25 Coolest Surf Coffee Table Books

Here are the best surf coffee table books to add to your book collection!

Coffee Table Books!! Ah, they have come to serve as a signifier, giving a perfect look into an individual’s creative inspiration and interests as well as add to the ambiance of a place. 

If you love surfing as much as I do, then having a few surf coffee table books would be a salvation for you.

Flipping through the pages of a surfing coffee table book, the beautiful and awe-struck photographs will immerse you and take you back in time enjoying the waves.

Coffee table books and adventure books also help keep your guest entertained and conversation starter. 

I have rounded up my favorite surf coffee table books and hope you like them as much as I do. 

You, dear reader, support this blog. When you purchase through a link, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Psssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of reading books? Have a look at my other posts:

• Coastal Coffee Table Books
• Books About The Sea
• Adventure Books For Adults

Overview: Beautiful Surf Coffee Table Books

Category	Name	Image	Price
Best under $30	Be The Ocean		Check here
Best for Surf Shacks	Surf Shack		Check here
Best for Ladies	Surf Like a Girl		Check here
Best for Foodies	Salt & Silver: Travel, Surf, Cook		Check here
Best for Vintage Lovers	Surf Photography Of The 1960s & 1970s		Check here
Best for Wave Buffs	Incredible Waves		Check here

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1. Swell: A Year of Waves

As surfers, we try to make waves ours. We catch them, ride them, name them, and sometimes fiercely guard them. 

No matter our relationship with the ocean, it will not change the fact that waves are wild and no two are similar.

However, waves do have a certain behavior pattern, and Swell: A Year of Waves captures that essence in breathtaking wave photography. 

The book showcases four distinct waves from around the world and traces their journey to the seashore. This is the best ocean coffee table book with powerful images of hundreds of waves frozen in time. 

Dimensions: 9.25 x 0.75 x 10 inches

2. Surf Shack

I find surf shacks quite interesting and when I am riding the waves, they are my abode to rest in between sessions. 

If you too love shacks, you can peek inside the homes of longtime enthusiasts through the vibrant photographs of design details in the Surf Shack book.

This surf coffee table book takes you on a colorful tour to some of the most unique and coolest shacks on the planet. It is one of the prettiest design and décor surf shack books to own or give. 

Dimensions: 8.29 X 1.22 X 11.27 inches

3. The History of Surfing

The History of Surfing is the best surf coffee table book telling a definitive story of surfing, surfers, and beach culture.

The book with a collection of information, awesome photos, and anecdotes make it the best and perfect travel coffee table book. 

This is a book that you will read and reread for a long time. 

The author knows a lot about surfing than any other person on the planet and has created an unprecedented history of the sport.

It’s told in a voice that is authoritative, funny, and original including the 250 rare photographs in the book.     

Dimensions: 9.5 x 1.75 x 11 inches

4. Salt & Silver: Travel, Surf, Cook

Salt & Silver is an absolutely useful and interesting surf coffee table book to have. It blends travel and surf stories along with recipes from Central and South America. 

The authors traveled through the locations to create this awesome book. You will find the best surfing locations, few stories from the local surfers, and recipes from each area. 

From mouthwatering Cuban street dishes to the kitchens of Chile, this coffee table book contains 90 regional recipes, over 250 breathtaking photographs, and a wide array of tips.

This makes it one of the best outdoor adventure books for any surfer, traveler, or cook. If you are looking for outdoor gifts for women, then Salt & Silver is it.   

Dimensions: 8.3 x 1.1 x 11.2 inches

5. Surf Photography Of The 1960s & 1970s

This surf coffee table book gives an effect of a time capsule, bringing back an era that resonates in shades of Technicolor and black & white. The cover for the coffee table is distinctive as well, as it is clothbound. 

The look and feel of the book are great and the perfect décor for your coffee table.

The book has the most vibrant surf photographs from the 1960s and 1970s, covering everything from the perfect wave at San Onofre to dramatic wipeouts at Oahu’s famous North Shore. 

This book also offers insights into the surfers’ lifestyle, from surfer stomps and fans at surf contests to board-laden woody station wagons.

With the iconic images, the book embodies the free-spirited nature of the era. 

Dimensions: 6.77 x 9.44 inches

6. Surfers’ Blood

Surfers’ Blood tells the universal story of individuals who share a deep connection with the sea through the beautiful collection of oceanscapes, wave surfing portraits, and action shots. 

