Cover shot by Wavelength Editor, Bella Bunce. Modelled by Zach Rush, the man, quite literally, behind the cover.
When Wavelength was first published 45-years ago, no-one knew they were about to make history. Now celebrating more than four decades at sea, Wavelength is Europe’s longest-running surf magazine and long may it continue.
Back then, the mag was a passion project. British surfing was still finding its way into the mainstream brain-space. There was no internet, no social media, no knowledge in the UK for building a legacy surf publication, and certainly no plan for it to still be going almost half a century later.
This special 45th Anniversary edition, now on stockist shelves, features a dazzling cover from Cornwall artist Zach Rush and is a reflection of the past 45 years in print across these surf zones.
There she is, in all her glory.
Inside, there’s interviews with the UK’s first Challenger Series competitor, Alys Barton, who sits down with Lottie Lewis to talk about the pressure of what’s coming next. Young Irish penman Tadhg Kennedy examines the rising surf stars in Ireland – and what makes them tick. Scotland’s Phoebe Strachan opens up about the future of cold water surfing. Meanwhile, the Basque Country’s Natxo Gonzalez walks through a traumatic brain injury, as told to Dylan Stott – there is so much more inside too.
Bella Bunce, print editor of Wavelength said: “We would not be who we are without the constant lapping of waves at our feet, without the gathering of wetsuit friends and the safe spaces we are held in by surf. So thank you a million times over to the ocean, we hope these pages show how grateful we all are for you.”
Legacy and Authenticity
But 45 years is a long time in print, by any stretch of the imagination. The mag was started by John Conway who was photographing surfing in the mid-seventies, contributing to skate and early surf mags, like Atlantic Surfer. As well as surfing and shaping, he had a real passion for British surfing, a love that was truly ignited on a trip to Australia in 1981.
There, he shot the fledgling world tour, and using the contacts, he hatched a plan to bring it to the UK. Most people would have gone away with a dream, and that’s what it would stay for them, but not John. He got the sponsors – Gul and Alder – and through his contacts in Australia added Newquay to the contest circuit. Now, this may not seem like much.
We’ve all grown up with the Boardmasters, but John made it happen. His vision brought the likes of Shaun Tomson and Rabbit Bartholomew, the superstars of world surfing at the time, to Fistral. Co-founder Geoff Tydeman jumped on board too – Geoff is still a prominent photographer across Newquay. “We were shooting for Surf Scene back then, but we thought, ‘why are we doing this?’ And wanted to start something truly independent,” said Geoff. “The real aim, was to blow Surf Scene out of the water, they weren’t too happy about us launching.”
Founder of Wavelength John Conway, shooing in Australia in 1980. Photo by Steve Daniel.
The First Front Cover
Off the back of that competition, John launched Wavelength Issue 01. A more broadsheet style magazine featuring a Pink Floyd-esque cover. Steve Daniel sat atop the mag as the main image – and would go on to found Daniel Surf, a UK distribution business now celebrating its 50th year.
Looking back at that cover today, Steve smiles at the idea that anyone would have predicted the magazine’s longevity. “It never really crossed my mind,” he said. “I’d already been on the covers of a few British magazines. We weren’t thinking about 45 years into the future.”
For Steve, the story of Wavelength has always been inseparable from its founder, John “JC” Conway. Before there was a magazine, there was a community, and John sat firmly at its centre. “He was the man in the middle,” Steve said. “He represented the surfers. He was brilliant with people. If you look at surfing in the ‘70s and ‘80s, everyone started businesses so they could keep surfing.”
It’s come a long way since 1981. On the cover, top, Steve Daniel.
And while the modern surf market looks very different from back then, with online retail and a rapidly growing beginner and intermediate audience, Steve believes the desire to progress remains exactly the same. “People are still chasing better waves, better equipment and better surfing,” he said. “Only the tools have changed.”
Towards the tail-end of 2024, Newquay-based surfer Chris Thomson rescued Wavelength from administration. The mag had fallen into dark times, and Chris, who was also born in 1981, same as Wavelength, felt a duty of care to take it over.
The front wraps around to this gorgeous back cover too.
“Those opportunities really don’t come around often,” he said. Chris had just launched an annual publication called Longboarder Magazine, with Sam Bleakley at the helm as editor, as well as opened 10 Over Surf Shop, a boutique venue with careful consideration of which brands it stocks.
“Wavelength is as old as I am,” said Chris. “It just felt like the natural next step in order to preserve this heritage name and continue UK surf print media for years to come.” These days, Wavelength is printed twice a year, in the spring/summer and the autumn/winter, two editions that coincide with the changing nature of the UK surf seasons.
The special 45th anniversary edition is now available via 10 Over Surf Shop
