15 Celebs Who Look Damn Good While Surfing
Mia Horton Quick Links
Surfing is awesome. Surfing culture is filled with good music, positive vibes, and cool people you would love to hang out with. As a plus, catching a wave and riding it is one of the best feelings you can ever get. When you think about it, it’s no wonder practically everyone would like to learn how to surf, including celebrities. After months of touring new records, or filming movies, there’s nothing better than to lay on the beach with the people you love, put on some tunes, and probably catch a wave or two. Just being out there sitting on your board in the water is totally relaxing.
You may see a lot of pictures around the internet of celebs surfing, but let’s face it, most of them don’t really know what they’re doing. It’s not their fault, some celebrities are extremely talented at what they do, and to master the art and skill of a proficient surfer would also take quite some time. The bad thing about being so famous is that if you’re learning how to surf, the chances are paparazzi are going to take some sweet shots of you falling head first on the water, or doing a gnarly nosedive with your board. So it’s kind of awesome when celebrities do know how to handle a surfboard, and seeing an awesome picture of your favorite artists riding a wave is probably as good as it gets. Let’s see which one of those celebs can really carve some moves and take on some of the most famous beach breaks.
15. Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth totally rips! A native from the land down under and universally recognized for playing Thor in the Marvel franchise, the Australian actor is a total surf junkie. He can be seen on a regular basis in Byron Bay, New South Whales, where he lives with his kids and his wife Elsa Pataky. There are a lot of pictures of him shredding some waves around the web, and if you follow the hunky star on Instagram, you’ll see mostly pictures of his family and his surfing trips in Australia. He’s not the only surfer in the family, however, since his brothers and even his father surf with him all the time as well. It’s not something out of the ordinary in Australia, though, I mean the surfing culture over there is enormous, and with all the beautiful beaches that country has, it’s no wonder that’s the case. Chris has even been spotted surfing with Kelly Slater, a pipeline legend. Of course, there are times when the actor must travel to LA to film movies, but whenever Chris takes the trip, he still makes sure to get his feet wet and catch some waves.
14. Liam Hemsworth
Even though he hasn’t taken residence in Byron Bay like his older brother just yet, Liam still manages to enjoy the surf in California, and if you think his brother is the only one who rips in the family, you may want to take a close look at the youngest Hemsworth’s surfing snaps. He’s up there, too. The Australian actor, known for his roles in The Hunger Games series, and most recently seen in the not-so-great sequel of Independence Day, always takes some time to check out the swell near his home, especially in beaches like Malibu where you can find some great waves on a regular basis. Last year, the Australian hunk was spotted in Byron Bay with his girlfriend Miley Cyrus, and his brothers, enjoying the surf and sunsets at the beach. Lately, he has been spotted with his oldest brother, Luke, shredding some waves in Malibu. As you can probably tell by now, when it comes to surfing, the Hemsworth family is most certainly one of the most notable ones in the celeb community.
13. Cameron Díaz
An avid surfer, Cameron Diaz loves the sport, and she´s been spotted countless times in the water. Even if she´s only checking the swell and flaunting that great smile, we´ve seen pictures of Diaz with a surfboard since the early 2000´s. She first showed her skills in Charlie's Angels, Full Throttle, where she performed her own surfing stunts. The fact that the very own Kelly Slater tutored her might have helped, too. Cameron is almost recognized as a local in Hawaii, too, because she’s done quite a few movies over there. It was in Hawaii’s own Honolulu, in 2003, where she had what was looking to be an awesome 31st birthday surfing with her friends, when somebody’s board hit her in the face and broke her nose, disabling her to hit the waves for the rest of the trip. Nevertheless, she must’ve noticed that party waves aren’t necessarily cool and safe, and since that incident, there’s been nothing but awesome and sexy pictures of her on her surfboard.
12. Matthew McConaughey
Of course, Matthew McConaughey surfs, just by hearing him talk you can feel some serious surfer vibes. Although you might think the Oscar-winning actor has been doing it since he was just a little kid, Matthew learned to surf in 2007, while he was filming the movie Surfer, Dude. The movie didn’t do too well, but at least McConaughey was able to take home some sweet skills on the board. On surfing, he recalls that he’s never had a bad time doing it, seeing as he’s a real outdoors person, and loves the culture involved in the sport. Even though he may not be the best celebrity surfer around, I still think Matthew has the perfect surfer spirit. He’s just a chill and positive guy, he even lived in a trailer home for a while, just roaming around, spending all his time doing exercise outside. Today, you can probably spot the star hitting the beach near his home in Malibu, California, or attending some World Championship Tours.