When flipping through this surf coffee table book you will get to see the most intense, glamorous, and frightening aspects of surfing along with moments of stillness, beauty, and serenity.  

This book reaches out to those hardcore surfers’ connecting them to an extended family through an honest and beautiful portrayal of their sport and its culture.

At the same time, it offers outsiders a peek into the intense undiluted world of surf. 

All in all, this is one of the best surfing and nature coffee table books to know the sport well. 

Dimensions: 10.29 x 0.7 x 10.31 inches

7. The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands

You might think that the Aloha shirt is just an enduring souvenir that tourists come back from Hawaii with, but you are wrong.

This beach coffee table book is my absolute best as it covers the rich history of the Hawaiian shirt and how it came to be the cultural icon that it is today.

The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands is beautifully illustrated with hundreds of fantastic images, interviews, newspaper and magazine archives, and personal memorabilia, capturing the vibe of the shirt. 

The book is a fascinating chronicle of the world’s love affair with Hawaii and fun to browse.  

Dimensions: 8 x 1.5 x 11.1 inches

8. Surf Craft: Design and the Culture of Board Riding

Anyone interested in design or surfing cannot fail to be enchanted by this beautiful surf coffee table book.

With its high-quality 150 stunning images of the exhibited boards along with the history of the evolution of surfboard designs, this book is absolute bliss. 

From the ancient Hawaiian traditional board to the unadorned boards designed with mathematical precision, to the store-bought longboards popularized by the 1959 surf- movie Gidget.

The board design reflects both aesthetics and history.

Dimensions: 10.31 x 0.91 x 11.31 inches

Surf Science: An Introduction To Waves For SurfingSurf Odyssey: The Culture of Wave RidingThe World in the CurlThe Finest Line: The Global Pursuit of Big-Wave SurfingEscape [Gray Malin]Women Making Waves: Trailblazing Surfers In and Out of the Water

 

9. The California Surf Project

The California Surf Project is an awesome fully illustrated surf coffee table book telling the story of two surfers who took a trip of a lifetime down the California coast. 

Chris, a celebrated photographer of the surfing world, and Eric, a professional surfer, packed their Volkswagen bus and traveled from the Oregon border to the Tijuana Sloughs.

Here, they surf perfect waves, camping with strangers, and discovering everything the legendary coastline has to offer. 

With over 200 gorgeous photos, soulful text, and a half-hour DVD, relive the incredible journey of the authors.

The California Surf Project is one of the best travel coffee table books around and you need to own one.

Dimensions: 10.13 x 1 x 10.38 inches

10. Incredible Waves: Amazing Surf Photos

Incredible Waves: Amazing Surf Photos is a beautiful, unique, and stunning surf coffee table book of photographs capturing the majesty of the world’s most awesome waves. 

The book is a collection of the best work by top surf photographers and has the most spectacular shots of big waves that are both enticing and dangerous. 

This book also has essays about the timeless allure of perfect waves and the forces that create them, plus a discussion about current trends in surf photography.

If you have a surfer friend who loves photography, then this book is a perfect gift for them. 

Dimensions: 8.63 x 0.75 x 11.13 inches

11. Slide Your Brains Out

Slide Your Brains Out surf coffee table book is a compilation of Campbell’s incredible surfing photography work spanning nearly two decades. 

Thomas Campbell is a prolific artist, photographer, and filmmaker, who began documenting surfing culture in the late 90s and this book conveys that. 

This book also offers tips on photography from skateboarding press photographers. It makes a great coffee table book for surfer enthusiasts in your life. 

Dimensions: 6.75 x 9.75 inches

12. 70s Surf Photographs

70s Surf Photographs is a colorful portrait of 70s surf culture. This surf coffee table book has awe-struck photographs showing the pre-commercialized 70s era in surfing. 

The colored and black & white photographs showcase here were taken throughout California on the Baja, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Malibu, La Jolla, San Clemente, and Oahu coastlines.

Hence they give a vivid image of the close-knit culture and the incredible athletic feats of its heroes and heroines. A must-have coffee table book to create a classic ambiance in your home. 

