Surfer became a landmark surfing publication after John Severson founded it in 1960.
Severson originally produced a magazine-sized program for his film Surf Fever. The publication was first called The Surfer, and its early issues combined surf photography, artwork, travel writing, and reporting from beaches in California and Hawaii. Its strong visual style helped establish surfing as both a sport and a broader lifestyle.
The magazine later became known simply as Surfer and was widely regarded as one of the most influential publications in surf culture. Its photographs helped introduce famous breaks, professional competitors, and emerging board designs to readers around the world.
Surfer is sometimes mixed up with Surfing, another important American magazine, or Australia’s Tracks. Those titles were influential too, but John Severson’s 1960 publication was Surfer.