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

Alexandre, João (Dapin)

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

Bead-wearing Buddhist regularfooter from Queensland's Gold Coast; pro surfing's all-natural alternative to the world tour battlers; described by surf journalist Derek Hynd in 2003 as "the most intriguing surfer in the world." 

Rastovich was born (1979) in Auckland, New Zealand, to self-supporting farmer parents. At age six he moved with his family to Surfer's Paradise, in southeast Queensland, became involved with a local surf lifesaving club, and was soon a nationally recognized paddleboard racer; at 12 he trained with future Olympic gold-medal swimmer Grant Hackett, and in a single day won five cadet division gold medals in the Queensland State Surf Lifesaving Titles.

Surfing then took over, and at 15, not long after moving with his recently divorced mother to Burleigh Heads, he was already regarded as one of the state's brightest young waveriders. In 1995 he won the Quiksilver World Grommet Titles in Bali. The yoga-practicing Rastovich—already known as "Rasta"—modeled his surfing on that of three-time world champion Tom Curren, and came up with a similarly powerful yet flowing style. Unlike fellow Gold Coasters Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, and Dean Morrison, Rastovich decided against a pro tour career, choosing instead to become a "lifestyle" pro, and was soon earning a six-figure income from industry sponsors (primarily Billabong) to ride the world's best waves in front of hired cameramen.

In 2004, The eco-conscious Rastovich helped found Surfers for Cetaceans, an anti-whaling activist group, and began public campaigns worldwide to draw attention to the killing of whales and dolphins. In 2009, Rastovich appeared in the Academy Award-winning documentary 

, a look at the Japanese practice of dolphin-hunting. He was also the subject of the 2011 documentary 

, a chronicle of his experience soliciting support for whale and dolphin protection across the globe.

He'd meanwhile found a boardmaking guru in longtime Queensland shaper Dick Van Straalen, and began to ride all manner of surf-craft, including a 4' 11" fish, an aluminum-composite board, longboards, racy 1970s-inspired single-fin designs, and the finless alaia. 

 (2004) was a study in contrasts between the laid-back Rastovich and hard-ass world champion Andy Irons; Rastovich has since appeared in about two dozen other videos, including

 magazine named Rastovich one of 2003's "Top Five Free Surfers."

Rastovich, Dave

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

Interviews

The Sunday Joint

Encyclopedia of Surfing

Interviews

The Sunday Joint