🏄‍♀️ I was wrong about what surfers eat 🤤

👋 Happy National Hug Your Cat Day! And National Cheese Day. 🧀 We can’t top this, can we?

🏄‍♀️ Let’s surf:

• What do surfers eat? 🤤

• Sandboarding madness 🏜️

• The myth of the Costco board 🦄

• Foiled by momma and baby whale 🐳

• From San Diego to Peniche 🇵🇹

• Surf news roundup 📰

• Surf forecasts don’t surf your local 🏄🏻‍♂️

^SURFODRAMA

😱 I was wrong about what surfers eat 🤤

For the past twenty years of surfing, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what surfers ate. Like normal people. Maybe a banana before, maybe a burrito after. End of.

Then last week I came across an article about the best snacks for surfers. Behind a paywall. People are paying money for this. People are researching this.

And then, as one does, I went down a rabbit hole. Articles on macros for surfers, and hydration strategies for surfers, and pre-surf protein timing for surfers. Reddit threads with hundreds of comments where strangers argue about whether you can eat half a bagel before dawn patrol. Pro surfers get name checked next to their preferred meals (Italo Ferreira reportedly eats twenty bananas a day, which is almost certainly a lie).

It turns out: surfers think about food. All this research made me terribly hungry.

🥪 First, a confession
When I was 17 and flying gliders, I had to take my annual acrobatics test. Being young and stupid, just before takeoff I ate a few slices of fresh bread piled with fatty meats. It was so delicious. It was less delicious when I threw up in the cockpit halfway through a corkscrew spin. The saving grace: my instructor was sitting behind me. The clean-up was a mess.

That experience stayed with me, and I have basically never eaten properly before exercise since. This is not, I'm told, a good thing. So when I dug into this surf food rabbit hole, I was as much a student as anyone.

🦈 The drowning myth, busted
Most of us grew up being told you can't swim for an hour after eating. The reasoning was vague but ominous: cramps, drowning, blood 'rushing to the stomach'. It was a thing.

Modern sports science and medical organizations now agree: there's no evidence that eating before swimming or surfing increases drowning risk (per the lovely people at Surf Club Maui, who actually wrote this down). Your body has plenty of blood to handle digestion and movement at the same time. The real risk isn't eating before water. It's eating the wrong stuff at the wrong time, and then asking your body to perform.

So the question isn't 'should I eat?' but 'what should I eat, when should I eat, and how much should I eat?'

🤢 Time it for not throwing up
The first rule of pre-surf eating: don't end up burping your way out of a hold-down with the taste of breakfast in the back of your throat. The Reddit threads are full of surfers who learned this the hard way. 'I usually puke if I eat too much before a morning surf, but a banana and coffee plus some mixed nuts work for me.'

You don't need a full hour between food and water. You probably do want 20 to 45 minutes between eating and the first turtle roll. So, quick digesting carbs are your friend while heavy meals are not.

🌡️ Fuel for surf conditions
Cold water is a different workout than warm water. A 4/3 wetsuit and 50-degree water means you're burning calories just staying warm, and you keep burning them the whole time you're out there. A short cold session can leave you shivering and depleted faster than a long warm one.

Hot conditions cut the other way. Sun, salt and a wetsuit pull water out of you faster than you notice. Research suggests just a 3% drop in body water meaningfully reduces athletic performance. It doesn't sound like much, but you don't want to give that away if you don't have to. Bonus: peeing in your wetsuit warms you up when it's cold, and is one of the great freedoms of surfing the rest of the time.

One Florida surfer described filling a 2-gallon jug of yerba maté before cold dawn patrols, sipping all day, never shivering. This is the way. From experience, I recommend eating a whole watermelon.

⏱️ Plan for session length
A 60-minute paddle-and-pop session and a 3-hour mission are not the same workout. A short session you can probably get away with on coffee and a banana. But a long session needs actual fuel, and you'll feel it when you don't bring any.

A useful principle from the safety side: don't surf until you're empty. Keep what surf coaches call 'exit energy' in the tank. This means enough to paddle in, escape a current, or even help a friend. Running yourself flat halfway through a long session makes coming back to the beach so much harder when the waves are not co-operating.

🌅 Consider time of day
Dawn patrol is its own beast. Your stomach has been empty for nine hours or longer, your blood sugar is low, you're slightly dehydrated, and the temptation is to skip food and slam coffee on the way to the beach. Don't be like me. A pure-caffeine-empty-stomach approach often leads to shaky hands, an early energy crash, and the legendary 'wetsuit on, urgent bathroom run' panic that lots of surfers describe in surprisingly graphic detail.