Dimensions: 12.01 x 0.71 x 9.65 inches

13. The Life and Love of the Sea

The Life and Love of the Sea is a compilation of images from the world’s leading marine and nature photographers taking you on a breathtaking visual tour of the ocean’s great diversity. 

The book also provides tips on the latest underwater photography techniques.  

This #1 best seller photography book will take you on a journey to dramatic coastlines, barrier reefs, and island chains.

With the incredible images of the ocean’s fascinating inhabitants, the book also features scannable QR code footage from award-winning underwater cameraman Steven Hathaway. 

Dimensions: 12.5 X 1 X 12.5 inches

14. Surf Shacks: An Eclectic Compilation

Whether you are into the surfing lifestyle or not, Surf Shacks: An Eclectic Compilation is a great surf coffee table book to add to your library. 

With clean modern design mixed with a heightened personal flare, it is a wormhole into the power of having and practicing a passion. 

This coffee-table book illustrates how surfers live both on and offshore, taking a deeper look at their homes and artistic habits.

Surf Shacks reveals a more personal side to surfing through stories, photographs, and conversations.  

Dimensions: 9.75 x 1.31 x 11.25 inches

15. High Tide: A Surf Odyssey

Chris Burkard, a celebrated photographer of the surfing world takes you on a journey from the Arctic Circle south to Roaring Forties.

With tropical diversion in-between through brilliant photography in the book High Tide: A Surf Odyssey.

When you will flip through the pages of this beautiful travel coffee table book, you’ll feel breathtaking landscapes, remote and desolate places, the highest waves, and the most spectacular jumps.  

Dimensions: 10 x 1.35 x 12.35 inches

16. Be The Ocean

Be The Ocean is a must-have beach coffee table book for beach homes, sandy towels, and shelves of every ocean-loving soul. 

Written by two sea admirers, the photo book has rustically textured words about living fully, feeling deeply, and embracing one’s true self.

This is the best coffee table book that shows you to stay both calm & still and yourself get wild and lost in a storm. 

Dimensions: 7.99 X 0.31 X 7.99 inches 

17. Palm Beach

Palm Beach by Aerin Lauder is a book with childhood recollections of visiting her grandparents’ home during the winter holidays. 

The book highlights the old-world glamour and new-world sophistication through excellent photographs. 

The coffee table book showcases some of the favorite places of the author such as Nandos restaurants, scenic Lake Worth trail, and many such beautiful places.

This travel coffee table book provides the history of the iconic destination.

Dimensions: 9.8 X 1.3 X 13 inches

18. Waves: Pro Surfers and Their World

Waves: Pro Surfers and Their World is one of the best surfing and cheap coffee table books portraying the vibrant celebration of surfers in and out of water. 

The award-winning photographer Gilbert spent four years among the surfer community clicking the most dramatic action shots and compiled them into this book. 

This coffee table book not only features photographs, but also some Q&As and hand-written contributions from prominent figures in the scene.

Waves is an ode to surfing and to men and women who live it every day. 

Dimensions: 9.35 x 1.2 x 11.3 inches

19. Surf Like a Girl

Surf Like a Girl is a beautiful surf coffee table book and my absolute best as it showcases 30 amazing women making enormous waves in the world of surfing. 

Packed with stunning photos and inspiring words from professional surfers to entrepreneurs, surf photographers, writers, filmmakers, mothers that surf, and surfboard shapes.

I am super inspired by the stories. This book makes the perfect outdoor gifts for women and surfing enthusiasts. 

Dimensions: 9.69 x 1.13 x 12.06 inches

20. Escape

I can’t get over the serene cover of the Escape coffee table book, Oh my. The book has astonishing images, journal entries, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes capturing life’s joyful moments. 

From remote islands to major cities, Escape captures the spirit of 22 vacation spots across 11 countries that is sure to inspire you to plan an escape of your own.  

Dimensions: 13.5 X 10 X 0.94 inches

Surf Science: An Introduction To Waves For SurfingSurf Odyssey: The Culture of Wave RidingThe World in the CurlThe Finest Line: The Global Pursuit of Big-Wave SurfingEscape [Gray Malin]Women Making Waves: Trailblazing Surfers In and Out of the Water

 

21. Surfing: 1778-Today

Looking for best surfing coffee table books? Surfing: 1778-Today by Jim Heimann and C. R. Stecyk III – what a ride through the waves of history! Let me share why I find this book so captivating.