11. Jason Mraz
The Grammy-Award winning songwriter known for his many carefree songs is from San Diego California but only started surfing later in his life, at the age of 28. Jason Mraz is another one of those celebrities that transmit positive vibes and fits perfectly inside the surf culture. After starting to ride some waves, he became addicted to the sport and has regularly scheduled his music events at the best surfing locations. Mraz finds peace when he surfs. He has previously stated that – “Synchronizing your location and speed with that of a wave that traveled perhaps 1000s of miles to reach you is not unlike seeing a ghost or riding a dinosaur”, that’s pretty deep if you think about it. On surfing, he also says that being on a wave is an exhilarating feeling. The singer also eats mostly vegan food, since he has claimed that in addition to surfing, it helps him keep his healthy and positive lifestyle. It’s incredible how when you listen to some of Jason’s songs, you can really feel the influence the sea has on his songwriting, and on the catchy melodies of his award-winning songs.
10. Scott Caan
The forty-year- old son of world-famous actor James Caan loves to surf. I wasn’t sure if he was really into the sport until I spotted some awesome pictures of him shredding some waves. It should come as no surprise when you think about it, seeing as he’s one of the stars of a hit show called Hawaii Five-0 for more than six years now. The series has probably helped him practice a lot on his skills, but Scott has actually been hanging-ten since he was a kid, growing up in the popular surf area of Malibu, California. Mostly spending his time between Hawaii and California, the actor makes sure to get a lot of surf practice along the way. More than just taking the sport as a hobby, Scott is known for participating in some charity organizations that teach children with autism how to surf as a means of fun and therapy.
9. Jack Johnson
One of the artists that always comes to mind when you think of surfing is Jack Johnson. The award-winning singer/songwriter was a professional surfer in his early days. He grew up on the North Shore of Oahu and is the son of legendary surfer Jeff Johnson. Growing up, he took part in the finals of the Pipeline Masters, at the age of seventeen, becoming the youngest invitee to ever participate. With a prominent career in surfing ahead of him, his dreams suddenly ended when he suffered an accident while practicing the sport, just one week after the Pipeline Masters. He has stated that the incident inspired his song “Drink the Water”. He later moved to Santa Barbara, California, and since he had a deep passion for music, he decided to pursue it as a career. He eventually wrote some songs for a low-budget surfer movie that would later become a cult hit, and the rest is history. The soundtrack for the film was so awesome that it eventually led to Jack Johnson’s first record contract. After signing with the label, he released his first album in 2001, BrushFire Fairytales, paving the way for an incredible music career.
8. Ryan Sheckler
In case you never saw Life of Ryan, you should probably know that Sheckler really knows how to surf. The 27-year-old professional skateboarder has been ripping all his life. He was born and raised in San Clemente, California and along with skating, he’s been surfing with his friends and family his whole life. Most recently spotted competing in Tampa Pro, the life of Sheckler is filled with traveling and touring with his skate teams. Sheckler makes sure to open up some space to surf whenever he can, during his trips, or when he’s staying at home with his family in San Clemente. There are many pictures of him hitting the waves, and you can appreciate some footage of him surfing in Red Bull’s web series Sheckler Sessions. In Many aspects, skateboarding and surfing are not too different from each other, so it’s not a surprise that Ryan has been known to be amazing at both.
7. Orlando Bloom
Even though Orlando is probably a pioneer for naked paddle boarding, he can hold his own with a surfboard, too. The actor, who recently turned forty, is well-known for starring in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, and Lord of the Rings trilogy. For Lord of the Rings, Bloom moved with the film's other actors to New Zealand for two years. During that time, Bloom, who famously portrayed Legolas in the franchise and melted young girl’s hearts everywhere, learned how to surf. Finding stuff to do New Zealand must be easy, though, seeing as the country enjoys a variety of landscapes, from perfect snowy peaks to incredible beaches. Taking advantage of this, Bloom would enjoy his free time in New Zealand by surfing and snowboarding with his costars whenever he could, sometimes taking a helicopter to travel to their destinations. To me, that sounds like the perfect vacation, just hanging out with your friends doing whatever the hell you want, too bad it had to end someday. At least he went home being part in one of the best movies ever made, making a lot of dough along with it.
