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, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Beschen, Shane

Mountainous French-governed subtropical island located about 400 miles east of Madagascar; home to the long and magnificent left-breaking waves of St. Leu. Réunion was first surfed by two visiting Australians in 1967, and while photos of the waves appeared in the surf press as far back as 1980, it didn't really come to the attention of the surf world at large until 1988, when it was featured as a cover story in the Surf Report newsletter. 

Réunion is roughly circular, and measures 30 miles across at its widest point. Peak daytime air temperatures range from the high 60s to the mid-70s; water temperatures range from the low to mid-70s. The volcanic island's western side is dry, rocky, and cactus-filled, while the eastern side and central mountains are subject to heavy rainfall. (The Réunion mountain village of Cilaos recorded the most rainfall ever in a 24-hour period—74 inches—in March 1952.) 

About 650,000 people live on Réunion, and the island is for the most part friendly, clean, cultured, and expensive. Réunion generally gets its best surf between June and August, as Indian Ocean storms southeast of South Africa often send powerful six-foot and bigger waves to Réunion's west coast, where most of the island's roughly 30 surf breaks are located. Shallow reefs, sharks, and urchins are the primary surfing hazards. St. Leu is the island's best and most famous break, a hollow wave that actually grows in size as it winds down the reef. "An easy wave to ride," Surfing magazine said in 1992, in an article naming Réunion as one of the 20 best surf trips in the world, "so long as you're comfortable tucking into tubes over razor sharp coral." 

From 1992 to 1996 (with the exception of 1993), St. Leu was the site of one of the world pro tour's best surfing events; winners included world champions Kelly Slater, Sunny Garcia, and Lisa Andersen. St. Leu was also the site of the 1995 Longboard World Championships, won by Hawaii's Rusty Keaulana. 

In 2003 there were an estimated 2,000 surfers on the island and about 12 small surf shops. Amateur Réunion Island surfers compete internationally as part of the French B Team (which also includes surfers from Tahiti and Guadeloupe). Réunion waves have been featured in several surf videos, including Overdrive (1993), Factory Seconds (1995), and Where's Wardo? (2001). The west Réunion breaks are detailed in The World Stormrider Guide (2001).

Réunion Island

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Encyclopedia of Surfing

Encyclopedia of Surfing