10 surf instagram accounts Stab highly recommends

Trending: Shark rides, dogs in human clothes, backstage passes and deer hunting.

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1. Napkin Apocalypse (@napkinapocalypse, 4, 960 followers)

Aka Qwerteni aka Courtney Jaedtke, girlfriend of Dane Reynolds and self-described anthropomorphist. Courtney creates settings and outfits for her three pooches, Pam (French Bulldog), Boogie (English Bulldog) and Truffle (Albino Labrador). And, the effect, if you find humour in such things, is one that Stab adores. “I dress them up strictly because I like attributing human characteristics to animals,” she told Stab.

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2. Kelly Slater (@kellyslater, 348, 309 followers)

Because, really, it’s Kelly Slater. We’ll take what we can get from the man. And, you don’t need to read this because you’re already following him. But, Stab likes the blend of unique humour, best-ever GoPro shots, snippets of surf history and candid iPhone moments (birthday sake bombs!) that make up Kelly’s account. GoPro’s smartest-ever move was involving itself with this man.

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3. Mark Healey (@donkeyshow, 55, 918 followers)

You want a GoPro self portrait, shot while free-falling into a Mavericks left? You want a point-of-view image of a hand resting on a great white fin, underwater? Mark Healey is one of the world’s best big wave surfers, a talented diver and an excellent photographer all at once. Expect accessible in-jokes aimed at the big wave community, sickening but hypnotic diving moments and the best big wave selfies y’ever did see.

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4. Holly Coffey (@hollydazecoffey, 57, 014 followers)

Female junior pro Holly Coffey runs a rigorous social media program, which consists of her well-maintained anatomy in various arrangements. But the real hidden beauty in this account, intentional or not, is that the overall effect is that of a shrine to eternal summer and the joy of youth. Alana Blanchard is today, Holly is tomorrow.

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5. Channel Islands (@cisurfboards, 20, 320 followers)

Makers of matches for men like Kelly Slater, Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith to light up. Wanna know what Kelly’s riding in a world tour event? Wanna see Dane’s newest design? Channel Islands, curated by Travis Lee, is unrivalled when it comes to the inside track on these juggernauts. Highlights include any setting in which Dane Reynolds drops by the CI factory to pick up a new creation.

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6. John John Florence (@john_john_florence, 79, 581 followers)

The world’s horny for John John Florence (fact). And while photography is to surfing now what fixed-gear bikes were to Vice-readers five years ago, John’s love for the medium seems as genuine as any. He has an impressive camera quiver and can even include in his body of work a Stab cover depicting Dane Reynolds’ countenance, which John shot in California last year. Forty percent of his Instagram account’s appeal is the considered photography style. Sixty percent is the fact that it’s posted by John John Florence.

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7. Shane Dorian (@shanedorian, 67, 203 followers)

Shane Dorian was part of the Momentum generation and a world tour beast who, instead of retiring from competition into a rep or team-manager job at Billabong, instead put himself at the front of the big wave paddle game. Whether it’s bow-hunting wild boars or venison in the hills of Kona, or scratching into wave of the year at Jaws (tow-ins are so 2010), Shane can, and will, emasculate you. His Instagram account is a glimpse into true manhood.

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8. Morgan Maassen (@morganmaassen, 8, 614 followers)

Morgan Maassen is an intelligent young man who, through carefully-built friendships, has an inside track with all the most interesting surfers you can think of. But, his Instagram account is all about simple silhouettes and humour surrounding his dog, Benny (whose name has slowly morphed into Hamlyfe, and now has its own account, which Morgan insists that Ham runs himself). It’s funny, it’s pensive, it’s everything you want.

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9. LOL Surf (@lol_surf, 1, 647 followers)

After a brief disappearance, LOL Surf, mercifully, has fired back up. LOL Surf does not discriminate and does not apologise. Everyone who’s ever touched a surfboard is a potential target of their meme-centric roasting. There’s nothing low-brow about their Chardonnay humour (dry! white!). And, much like 4chan, LOL Surf’s anonymity is a shield. Every time you think you know who it is, that person features in one of their posts. But maybe that’s just a diversion…

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10. Clark Little (@clarklittle, 281, 610 followers)

Say what you will about empties (surf shots with no surfer), there’s something mesmerising about Clark Little’s shorebreak visions. Starting in Waimea shorebreak in the 90s and having since had work published in National Geographic, Clark gets his kicks from the moment a wave extinguishes, sucking him over the falls onto dry sand. He’s a loveable sicko! Aren’t we all? “Empties, for me, are my occupation,” he says. “If a guy’s gonna get in the way, he better fricken make it.”