This article was originally published in 2023 and was last updated June 12, 2025.
- Tension: Surf culture is drowning between authenticity and commercial packaging—can we reclaim its core values?
- Noise: Marketing-driven narratives flatten the messy contradictions of surf identity into feel-good campaigns.
- Direct Message: Real positivity in surf culture emerges when we share the waves as ecosystems—social, environmental, emotional—not just brand moments.
Learn how we uncover deeper insights with the Direct Message Methodology.
December 2023 saw Kona Big Wave’s “Share the Big Waves” campaign challenge outdated surf community norms—localism, ego clashes, and “dropping in” culture—by placing pro Hunter Jones at the center of candid conversations among diverse surfers.
Now in mid‑2025, surf culture is at another inflection point. Climate change threatens legendary breaks in Australia.
Environmental activism, racial inclusivity, mental health, and brand-driven community playbooks are forcing surf communities to reconsider what it means to truly “share” the big waves.
What began as a marketing initiative now holds cultural weight—and a deeper lesson about balance.
What It Is / How It Works
“Share the Big Waves” began as a brand activation by Kona Big Wave, supported by AB InBev, aimed at unpacking surf folklore—like drop‑in conflicts and territorialism—through direct, beach‑side interviews.
Branded “Aloha Benches” invited surfers at popular spots to gather, scan QR codes, and share a beer—an invitation, literally, to open dialogue.
The visual storytelling rejects polished campaign aesthetics and embraces raw interactions, conversations that encouraged surfers to question toxic norms and promote mutual respect.
By placing the surfer—not the surfer‑turned‑brand ambassador—front and center, it created a platform outside of glossy influencer culture, emphasizing shared responsibility.
In essence, it treated surf spots as communal spaces, not influencer playgrounds.
The Deeper Tension Behind Surf Culture
Surfing draws deeply from Polynesian and Californian histories. It’s a ritual of movement, solitude, connection—with water, self, and community .
Yet surf culture wrestles with dualities: personal challenge vs. territorial fights, self-discovery vs. commercial branding.
Surfers chase the next swell physically, yes—but emotionally, they’re chasing belonging, identity, and a sense of place.
When localism morphs into exclusivity, when surf brands absorb authentic culture into their marketing funnels, the lineage of aloha and spiritual respect begins to fray.
Above all, today’s surfers are navigating shifting identities: digital influencers vs. analog romantics, global consumer culture vs. localized memory and lore.
And beneath the saltwater thrill lies deeper questions: Do we honor our shared resistance to commodification—or do we become agents of it?
What Gets in the Way
Noise in surf culture is loud—and not just the surf itself. Rising commercialization has reduced waves into assets, surf spots into marketing venues.
“Surf tourism” and digital branding have elevated aesthetics over ethos, turning spiritual connection into photo ops.
Meanwhile, environmental stressors—like Australia’s endangered point breaks due to sea-level rise and coastal erosion—may physically reshape surf heritage.
Add to that rising pushback against diversity: despite gains, casual surfing remains dominated by access inequality and cultural bias .
A “digital echo chamber” of surf media magnifies curated perfection, sidelining the messy, vulnerable moments that nurture true connection.
These forces—trend obsession, environmental precarity, cultural gatekeeping—converge, distorting surf’s communal heart.
“Share the Big Waves” faced this head-on by spotlighting voices often drowned out: everyday surfers, not big-name influencers.
The Direct Message
Surf culture thrives as ecology—each wave shared, each voice acknowledged. Beyond brand campaigns or idealized aesthetics, real belonging is rooted in respect: for each other, the water, and the fragile environments that sustain both.
Integrating This Insight
To embody this deeper understanding in our surf communities—and beyond—requires reframing “sharing”:
Prioritize relational surf spaces
Whether it’s an Aloha Bench or a post-session circle, create rituals that honor voices, stories, fears, and joys. Brands can support, but the setup must live in community hands.
Steward the waves—both physical and symbolic
Australia’s coastlines show us that surf culture is inseparable from ecology. Speak up locally: support dune preservation, oppose destructive sea walls, and advocate for artificial reefs when appropriate.
Shift from curated branding to shared narrative
Support initiatives that elevate untold stories: underrepresented surfers, environmental activists, old‑school lineups. Representation builds belonging, dismantles localism.
Value process over pics
A perfect wave lasts seconds—but the shared emotional aftertaste lingers. Document not just the ride, but the relationships built: conversations, mentorship moments, mutual laughter.
Reframe “big waves” as metaphor
It’s not about height—it’s about impact. Surf those emotional/spiritual waves with equal intensity. Cultivate deep listening, inclusive space-making, and collective stewardship.
Conclusion
By mid-2025, “Share the Big Waves” isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a blueprint.
It doesn’t arrive with instant answers or filtered optimization tips.
It reminds us that surf thrives in liminal spaces: between ego and community, preservation and progression, silence and solidarity.
When the wave breaks, it doesn’t just test our skills, but our capacity to show up—as humans, citizens, stewards, surfers.
