Long considered a layover spot on the way to more conventional surf destinations, South Korea is now home to a burgeoning year-round surf scene. It might not have a spot on your bucket list yet, but there are many reasons why it should.
Anyone who has stepped outside the cities in Korea knows of the country’s gentle beauty, which extends to both the waves themselves and the small crew riding them. Typically, much of the coastal regions are economically challenged fishing and farming communities that defy the stereotype of modern, cosmopolitan Korea.
Surfing, which has boomed in South Korea in recent years, also creates opportunities for such areas to reimagine themselves as thriving, vibrant beach towns.
Young Korean surfers are already buying old beach houses and building surf businesses out of railway containers. And the lineups are far from empty at hotspots like Busan and Jeju Island as Koreans discover the great waves on their doorsteps and join the pioneers who have long nurtured a small, thriving scene there.
If you crave cold water, fear not. During the winter months, South Korea offers up 2,400 kilometers of empty potential—though you may have to trudge through snow to get to the water, as these pictures from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) attest to.
This feature has come from the excellent Surf Odyssey hardback book available now
Surf Odyssey
The Culture of Wave Riding
Cold-water surfing, the most remote surf spots, spectacular photography, illustrations, and custom boards: Surf Odysseydocuments the modern cult of surfing as its own subculture and way of life.
About the book:
There’s much more to surfing than palm trees and beach boy clichés. Beyond mainstream surfing lies an uncharted sea of creativity, community, and independence that celebrates the true nature of surfing.
Surf Odyssey depicts this contemporary surf culture: the adrenaline-rush of cold-water surfing, the daunting treks through the terrain of Africa balanced by the welcoming Temple of Enthusiasm in Bali, the quest to find nature in its purest form, and the reward of finding oneself. Stunning images from pioneering outdoor photographers and poignant portraits of movers and shakers within the scene narrate a tale of wave-riding that steps away from social norms and into aquatic swells of adventure.
Revealing surfers to be multifaceted spirits, Surf Odyssey underlines the natural connections between environmental responsibility and the thrill of embracing an unbroken wall of water whilst showcasing the products and places that comprise this unique community.
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