerful, aggressive style helped define the early days of Venice Beach's Dogtown scene. A pioneering figure in both surfing and skateboarding, Sarlo brought raw energy and innovation to waves around the world. His...
-
Life's Rich Celluloid with Greg MacGillivray
Live recording from the Rivian South Coast Theater in Laguna Beach on September 22, 2025: Greg MacGillivray @gregmacgillivray @macfreefilms is an iconic filmmaker, innovator, and master of giant-screen storytelling whose career spans more than five decades. As co-founder of MacGillivray Freeman...
-
Go By Yourself with Brad Gerlach
Brad Gerlach @waveki is one of surfing's most dynamic and influential figures—a former world tour standout known for his explosive power, progressive style, and fearless approach to waves of consequence. After finishing runner-up to the world title in 1991, Gerr reinvented himself as a big-wave...
-
Bonzai Line with Takuji Masuda
On this episode of Surf Stories, we're joined by filmmaker and surfer Takuji Masuda, director of BUNKER77, which captured the wild, short-lived legend of Bunker Spreckels and Best Documentary - Feature (2017) at Florida Surf Film Festival. A lifelong student of surf history and culture, Takuji...
-
Reverse Hairdryer with Laird Hamilton
Laird Hamilton @lairdhamilton is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and fearless watermen of our time. A legendary big-wave surfer, pioneer and innovator of tow-in and foil surfing, and lifelong ocean explorer, Laird has spent decades redefining what's possible on the water. Beyond his...
-
Nicaraguan Heat with Dr. Jason Old, PhD
Dr. Jason Old is a surfer, historian, and storyteller who's spent decades chasing waves and uncovering the deeper stories behind them. With a PhD in Latin American history, he's lived and surfed in Nicaragua, Peru, and Bali, researching how surf culture shapes local communities and economies.…
more -
Camping with Holly Beck
Pro surfer and entrepreneur Holly Beck joins us to share her incredible journey — from competing on the world tour to building Surfing With Amigas, one of the most inspiring women's surf camp communities in the world. Now expanding into family and men's trips, Holly has perfected the ultimate…
more -
Rolling In with Scott Smith
From the pool to the ocean, Scott Smith's journey has been anything but ordinary. A former water polo player turned filmmaker, Scott built his career behind the lens with Body Glove and PADI, where his natural eye for action and storytelling translated seamlessly into surf cinematography and...
-
Atlantic and Beyond with Paul Prewitt
Carrying the Florida flag, filmmaker and photographer Paul Prewitt captured unforgettable East Coast surf footage from 1985 to 1988—from West Palm Beach to New Hampshire and beyond—mesmerizing audiences with A+ setups and raw talent in Atlantic Crossing. After a successful career in film and...
-
Making Waves with Lakey Peterson
Lakey Peterson is a professional surfer from Santa Barbara, California, known for her progressive aerial maneuvers and athletic approach to surfing. She began surfing at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks, winning multiple NSSA titles and becoming a force on the World Surf League…
more -
Laguna Gold with Richard Yelland
Richard Yelland's Birth of the Endless Summer starring Dick Metz is a masterpiece. Cataloguing the inimitable journeyman's anecdotes, love affairs, and risky passages across the globe in the late fifties and beyond, Richard puts his documentary chops on display along with priceless photos and...
-
Shaping the Future with Robert Helphand and Tony Gentile
The birth of Wave Tools became an instant curiosity when Robert Helphand and Tony Gentile interviewed Lance Collins for a different project back in 2018. That interview ignited a documentary project seven years in the making called Shaping the Future. Robert and Tony detailed the engineering and...
-
After the Journey with Ben Whyte and Ali Mancuso
For those of you who didn't get to listen to Ben Whyte and Ali Mancuso on Episode 68 - Breaking Waves Sailing, don't fret, you can always go back and listen first, but it's not necessary. They have a wonderful story to tell here about crossing the pacific as rookies on a 41' sailboat named Kiana....
-
On a Rising Swell with Dan Reiter
A writer first, Dan developed a love for surfing in the cold San Francisco water and turned heavily towards his move to Florida in his latest work On a Rising Swell, a memoir slash collection of his best work with surfing as a central character. Take the time to read this fantastic rendering from...
-
Child of Storms with Sam George
Sam George, surfer, writer, and filmmaker, has entertained readers and audiences with his gift of storytelling for years. The stories take many forms and many new threads come alive in his new work Child of Storms - A Surfing Memoir (In Progress), available at diangelopublications.com. In…
more -
The Machine with Greg Geiselman
Greg Geiselman, an immigrant from the Bahamas, dropped out of a full-ride swimming scholarship as a result of a full-blown case of the surfing disease. Nothing would get in his way. He possesses the gift of absolute discipline and focus. From swimming at a world-class level to months-long Mexico...