A mid-morning session is friendlier. You've had breakfast, you're hydrated, you can think. An evening surf after work means you've probably been running on lunch for too long, but who are we to say that you didn’t have a late lunch?

😌 Mind your comfort
The single most repeated bit of advice across hundreds of Reddit comments: don't eat anything that makes your stomach feel weird.

You know what those foods are. For some people it's eggs. For others it's anything fried. For one Californian commenter, it's a very specific breakfast burrito: 'DO NOT eat a Cafe del Sol breakfast burrito before paddling out.'

Trust your stomach. Surfing is hard enough as it is without feeling pukey when you should be staying assertive in the lineup.

🎒 The wetsuit pantry (sidebar)
Mid-session snacking is, apparently, a thing. The Reddit threads turned up: surfers who let Cliff bars stick to their teeth so they can chew bonus calories mid-session. One guy who pulled an actual burrito out of his wetsuit at a San Diego lineup and ate it mid-paddle. Hmm.

Most of us aren't going there. But knowing it's an option is its own kind of freedom. Naturally, you can be more civilized. Paddle back to the beach, have a snack, a wee rest and head back in.

🌯 And then, the burrito
After all the research, all the Reddit threads, all the macro advice and electrolyte strategies, and dawn patrol caveats, there is one universal truth in surf nutrition: post-surf burrito.

The Reddit thread on this question is essentially a 150-upvote love letter to the post-session wrap. 'Yeeah, one time my boyfriend made me a hunk of a California burrito after surfing, and I'm pretty sure I passed out from happiness.'

In case you don't know, a California burrito is like a regular burrito, but you add fries. And then you nap.

Still not cheese, though.

^{WORD OF THE WEEK}

🏜️ Sandboarding madness

You may be wondering why we're talking about sandboarding when it's not actually surfing.

That may be true, but according to the Encyclopedia of Surfing, sand surfing was once described as "four or five lads pouring down the side of what looks like a 150 foot wave, pulling off almost every surfing gimmick in the book."

Similarities to surfing? Well, the actual sandboard resembles a snowboard more than a surfboard. It's narrower than a snowboard, and its sliding surface (usually Formica or Laminex) is harder, working on both wet and dry sand. It can be fast. The record is 51 mph. And you strap in, like in tow-in surfing.

What's harder, surfing or sandboarding? A Western Australian surfer-sandboarder delivered the verdict: sandboarding wins.

"You're pretty much flying. We land on our heads all the time. You just roll, but you're still getting clubbed. Then you go home with 20 kilos of sand in your undies."

These days you can sandsurf literally around the world: Australia, California, the UK, Germany and France. But the true enthusiasts opt for Chile, Egypt, Namibia, Peru and Saudi Arabia.

If you try it, let us know how it went.

^{THIS WEEK’S WEE SURF SHOPPE FIND (KINDA)}

🦄 The myth of the Costco board

"Should I get a Costco board?" is one of the most common beginner questions in the US. Well, should you? 🤔

Here's the thing: there's no such thing as a Costco board, or a Kirkland surfboard. Every year or so, Costco partners with a surfboard manufacturer and carries their boards, both in the warehouse and online. A few years ago it carried an 8' Wavestorm for under $100, which now retails at $250+. There were also surfboards from Gerry Lopez and Scott Burke.

Despite no coherent brand, Costco boards enjoy one of the most horrendous personality profiles in surfing. They're considered "kook boards" and a visible signal that someone may not know what to do in the lineup. They're also usually the cheapest, easiest and safest way to get into surfing, for around $100-$120 on a good day.

The catch: these specific boards are the ones you'll find at surf schools and on the secondhand market. And they're not the same. All three popular 8' models differ in width and volume (how much they float):

• Wavestorm: 86L

• Gerry Lopez: 73L

• Scott Burke: 73L

That's a 14L gap between the Wavestorm and the rest, which is the difference between an easy first paddle-in and a real fight if you’re not on the lighter side. Volume is the one stat that actually matters when shopping a foamie as a beginner.

Costco also occasionally carries random sized boards, like a 5'7" Wavestorm fish, or the current 7' Wavestorm that comes in a pack of two at $340 ($170 each).

This year so far, we haven't seen an 8' footer available from Costco. Maybe they sold out quick, or there's a delay.

But if you're buying a "Costco" board secondhand, check the make and dimensions before you commit. And wax it. Who knew you sometimes needed to wax a foam board so you don't slide?

