80 Surfing Quotes For Catching Waves at the Beach

These surfing quotes will inspire you to visit the ocean and hang ten on the waves.

Surfing is the incredible pastime of riding a surfboard on a wave all the way to shore.

This collection of surfing quotes will have you ready to get your feet wet and dive right into the ocean.

Whether you’re an expert surfer or this is your first time on a board, you’ll love these inspirational sayings and insightful words.

These surfing quotes come from the minds of legendary boarders, beach lovers, and wave riders.

If you like having fun in the sun and making unforgettable memories, give this exciting water sport a try today.

The world of surfing is full of adrenaline, skill, and pleasure.

There’s no better way to spend a day than being out at sea and connecting with nature.

These surfing quotes capture the intense feelings of freedom and power that come with riding a wave.

Read this list of inspiring quotes and embrace the surfing lifestyle.

We also have a collection of ocean quotes that inspire beauty and depth.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

Browse our entire collection of inspirational quotes for more motivating ideas and concepts.

The best surfing quotes about catching waves and having fun in the ocean

1. “The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun.” – Phil Edwards

2. “If you’re having a bad day, catch a wave.” – Frosty Hesson

3. “My passion for surfing was more than my fear of sharks.” – Bethany Hamilton

4. “Surfing to me is like playing music. You play different melodies with different boards.” – Skip Frye

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5. “If in doubt, paddle out.” – Nat Young

6. “Big waves aren’t measured in feet, but in increments of fear.” – Buzzy Trent
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to check out our collection of waves quotes for surfers & beach lovers.

7. “Surfing is attitude dancing.” – Gerry Lopez

8. “Being spat out of one of those giant, roaring Hawaiian tubes is the most amazing sensation I’ve ever experienced in my life. It’s joy, fear and accomplishment all rolled into one experience.” – Shaun Tomson

9. “There is not one right way to ride a wave.” – Jamie O’Brien

10. “Foam is your friend. Don’t be scared of it. A little bit of extra foam here and there is good for the soul, and your surfing.” – Rob Machado

Surfing quotes that will inspire you to visit the ocean

11. “The biggest sin in the world would be if I lost my love for the ocean.” – Laird Hamilton

12. “Sometimes in the morning, when it’s a good surf, I go out there, and I don’t feel like it’s a bad world.” – Kary Mullis

13. “Your surfing can get better on every turn, on every wave you catch. Learn to read the ocean better. A big part of my success has been wave knowledge.” – Kelly Slater

14. “I don’t need sponsors. I surf better when I’m broke anyway.” – Dave Parmenter

15. “Surfing’s the source. Can change your life. Swear to God.” – Christopher Pettiet

16. “Go strip off your clothes that are a nuisance in this mellow clime. Get in and wrestle with the sea; wing your heels with the skill and power that reside in you, hit the sea’s breakers, master them, and ride upon their backs as a king should.” – Jack London

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17. “Thank God for a few free waves.” – Miki Dora

18. “I’m just a surfer who wanted to build something that would allow me to surf longer.” – Jack O’Neill

19. “I took off on a wave, went down the side, popped out the other end, and went, shit, I’m still alive!” – Greg Noll

20. “I surf to get tan.” – Shane Dorian

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Surfing quotes that will inspire you to make unforgettable memories

21. “If there was no such thing as barrels I probably wouldn’t even surf.” – Clay Marzo

22. “I could not help concluding this man had the most supreme pleasure while he was driven so fast and so smoothly by the sea.” – Captain James Cook

23. “I’ve committed to surfing the rest of my life.” – Lance Armstrong

24. “Never drive away from good surf.” – Roger Sharp

25. “I try changing my surfing, which is the absolute worst thing you can do. Everyone surfs their own way. If I try to surf like someone else I look like a dork.” – Andy Irons

26. “When the surfs up, your life is too.” – Wilhelm Sverdvik

27. “Surfing is very much like making love. It always feels good, no matter how many times you’ve done it.” – Paul Strauch

28. “Surfing is for life.” – Bruce Jenkins

29. “I’ve tried body surfing. It’s nice.” – Ziggy Marley

30. “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” – John Kabat-Zinn

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Surfing quotes that will give you a newfound respect for water sport

31. “Surfing soothes me, it’s always been a kind of Zen experience for me. The ocean is so magnificent, peaceful, and awesome. The rest of the world disappears for me when I’m on a wave.” – Paul Walker (see more quotes by Paul Walker)

32. “Live to surf, surf to live.” – Mike Doyle

33. “Surfing, alone among sports, generates laughter at its very suggestion, and this is because it turns not a skill into an art, but an inexplicable and useless urge into a vital way of life.” – Matt Warshaw

34. “What I love the most about surfing is that it’s my first love. It’s the first thing I can remember being consumed by.” – Stephanie Gilmore

35. “Surfing leads you through life, especially when you’re young and with hope in your heart.” – Tom Blake

36. “You can take a surfer out of the surf, but you can not take surf out of surfer.” – Bob McTavish

37. “Sliding a wave removes our brains out of the ordinary and slips us into the extraordinary of being there now. No more worries about mortgages or strife of being poor or rich. When you enter the domain of an ocean cylinder, that moment, those split seconds belong to the Zen part of just being. Period.” – Bill Hamilton

38. “Climbers have Everest. Surfers have Nazaré.” – António Silva

39. “Surfing in crowds is like mind over matter.  If I don’t mind it don’t matter.” – Brodus Rogers

40. “I think you could build a couple of humans with the amount of skin lost on the reef at Pipe.” – Martin Potter