-
Mountain Man with Kohl Christensen
Kohl Christensen figured out a way to chase waves and make a living, much like many of us do, only the waves he chases are about 6 times larger than the biggest wave we've ever encountered. Immediately, we think of his 2019 skull-shattering wipeout at Pipeline, and next, about the organization he...
-
Big Jim with Jim Morris
Longtime New Smyrna Beach surfer, Jim Morris, joins us for a conversation about growing up brined and seasoned in Florida waters. He evolved into an aficionado of surfboard shaping and shapers and put his surf-to-live attitude in first position. Everything afterward fell right into place, leaving...
-
Gulf of Lopez with Cory Lopez
For Floridians, stepping up in critical, big waves is expected given the groundwork laid by Cory Lopez, among others. The hard yard gains came from Pete Lopez white-knuckling to Sebastian every weekend from the west coast of Florida, punching through orange grove shore pound and six-hour…
more -
A Good Run with Mitch Varnes
Mitch Varnes fused his passion for surfing and work ethic to make a career in public affairs with NASA and a career in surf journalism and athlete management. Aside from managing CJ and Damien Hobgood and Lisa Anderson's career for a time, he's been creating and managing distance running and...
-
By Feel and Design with Rob Machado
Rob Machado's career momentum strayed from some of his peers and led him off tour and toward brand ambassadorships with some incredible people and companies who make sure we will find him in the surf regularly and hopefully on screen. We've been lucky enough to share quite a few great movies with...
-
The Shape of Things with Bob Campi
For over 30 years, Emmy award winning photojournalist Bob Campi has been documenting news and entertainment from places like Afghanistan Iraq, The Middle East and The Oscars. During the COVID, crisis he set out to Hawaii to create a meaningful, lasting documentary about iconic shaper Dick Brewer…
more -
Endless Summers with Alex Mecl
Alex Mecl, CEO and Executive Producer at Bruce Brown Films, discusses his early motivation to work with Bruce and his family to ensure Bruce's work is disseminated to the world in perpetuity at little to no cost. Alex shares the details behind what it takes to run and connect all the right people...
-
The Surfinista with Bruce Reynolds
Thoreau said something like, "My friends have come unsought." Sometimes, when luck is on your side, a nice person will come into your life, and it just fits, and you want that energy around you like sunshine and good waves. Each time you have a conversation, surf, or round of golf with Bruce...
-
NSB Born and Raised with Evan Geiselman
From the skinny brine of Mosquito Lagoon to north beach's relief at Ponce Inlet, Evan Geiselman has almost completed his back-to-the-sea, full-reptilian transformation. Fish-hunter, professional surfer, and... golfer? Yes, a damn fine golfer. The miracle at Pipeline rebirth-ed our very own stoked...
-
Big R with Randy Richenberg
Long-time shaper and Floridian, Randy Richenberg, joins us for a chat finally. A true technician in the practical nuances of fins, channel bottom, and other designs, Randy has put to use years of experience in the water, New Smyrna Beach's side of Ponce Inlet especially. He rides shortboards to...
-
Zip Line Fail with Matt and Brett Lundequam
In 2012 during a Spring Break in Costa Rica, the Lundequam family checked a surf spot and opted for a zip line tour while the tide changed. Halfway across the canyon, the guide appeared to drop a hoodie, and then back on platform two, Brett and Anne Marie heard the echo of gut-wrenching screams....
-
Adventures of El Mucho with John Ashley
In 1995, John Ashley set up camp at a left point in Baja, where he met Kevin, and the bromance began. Based out of Imperial Beach, John camped, surfed, kited, sup'd, rode motorcycles, learned to fly fish, and now, shares those adventures with friends and clients. We reminisced a lot, so please...
-
Active Empire with Peter Townend
The Australian influence on American surfing, personified by the soul-arching Peter "PT" Townend, continues... PT talks early Florida competitions, Teahupo'o's Olympics, Big Wednesday, and his strategy for Timmy Turner's Second Thoughts. He's releasing a book soon to feature his ten favorite surf...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
In both Q and A and narrative format, we will hear stories from local surfers, filmmakers from around the world, and inspiring and/or charismatic folks who have a story to share. John Brooks and Kevin Miller will host in-person and Zoom-recorded chats.
HOSTED BY
Florida Surf Film Festival
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Surf Stories have?
Surf Stories currently has 128 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Surf Stories about?
In both Q and A and narrative format, we will hear stories from local surfers, filmmakers from around the world, and inspiring and/or charismatic folks who have a story to share. John Brooks and Kevin Miller will host in-person and Zoom-recorded chats.
How often does Surf Stories release new episodes?
Surf Stories publishes regularly with 128 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Surf Stories?
You can listen to Surf Stories on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Surf Stories?
Surf Stories is created and hosted by Florida Surf Film Festival.
URL copied to clipboard!