Our Favourites From The Archive

This year is Wavelength’s 36th year of publishing, and far from slowing down, bowing to societal pressures, getting a mortgage and popping out sprogs we’ve just finished our 250th issue of the mag, which you can peruse and purchase here.

Over the course of our 36 years of mag making we’ve accumulated a huge archive of images, many of which were shot by our late great founder John Conway and live as colour slides, neatly stacked in one corner of our office. Over the last few months we’ve been upturning the plastic boxes which contain them over a light box and wading through the content. What we’ve discovered is a veritable mix of imagery documenting the evolution of British and international surf culture throughout the 70’s & 80’s as it exploded into the mainstream. So come with us on a vivid and nostalgic trip down memory lane and see if you can spot your nan (hopefully not topless).

From the cover of issue one of the mag in 1981, featuring a local shredder stalling for a head dip in at Penhale.Tad Ciastula, founder of the legendary shaping outfit Vitamin Sea surfboards. A man and his gold convertible at Penhale in the early 70's. This is what a wettie shoot looked like back in the 80's and this is the most SFW of the lot.A sea of vintage sun umbrellas. The boys chat casually on the rocks, presumably about their exuberant boards and wetsuits.Egg and chips out the back of the old estate.Kelly Slater at Fistral Beach for the 1986 World Amateur Championships 1978 World champ Wayne 'Rabbit' BartholomewFistral Beach in the late 80's.This is how we used to attract subscribers in the 80's.Bright colours and long skinny lenses.An 18 year old Kelly Slater in France. Boys in the shaping bay.A beautiful board elegantly modelled. The 80's were a very experimental time for surfboard design, here's a innovative fin design that didn't stand the test of time. Pumping fistral and the old range of Wavelength jumpers. You rarely see people in predominantly white wetties anymore, which I for one think is a real shame.

If you’ve got any information about the images or those featured in them, drop them in the comments as we’d love to gather more info on them.

All photos John Conway