SWELL — an international media and community focused on surfing, uniting people, places, stories, travel, and global surf culture.

To create an international platform that showcases surfing not just as a sport, but as a global culture and a lifestyle. SWELL tells the story of surfing through people and places—who shape surf culture, how local communities live, how different surf destinations vary, the stories behind famous spots, and how surfing influences travel, fashion, photography, and contemporary culture. SWELL helps you discover new surf destinations, learn about the stories of both famous and lesser-known spots, connect with surfers and local communities from around the world, plan surf trips, uncover new brands and projects, and become part of the international surf community.

Every surf spot has its own people and its own story. SWELL showcases the world of surfing through those who live it.

Surfing, travel, active lifestyle, and culture.

The world culture of surfing through people, places, and their stories. The content is divided into five main areas.

PEOPLE Stories of the people who shape surf culture: professional surfers, local riders, travelers, photographers and videographers, shapers, instructors, owners of surf schools, and ordinary individuals who changed their lives for the sake of the ocean. The core principle is to tell stories not only about famous athletes but also about unknown individuals with fascinating narratives.

SPOTS Editorial features on the world’s premier surf destinations. Each location is explored through the history of surfing in the region, its local culture, the people, lifestyle specifics, renowned breaks, season, surf etiquette, schools, travel, photography, and video. For example: Bali—how the island became a center of global surf culture, who rides there, and how surfing has influenced the island; Nazaré—why this location became legendary, who began conquering giant waves, and how surfing has transformed a small Portuguese town.

STORIES Articles covering the history and culture of surfing: the emergence of modern surfing, legendary surfers, the history of famous spots and waves, surfboard design, surf photography, films, music, art, and surfing’s influence on fashion and contemporary culture.

TRIPS Practical and inspirational guides for surf trips: when to go, how to get there, where to stay, where to learn to surf, how much a trip costs, regional specifics, local regulations, surfer recommendations, and what to see and do besides surfing.

BRANDS Stories of international and local surf brands, emerging apparel lines, board manufacturers, shapers, and creative projects within the surf industry.

1. Themes: surfing, people, travel, culture, locations, brands.2. Platforms: website, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, apps, podcasts.3. Formats: articles, interviews, short videos, films, reviews, photography, special projects.4. Visual Style: photography, video, graphics, design, overall presentation.5. Communication Style: expert, sporty, entertainment, lifestyle, community-oriented.6. Audience Engagement: user-generated content, comments, subscriber stories, involvement of local surfers.7. User Value: information, inspiration, entertainment, travel, meeting people, sense of community belonging.

SURFER Content: professional surfing, culture, travel, interviews, films, photography, brands, industry. Strengths: established international brand, long history, high-quality photography, notable figures, professional content.

What to leverage: strong documentary photography, stories of specific individuals, high-quality visual content.

How SWELL differs: SURFER emphasizes the surf industry and events within it; SWELL builds content around the connection between person + place + story + culture.

STAB Content: professional surfing, films, interviews, entertainment content, brands, product testing. Strengths: recognizable communication style, strong video formats, quality surf films, engaging brand collaborations.

What to leverage: dynamic language, visual presentation, video formats, creative brand integrations.

How SWELL differs: STAB is more geared toward an experienced and professional surf audience; SWELL encompasses a broader global community and pays more attention to everyday people, travel, and local stories.

THE INERTIA Content: surfing, travel, ecology, brands, human stories, active lifestyle. Strengths: extensive original material, thematic diversity, combination of sport, travel, and culture.

What to leverage: a mix of practical and inspirational content, human stories, format variety.

How SWELL differs: The Inertia covers a broad outdoor segment; SWELL concentrates entirely on global surf culture and the people within it.

SURFLINE
Content: wave forecasts, cameras, weather conditions, and surf spot information.Why it’s a competitor: The audience is already using Surfline to find information about surfing locations.What sets SWELL apart: Surfline answers the question, «Where and when should I surf today?» SWELL answers the question, «What is this place like, who lives and surfs here, and what culture is behind it?»WORLD SURF LEAGUE
Content: competitions, live streams, rankings, professional athletes, news, and videos.Why it’s a competitor: It attracts the majority of the global surf audience and competes for their attention.What sets SWELL apart: The World Surf League presents surfing primarily as a professional sport, while SWELL presents it as a culture, travel experience, people, and lifestyle.3. SURF SCHOOLS, CAMPS, AND TRAVEL BLOGS
Content: guides to countries and spots, lessons, travel stories, recommendations, and surf conditions.Why they are competitors: They address the user’s request related to choosing a destination for a surf trip.What sets SWELL apart: Their content is often tied to selling a specific school, camp, or tour; SWELL, however, creates independent editorial content about different countries, people, and communities.

RED BULL
Creates professional sports content, documentaries, interviews, and athlete stories, including surfing.
Why a potential competitor: It possesses the resources, personalities, and international audience to develop its own major media platform focused on surf culture.GOPRO
Has a large amount of photos and videos captured by surfers themselves.
Why a potential competitor: It can develop user-generated content into a full-fledged international community surrounding surfing and other extreme sports.PATAGONIA
Is closely linked to surfing, travel, and an active lifestyle, creating films and stories about athletes, nature, and culture.
Why a potential competitor: It already integrates a brand, outdoor culture, high-quality content, and an international community.

Most existing projects have a distinct specialization: Surfline focuses on forecasts and surfing conditions; World Surf League is professional sports; STAB is entertainment content and modern surf culture; SURFER is editorial content, and surf schools and camps focus on travel and instruction.

SWELL’s Potential: To shift the focus from competition or the wave to the person and the place. To unify in a single media platform: people, places, stories, travel, brands, and community. From competitors, we can draw inspiration regarding high-quality visual content, strong storytelling, athlete features, user-generated content, video formats, and creative brand collaborations.

The core difference for SWELL is telling the global story of surfing through local people and places.

SWELL WEBSITE
The primary platform for in-depth editorial features.
Website sections: people, places, stories, travel, brands.
On the site, you can search for materials by country, region, individual, or theme. SWELL does not replace Surfline, nor does it create its own wave forecasting service—its focus is on stories, culture, and people.INSTAGRAM
SWELL’s main visual platform.
Content: photography, short videos, carousels, hero stories, place stories, travel features, user-generated content, brand collaborations.
Objective: to attract a new audience, shape SWELL’s visual identity, and build an international community.TIKTOK
Platform for short, dynamic content.
Content: the story of a famous location in a minute, unusual surf spots, short surfer profiles, local brands, interesting facts about surf culture, travel snippets.
Objective: to attract a new audience and introduce them to the people and stories of SWELL.YOUTUBE
The main platform for long-form video and documentary content.
Content: documentaries about specific locations, surfer portraits, stories of local communities, travelogues, brand narratives, joint projects, and filmed features.

Recently tried surfing and wants to continue, but is unfamiliar with surf culture and is looking for new directions and clear information. They want to organize their next trip independently and are interested in the people and lifestyle surrounding surfing. SWELL’s value proposition is providing clear materials about surf spots, the history of other surfers, and travel guides.