More surfing quotes that will brighten your day

41. “I think when a surfer becomes a surfer, it’s almost like an obligation to be an environmentalist at the same time.” – Kelly Slater

42. “Surfing is almost a way to fly.” – Jeff Hakman

43. “One of the greatest things about the sport of surfing is that you need only three things: your body, a surfboard, and a wave.” – Naima Green

44. “It’s not tragic to die doing something you love.” – Mark Foo

45. “Surfing is the most blissful experience you can have on this planet, a taste of heaven.” – John McCarthy

46. “There’s nothing quite like surfing by yourself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but unpredictable weather patterns, below deck accommodation, sea snakes, coral cuts and packs of reef sharks make it a trip for the committed seadog.” – Mark Thornley

47. “We’re all equal before a wave.” – Laird Hamilton

48. “Surfing is such an amazing concept. You’re taking on Nature with a little stick and saying, ‘I’m gonna ride you!’ And a lot of times Nature says, ‘No you’re not!’ and crashes you to the bottom.” – Jolene Blalock

49. “Out of the water, I am nothing.” – Duke Kahanamoku

50. “The joy of surfing is so many things combined, from the physical exertion of it, to the challenge of it, to the mental side of the sport.” – Kelly Slater

Insightful Surfing Quotes For Beginners

51. “Surfing’s one of the few sports that you look ahead to see what’s behind.” — Laird Hamilton

52. “Waves are not measured in feet or inches, they are measured in increments of fear.” — Buzzy Trent

53. “Surfing frees everything up. It’s just the best soul fix. Life should be stress free, and that’s what surfing is all about.” — Rell Sunn

54. “Surfing is a way to be free.” — Lisa Anderson

55. “I need the sea because it teaches me.” — Pablo Neruda

56. “I’ve always thought surfing is a reflection of who you are.” — Kelly Slater

57. “I’ve been surfing so many years and it’s a pretty strong part of my life so I’m not gonna give that up.” — John Dean

58. “I’m like a surfer right now. I’m just surfing the wave. Except that I can’t swim, so I’m on the board trying to hold on tight.” — Shaggy

59. “Surfing for me is more than my lifestyle; it’s my passion, my love, and it’s a part of me.” —Bethany Hamilton

60. “For me, surfing is as close a connection I can have with Mother Nature. To surf, you’re riding a pulse of energy from Mother Nature.” — Xavier Rudd

Surfing Quotes About The Nature Of Surfing

61. “When two roads diverge… take the one that leads to the beach.” — Hannah Mckinnon

62. “I’m surfing the giant life wave.” — William Shatner

63. “For a surfer, it’s never-ending. There’s always some wave you want to surf.” — Kelly Slater

64. “Surfing is good for the soul, worries seem to drift away as you scan the horizon for the next wave.” — Ed Daley

65. “Some people travel to surf, but lots of times I feel like I surf so I can travel.” — Chris Malloy

66. “The balance and patience factors are much more critical in surfing than they are in snowboarding … if you’re out surfing serious waves and you wipe out, you don’t land on soft snow. It’s usually either very sharp coral, or you get raked across the beach gravel and sand while you’re tumbling underwater.” — Frederick Lenz

67. “Surfing expresses a pure yearning for visceral, physical contact with the natural world.” — Matt Warshaw

68. “I think it’s just the spirit of adventure. People get excited about travel and the unknown when you’re going out to a wave that maybe nobody’s ever surfed before. It’s just the whole spirit of exploration.” — Richie Fitzgerald

69. “Feelings are much like waves: we can’t stop them from coming, but we can choose which one to surf.” — Jonatan Mårtensson

70. “Surfing gets your soul, once you feel the wave lift you up and thrust you forward you begin to realise how powerful but beautiful mother nature is and how vast the universe really is, this cant help but smile on your face in absolute awe of how beautiful it is to have participated in life.” — Fisher Cannon

Surfing Quotes To Make You Face The Waves

71. “I still feel like my best surfing is ahead of me.” — Kelly Slater

72. “I loved going surfing down on Venice Beach. Id go out with a board under my arm and think, I cant do that in Cranhill.” — Billy Boyd

73. “And where I grew up in Australia, surfing was a part of culture.” — Marc Newson

74. “It was all balance. But then, she already knew that from surfing.” — Eve Babitz

75. “Gone surfing. Be back soon.” — Alyson Noel

76. “I swim. I do a little bit of surfing. I would say I’m a beginner at surfing. I run. I cycle. I play a little bit of soccer.” — Henry Ian Cusick

77. “Surfing is something I just crave.” — AnnaSophia Robb

78.  “I’ve been surfing almost as long as I’ve been playing music.” — Jackson Guthy

79. “Surfer girls rip and they are hot.” — Alana Blanchard

80. “When I’m not acting, I’m at the beach. I like to spend a lot of time in the water, surfing.” — Brenton Thwaites

Which of these legendary surfing quotes makes you feel the most empowered?

Being out in the open ocean and riding the waves is an incredibly uplifting experience.

These surfing quotes will give you the confidence and the drive that you need to hang ten.

If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii, California, or somewhere else with unbeatable swells, read this collection of sayings first to get in the mood.

Surfing is the ultimate water sport for expressing your freedom, strength, and discipline.

If you’re a free-spirited beach lover, you’ll absolutely adore this collection of the best surfing quotes.

These inspirational quotes and words of wisdom come from iconic surfers throughout history and around the world.

Reading these insights will give you a fresh perspective and a newfound respect for water sports.

Share these surfing quotes with all of the adventurous beach lovers in your life.

What are your favorite surfing quotes and sayings about catching waves and having fun in the ocean?

Let us know in the comment section below.