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Surf movies and the shifting of culture and belonging

I’ve always seen movies as a kind of mirror of their time but also as something that quietly predicts the future. Surf movies are no different. Endless Summer already hinted at something bigger than just surfing. It showed that urge to travel, to go to remote places, to find empty waves and chase a sense of discovery. That idea stayed and evolved. You can see it later in Rip Curl’s The Search, where the journey itself becomes the purpose.

Then there are films that just stay with you. For me, View from a Blue Moon is one of those. I remember watching it when I had just started surfing, and it felt like a masterpiece. The music, the surfing, the way it was filmed, it made me dream. It made me want a different kind of life, one filled with movement, travel and waves.

At that time, John John Florence was my first favorite surfer. And that’s still valid. But what I didn’t realize then was how much that inspiration was shaped by what I was being shown. Because after a while, something shifted.

The films that really fueled my surfing and my self-esteem were the ones about women. Watching surfers like Stephanie Gilmore, Carissa Moore, and Laura Enever coming up gave me something else. Not just inspiration, but recognition. It felt closer, more real, more reachable to me.

Before that, there was Blue Crush. It’s been out there for a long time, before my generation, but it was a transformational film. It opened a door, even if it still carried the limits of its time.

Now, it feels like we’re stepping into something new. There’s a new wave of surf films and surfers. And the newest release of “Now Days” with trailblazers Molly Picklum, Sky Brown, Sierra Kerr, Caitlin Simmers, Caroline Marks and Erin Brooks manifests that. What they represent is different. It’s not framed as “girls can surf” anymore. That question feels outdated. 

Instead, it sets a new bar.

They create role models, show possibilities and push what comes next. And that matters more than we sometimes realize. Research shows that seeing people you relate to in media can shape your sense of what’s possible, your confidence, your direction, even your ambitions.

I can trace that in my own path. Leaning into the space and feeling a sense of belonging.  Because it wasn’t just about watching good surfing. It was about seeing a version of surfing where I could see myself.  Not literally, I’m a mediocre surfer and they’re professionals but in the feeling it creates. The confidence, the sense of space, the permission to belong.

There’s also something happening between the lines. A shift in how women are portrayed in surf culture. It’s less about proving anything and more about existing, performing, and influencing on their own terms.

And that shift didn’t come from nowhere.

We’ve come a long way, with each generation rising on the shoulders of the last. Lisa Andersen, Pauline Menczer, Jodie Cooper pushed through when there was less space. Stephanie Gilmore, Carissa Moore, and Laura Enever built a strong foundation. And now, the new generation is taking it further, in a way that feels both natural and overdue.

That’s why these films matter.

They don’t just document surfing. They shape it. They show what’s possible, and slowly redefine what feels normal.

So I really recommend watching the new ones. And going back to the older ones too.

Not just for the surfing, but to see the shift.

Header image: Erin Brooks / WSL / Nate Lawrence