A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Blanche

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Small subtropical West Indies island nation, located 90 miles south of Cuba and 100 miles west of Haiti; the marijuana-infused spiritual center for Rastafarian religion and reggae music, and home to a budding surf culture. Jamaica's reef-lined eastern shore produces the best surf, with the biggest and most consistent waves—usually three to five feet, but occasionally bigger—arriving between November and April. Offshore winds are common in the mornings. 

The most popular surfing area in Jamaica is Boston Beach, a sublime horseshoe-shaped bay located on the island's eastern tip, featuring gentle right-and left-breaking waves. The Zoo, sometimes referred to as the Jamaican Pipeline, located near the capital city of Kingston, is generally regarded as the island's best break. 

Daytime air temperatures are consistently warm and pleasant, averaging between 85 and 90 degrees throughout the year, with water temperatures ranging from 75 to 80. Sea urchins and sharp reefs are the major Jamaican surf hazards, along with the occasional saltwater crocodile. 

Surfing was introduced to Jamaica at Boston Beach in the early 1960s by traveling surfers from California and Florida, some of whom left their boards behind. First-generation Jamaican surfers included Cecil Ward, Robby Epstein, and Gordon Cooper. Terry Muschett began shaping boards locally during the late '70s, and was Jamaica's only board-maker until the early '90s. 

Local surfer/musician Billy Wilmot founded the Jamaican Surfing Association in 1998, and three years later started a small Jamaican surf camp near Kingston. Wilmot's children, Inilek, Icah, and Ishack, are some of Jamaica's top surfers; the former two—along with Jamaican national champion Drum Drummond—represented Jamaica at the 2002 World Surfing Games in South Africa. 

Jamaica first appeared in the American surf press in 2001, with Surfer magazine writer Chris Dixon describing the island as "manic-depressive . . . beautiful, beguiling and friendly, but also seething with discontent borne of generations of grinding poverty and politically inspired thuggery." There were roughly 100 native Jamaican surfers in 2003.

Jamaica

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

Encyclopedia of Surfing