👉 Read about how to choose your first board

^{VID OF THE WEEK}

🎥 Foiled by a momma and baby whale

Do you remember the foil surfer dude from Santa Barbara who got chased by sharks? Well, he's at it again.

Last week, Tavis Bois ran into what he thought was a sea lion, and turned out to be a whale and her calf. The turbulence of foiling so close to the giants knocked him off his board. As it should've.

The encounter occurred not far from Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel, if you know the area. But we would not recommend chasing whales on your own, just in case you bump into an orca instead. As for recommending foiling… looks fun as long as it's far far away from a lineup.

If you're wondering how Tavis always gets such spectacular footage, he has a GoPro attached to his paddle.

^{LATEST FROM GIRLS WHO CAN’T SURF GOOD}

💬 3 things we’re figuring out this week

🌴 Heading to San Diego, where to stay near the surf without paying La Jolla prices. Community top picks: Pacific Beach (hostels, walkable to Mission Beach Jetty, Crystal Pier, Tourmaline, Law Street), Encinitas in North County (Inn at Moonlight Beach, D Street, Beacons, Boneyards, Swamis, Cardiff Reef), Solana Beach, San Elijo Campground in Cardiff, or Airbnb for around $2k/month.

🌮 Last minute solo trip from LA, Mexico or Central America, June 6-13. Looking for mellow longboard waves (3-4 ft sweet spot), La Saladita too big in this window. Community top picks: Dominical (Costa Rica), Tamarindo (Costa Rica), La Lancha in Punta Mita, Rancho AguaSal on the East Cape near Cabo, Malibu Popoyo (Nicaragua).

🌅 Surf camp in Europe for September/October, improver level, chill non-party vibe with yoga, skating, sunsets and good food. Community top picks (heavy on Portugal): Rapture Surf Camp Ericeira, Chicks On Waves, Tasha Surf Camp (Peniche/Biarritz), Dreamsea Alentejo, A-Salty-Life Peniche, PKSC Peniche, Sharks Lodge Peniche, Aldo's Surf Camp Arrifana. Plus Mint Surf Morocco and Surfcamp Ribadesella in Spain for options further afield.

👉 Join us for more recs, chatter, and support

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY SURF NEWS ROUNDUP}

🗞️ Shark bite. Scottish surf pioneer. $50,000 wave pool. Surfer's stolen truck.

🏆 Malibu seeks its next surf legend
Nominations are now open for the 2026 Malibu Surf Legend Award honoring contributions to the city's surf culture.

🏄 Scotland celebrates 50 years of a surfing accident
A work placement sent surfer Pat Kieran to northern Scotland in 1976, helping spark the growth of the now-famous Thurso surf scene.

🦈 Koa Smith recovering after shark bite
The Hawaiian surfer underwent multiple surgeries after being bitten on Oahu's south shore and says he plans to return to the water.

♿ 76 adaptive surfers hit the water in South Carolina
The third annual Wheel to Surf event brought surfers, volunteers, and adaptive equipment together to make the ocean more accessible.

🌊 New York plans a $50,000 surf club
A proposed Long Island wave pool will charge country-club prices for guaranteed, customizable waves.

🏗️ Los Angeles wave pool remains in limbo
The $200 million South Bay Surf Park project near LAX continues to face permitting and development hurdles.

🚗 Surfer's hidden key leads to truck theft
A Huntington Beach surfer is warning others after thieves allegedly watched him stash his key before stealing his vehicle.

🚩 Florida introduces steep fines for entering dangerous surf
Panama City Beach will fine people up to $500 for entering the water during double-red-flag conditions.

👉 Read the full news roundup

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY POD}

🏄🏻‍♂️ Surf forecasts don’t surf your local break

We have a podcast, did you know? 😜

We recently chatted with Tobias Work, creator of the Swellify app (New Zealand surfers, it's all for you!) about why surf forecasting is so hard, and why even the best surf apps can only get you so far.

We talk Surfline vs. "Surf Lies," swell height vs. surf height, cams, crowds, local knowledge, and why experienced surfers read forecasts completely differently from beginners. You thought the surf forecasting app was enough. It ain't. We gotta put some work in, too.

👉 Check out The Wipeout Weekly pod

^{ALL THINGS THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY}

_{The Wipeout Weekly—our home and digital magazine.
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The Wipeout Weekly podcast—daily surf stories and weekly* guests.
All Things Surf Directory—surf retreats, learn to surf, classifieds, surf-side lodging, you name it.
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⬆️ Aaaaaaand that was the last wave of the week!
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