Surfers come in many forms — humans, robots, birds, and even honeybees. Most of the time, though, we see surfers above the water. In this award-winning photo, on the other Keep reading
Tag: surfing
Beneath the Surf
A surfer duck-dives beneath a passing wave in this image from photographer John Barton. I always love seeing big waves from this underwater perspective. The turbulent surf looks like storm Keep reading
Paris 2024: Gunwale Bobbing
In the Olympics, you won’t see anyone win a rowing event without a paddle, but it turns out that you don’t really need one for a canoe or paddleboard. How Keep reading
Swarm of Surfers
Self-propelled objects can form fascinating patterns. Here, researchers investigate how small plastic “surfers” move on a vibrating fluid. Each surfer is heavier in its stern than its bow. When the Keep reading
Beneath the Waves
Surfing looks entirely different from below the wave. Photographer Ben Thouard captures his images by freediving and observing what goes on overhead. Whether the surfers nearby ride a barrel roll Keep reading
Little Surfer
Here’s another look at SurferBot, a low-cost, vibration-based robot capable of traversing both water and land. SurferBot’s vibration creates asymmetric ripples on the water surface. Because the waves are bigger Keep reading
“Water III”
In “Water III,” filmmaker Morgan Maassen explores the ocean from above and below. I love the sheer variety of fluid phenomena; yes, there are classic breaking barrel waves for surfing, Keep reading
Rip Currents
Rip currents — also known as rips — are a threat to beachgoers around the world, and, unfortunately, they’re often underestimated or misunderstood. As waves crash on the shore, water Keep reading
Surf’s Up
Surfers flock to northern Peru to enjoy what’s been called the world’s longest wave. These waves are generated by storms thousands of miles away in the Pacific and Southern Oceans. Keep reading
Surf’s Up!
Inspired by honeybees and their ability to surf on capillary waves of their own making, researchers have developed SurferBot, a low-cost, untethered, vibration-driven surf robot. Built on a simple 3D-printed Keep reading