I am excited to come across this little 8mm film reel in a dusty corner of our local archive. John Severson was the founder of the iconic Surfer magazine. He went around documenting 1950s/60s surf culture through art, writing, and film when it was still a niche sport.

These reels were originally taken on 16mm then edited down to 8mm. They were sold by mail order back in the day and are hard to find nowadays. John Severson sold Surfer magazine in the 1970s, then moved to Hawaii for a quiet life with his family.

The magazine continued on with a rotating door of owners, until taking a four-year hiatus starting in 2020. It was bought last summer by The Arena Group (owner of Parade, Men's Journal, etc.). The media group is trying to revive the magazine's status as the authority on surf culture.

I'm looking forward to their coverage. But John authentically lived, breathed, and surfed the emerging scene through his art, experiments, and distribution. I'm not sure the magazine could ever be so bold today.

Woah this is awesome! I grew up leaving endless summer on repeat in the background.

Now we have a surfing channel that is our go-to background tv when cooking or hanging out as a family.

There’s something to be said about this lifestyle, all positive vibes. 🤙