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Hands Of God, an aerial photograph of Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast

Gift for a Surfer, Photography Prints They'll Actually Want

by Jon Wright in News & Adventures

Buying a surfer a gift is harder than it looks. They already own the wetsuit, the wax, the leg rope and three towels they never use properly. Most of what's marketed as a "surf gift" is exactly that, more gear. A print is different, and here's my honest reasoning on why.

Why a print, not more gear

A print is personal, not generic. A towel or a keyring could be for anyone who surfs, but a photograph of an actual wave or an actual break means something specific to the person you're buying it for.

It's also the one thing they won't buy themselves. Surfers spend on gear constantly, boards, wetsuits, fins, but very few ever think to put a photograph of the thing they love on their own wall. Gifted, it feels like someone paid attention rather than just restocking their kit.

Most of all, it marks a spot or a moment that matters to them. Their home break, a trip they still talk about, a wave they've told the story of a dozen times. That's a very different gift to a bar of wax.

A moment they'll actually recognise

Kirra Happiness black and white surf print in an oak frame above a console table

Kirra Happiness is one of mine, a young grom heading out beyond the waves with his dad. I still remember those mornings at Kirra, the waves weren't big, but they felt like magic, and that feeling is exactly what stuck with me and shaped my connection to the coast. If the person you're buying for has a similar memory attached to their own home break, a print like this says it better than anything you could write in a card.

Lay Days Burleigh aerial surf print in an oak frame above a bedroom dresser

Lay Days is a different kind of moment, an aerial shot of four mates paddling out at Burleigh on a day when the surf wasn't even pumping, just good water and good company. If who you're buying for surfs with the same crew every weekend, this is the kind of print that gets a laugh and a nod rather than a polite thank you.

Sizing and price, the gift version

The A4 Print Special is the genuine gift-sized entry point across the Surf Art collection, $50, mounted on a clean white matt board at 11x14 inch. It's an easy price for a gift and easy to post. If you want it ready to hang straight out of the box rather than needing to be framed, the same A4 size comes in a Raw Oak frame for $169.95. Beyond that, the full range runs right up to statement sizes for someone you want to genuinely spoil.

When to buy it

This one's worth bookmarking. It works as a Father's Day gift (the first Sunday in September here in Australia) for a dad who taught his kids to surf, and it works just as well under the tree at Christmas for anyone who spends more time in the water than on the couch.

Browse the full range in the Surf Art collection and look for their actual home break, or a wave they won't stop talking about.

Tags: christmas fathers day gift guide surf art
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