6. Anthony Kiedis
Surfing and the music business go hand-in-hand. Anthony Kiedis is proof of that. The lead singer of Red Hot Chili Peppers and all around rock star loves to catch some waves with his bandmate, Flea. Kiedis has the proper build for a surfer, and his tattoos and his style reflect the surfing culture perfectly. He was even cast as a surf douchebag in the original Point Break, showing off some weird fighting skills. Taking time between his gigs, Anthony catches some waves with Flea to blow off steam. The duo surf wherever they can, even taking some snaps in the ocean with fans from Siargao, in the Philippines, where he caught some massive swells in Cloud 9. In Brazil, the artists were also spotted hitting the waves in Prainha, during the Rock in Rio festival. Although Kiedis was living it up back in the 90s, today he’s more relaxed and states that he has given up drugs, his only vice being surfing.
5. Vanessa Hudgens
Okay, I mean, Vanessa Hudgens doesn’t know how to surf as well as some other dudes in this list, but she’s got a lot of enthusiasm and seems to love the sport. At the age of 24, she went on a surfing trip to Indonesia with Ashley Greene where they learned to catch some waves. There, she participated in the Learn to Surf event during the Oakley Pro Bali. It was a pretty nice effort for the first timers, and they certainly showed their athleticism. They should probably stick to it and keep practicing, Vanessa was able to catch some decent waves, and Ashley even showed off a battle scar she got during the trip on Instagram. She captioned the post writing “War wound from surfing today with Oakley. The reef ate me up." After the surf lesson, both celebrities were able to spend the rest of the day relaxing and soaking up the sun on a boat in Indonesia's perfect beaches.
4. Sean Penn
Famously portraying Spicoli, a stoned surfer dude in the 1992 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sean Penn is another celebrity who can’t seem to be separated from his surfboard. Born in Santa Monica California, the Academy Award-winning actor has been ripping for a while. His political views may be whack, but his surfer spirit seems to be in tune. The star has been known to take winter trips to Hawaii to escape the cold temperatures in the mainland and catch some gnarly waves. In 2016 he was spotted on a surfing trip with Owen Wilson and Gerard Butler in Malibu California. An unlikely group of friends, but sounds like a cool crew to hit the ocean with. Pictures of Penn surfing are all around the Internet, snatching some big waves and looking good while doing it, too! Maybe the soul of Spicoli lives within Penn after all these years.
3. Paul Walker
Paul Walker may be gone, but his ocean legacy will live on. The mellow actor was in love with the sea. Before acting, he considered a career in marine biology and was never far from the ocean for too long. One of his dreams was to shape a new generation of ocean leaders dedicated to the care of the sea and its animals. Paul Walker had the heart of a surfer, flashing his smile whenever he had the chance, and being kind to everyone. All of his costars remember him fondly and gained a new family in his costars of the Fast and Furious franchise. Paul Walker may have been a movie star, but he usually wanted to get out of the limelight and would go out surfing in Huntington Beach all the time. The locals there recall stories with Paul and staring at him whenever he changed in his Escalade because he was - “such a hottie.”
2. Owen Wilson
One of the funniest guys around, Owen Wilson is a surfer. Even if he sucked at it, he would still be a surfer. Just look at him, his style, that blond hair, the care-free attitude. He’s the coolest guy around, he’s even got a tiny shoulder tattoo that proves he’s a total badass. Owen has been spotted with Gerard Butler and Sean Penn hitting the waves in Malibu, and can be seen paddle boarding often. The actor may be known for his funny roles in movies like Wedding Crashers and Zoolander, but he has his dark past. Owen has battled depression for a long time and probably surfs as a means to calm himself down and relax. Personally, I would love to pitch a spinoff of Zoolander where Owen plays his iconic character, Hansel, as he departs on an adventure across the world in search for killer waves with his little buddies.
1.Eddie Vedder
You may not relate Pearl Jam with surfing, but Eddie Vedder is one of those celebrities that has a deep passion for the sport. The Pearl Jam frontman has been surfing since he was 12 years old, starting in Doheny Beach, California, and is good friends with other famous surfers like Kelly Slater and Jack Johnson. He has stated that he would not be who he is if it wasn’t for surfing, and some tracks from his solo albums show the influence the culture has had on him. Songs from the “Into the Wild” soundtrack and “Ukelele Songs” are some examples. Apart from playing hit songs for the past 27 years, Eddie tries to find places to surf whenever he goes on tour, so he doesn’t lose his touch. He has been spotted catching waves everywhere, from the perfect beaches of Hawaii to remote places in South America, entering little coastal towns to escape the limelight of a concert tour.
