Photo: The Raglan Surf Report // YouTube
Surfers take themselves too seriously. For a group of people who generally consider themselves free spirits and rebels, we’re obsessed with rules: wait your turn, don’t name the spot, respect the locals, constantly have a problem with wave pools for no real reason. Emily Post would be proud. Our little self-obsessed world is a ripe place for comedy to take hold. That’s why, despite these challenges, there’s a dedicated minority of surf comedians out there fighting the good fight, helping us laugh at the absurdity of surf. And we truly appreciate them all. With that, here’s a list of seven you should know about if you don’t already, ranked by raw comedic power.
1. Luke Cederman
Cederman’s YouTube channel, The Raglan Surf Report, is basically nothing but hits. His bread and butter is dead-on parodies of different insufferable surfer stereotypes, from try-hard surf vloggers to self-important pros to trendy shapers. However, his videos also veer into more farcical territory, like a Surfline-style app for surf skaters, or a sketch where he passionately argues that not all bald people are the same person. Luke’s secret power is that not only is he a talented writer and editor, but he really just gets surfing culture, probably because he can rip pretty damn hard himself.
2. Sterling Spencer
With the launch of his website Pinch My Salt in 2008, Sterling became the godfather of surf comedy. The site hosted a number of Spencer’s hilarious and often absurdist sketches, but really blew up with an early viral video of Jeremy Flores rebuffing a young fan (dubbed by Spencer). Now, Pinch My Salt has returned in the form of a podcast that is as hilarious as the original. Oh, and he also produced a surf movie that’s equal parts funny, insane and full of fantastic surfing.
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3. Ivy Miller
Ivy’s a standout in the pack because her greatest strength is her character work. Scrolling through her Instagram is like a surf-specific SNL audition reel, complete with skate mom, horny Airbnb owner, festival bro, and a parade of creepy guys with blacked out teeth and tiny moustaches. On the other hand, there’s also bizarre nonsense like this video that makes me lose my goddamn mind every time it comes on, even though I have absolutely no idea what the thought process is behind it.
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4. Mckenzie Bowden
If you’re still hungry for surf culture parody, and just shotgunned a sixer of Redbull and don’t know what to do with your hands, Mckenzie’s your man. It’s all the insightful satire mixed with absurdism of his cohorts, but with a healthy dose of the insane energy and frenetic pacing of the TikTok era. Sure, he trots out a few classic bits, like the evergreen influencer parody, but there’s also him chasing a goat while wearing a speedo and screaming Kelly Slater’s name. His Instagram also heavily features plenty of good surfing.
5. Willem Powerfish
Willem Powerfish is a lucha libre-masked agent of chaos. This is perhaps stretching the definition of surf comedian, since he is mostly known for his unhinged prank videos that often involve throwing raw chickens at people for some reason. On the other hand, he has created multiple videos in which he terrorizes various surf lineups, and they are hilarious. He is the vengeful right hand of God that has come down to lay waste to self-serious surfers, and if you don’t lighten up, he’ll come to your town next bearing poultry carcasses.
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6. Jonathan Freeman
The mustache and pit-viper sporting Instagram comedian pokes fun at himself as often as he does surfers, to great effect. He once tried his hand at standup before taking to social media, and it shows in his effortlessly hilarious monologues to camera. He’s also been a longtime collaborator with Kook of the Day, and his chaotic energy is a perfect match with the literal chaos KOTD serves up daily. For peak Freeman, check out his tour of all the features a classic sedan has to offer.
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7. Andy Kovszun
At first glance, her social media feed may look like your typical perfectly lit surf influencer content, but all that gets thrown to the wayside for her endearingly silly comedy posts. The TikTok-style lip synced videos use ripped audio to make fun of things like buying overpriced boards or struggling to put on a wetsuit. She’s one of the few people on this list who doesn’t often turn to parody or caricature, instead opting for lighthearted commentary on some of the most relatable issues that plague every surfer, like looking at fifty-thousand surf spots, only to go to your regular every damn time.
