drift, perspectives in surfing

A profile of shaper Chris Jones: If you surf sooner or later you’ll end up at Chris Jones’ door. Who else can offer you fifty years of shaping experience? Who else was there at the beginning? CJ, legendary shaper/surfer, rugby fanatic, pasty connoisseur is this morning sanding down a vintage Tiki for restoration.

Dane Peterson and Belinda Peterson-Baggs recently travelled to Indonesia with aid supplies that are still much in demand nearly four years after the tsunami... Words: Belinda Peterson-Baggs Photos: Dane Peterson; Adam Kobayashi

Drift catches up with multi-award winning photographer Lucia Griggi whose office is the ocean and who is one of the most respected surf photographers in a male dominated industry. www.luciagriggi.com

One of the great things about surfing in this current era is the wide acceptance of different board designs. Over the last 10 years, it has become acceptable to pretty much ride anything from surfmat to singlefin, fish to longboard. Words: Chris Preston Photo (2): Dan Crockett

The Sunshine Coast. Home to some of the world's most accomplished surfers, including marquee names like Julian Wilson and Mitch Coleborn. As a result, the region is fast becoming a breeding ground for some of the most progressive young surfers that Australia, and the world, has ever seen.

Meet Nick Blair of Joistik Surfboards, whose distinctive decal gets a regular flashing as some of the Gold Coast's best surfers do their thing. Photos & words: Mat Arney

Mark Sankey and Alexa Poppe uncover the isolation and challenges of the Mentawai Islands, and consider the challenge of balancing tourism and sustainability, in an environmentally sensitive surfing destination.

From Gerry Lopez to machine shaping and the retro scene, Tim Stafford chews the fat with UK surf veteran - and mighty leader of the Foam Asylum - Nigel Semmens

They're trained to defend their country and protect our freedom and liberty, but when active service is over, many soldiers find themselves struggling with personal and mental problems that the army just doesn't want to know about. Could surfing provide some answers? Words & photos: Russ Pierre

Self-confessed board hoarder Chris Preston expounds the delights to be found within his tardis-like garden shed, and explains how he came to favour the quiver approach to surfing. Photos by Jamie Bott [except no.3].

Homeless at fourteen, prison by eighteen, Jonny Gibbings endured a violent and difficult start to life, resulting in being illiterate until late teens. Now a published author Jonny talks to Drift and shares his lifelong passion for Surf.