First things first, this book is like a time capsule of surf culture, spanning its early roots in the late 18th century to the modern-day surfing scene.

It’s like taking a journey through the evolution of surfing, from its origins in ancient Polynesia to its global phenomenon status today.

What really draws me into Surfing: 1778-Today is the way it combines stunning visuals with captivating storytelling.

The pages are filled with mesmerizing photographs, vintage posters, and iconic artwork that truly bring the history of surfing to life. It is one of the best surf books in the world.

Dimensions: 10.25 x 1.75 x 13.75 inches

22. The Finest Line: The Global Pursuit of Big-Wave Surfing

Looking for coffee table surf books or books about surfing? Take a look at this one.

The Finest Line: The Global Pursuit of Big-Wave Surfing by Rusty Long – now that’s a book that really gets my adrenaline pumping! Let me share why I’m so stoked about it.

Rusty Long takes you on a wild ride around the world, exploring some of the most legendary and jaw-dropping big-wave spots on the planet.

From the iconic breaks of Mavericks in California to the monstrous waves of Teahupo’o in Tahiti, Long leaves no wave unexplored as he delves into the heart-pounding world of big-wave surfing.

And let me tell you, the stories he shares are nothing short of epic.

But what really sets The Finest Line apart is Long’s deep respect and admiration for the ocean and the incredible athletes who dare to challenge its mightiest swells.

He doesn’t just focus on the adrenaline-fueled rides and epic wipeouts.

He also shines a light on the camaraderie, the courage, and the sheer love of the sport that drives these surfers to push the limits time and time again.

So what are you waiting for? Buy this one of the best surf books you can find.

Dimensions: 9.25 x 0.8 x 11.25 inches

23. The World in the Curl: An Unconventional History of Surfing

When it comes to a surfer coffee table book, you should get this one.

The World in the Curl: An Unconventional History of Surfing by Peter Westwick and Peter Neushul is a real gem for anyone who’s curious about the fascinating history of surfing.

From its ancient Polynesian roots to its modern-day global phenomenon status, Westwick and Neushul take you on a captivating journey through the waves of time. 

What I love most about this book is its unconventional approach to telling the story of surfing.

It’s not just a dry recitation of facts and figures – it’s a vibrant tapestry of stories, anecdotes, and insights that paint a vivid picture of surfing’s evolution.

One of the things that really stood out to me is the authors’ exploration of the cultural, social, and environmental aspects of surfing. 

They delve into topics like the impact of colonization on indigenous surfing cultures, the rise of surf tourism, and the environmental challenges facing coastal communities today.

So, are you still looking for the best surfing books or surf book?

24. Surf Odyssey: The Culture of Wave Riding

Although one of the most popular surf books is a Hawaii coffee table book, you still shouldn’t miss this one.

Surf Odyssey: The Culture of Wave Riding by Andrew Groves – this book is like taking a deep dive into the heart and soul of surfing culture.

From the moment you crack open the cover, you’re transported to a world where the sun, sand, and surf reign supreme. 

Groves has curated an incredible collection of images, stories, and insights that capture the essence of being a surfer.

One of the things I love most about this book is its celebration of the diversity and creativity within the surfing community. 

Groves doesn’t just focus on the big-name surfers or the famous breaks – he shines a light on the grassroots surf scenes, the underground surf art, and the quirky surf lifestyles.

But Surf Odyssey isn’t just about the visuals – it’s also about the stories behind the surf. 

Groves dives deep into the history, culture, and philosophy of surfing, exploring topics like surfboard design, surf music, and the spiritual connection between surfers and the sea.

If you’re looking for the best surf photography books or black and white surf photos. This is a good buy.

Dimensions: 9.79 x 1.23 x 12 inches

25. Surf Science: An Introduction to Waves for Surfing

Another famous surf book is a Surf Shack coffee table book, but Surf Science is also a must-read.

Surf Science: An Introduction to Waves for Surfing by Tony Butt is like having your own personal surf guru right at your fingertips. 

I stumbled upon this gem when I was looking to deepen my understanding of the waves I love to ride, and let me tell you, it’s been a game-changer.

What I love most about this book is how accessible and easy-to-understand it is.

Butt breaks down complex concepts like wave formation, oceanography, and surf forecasting into bite-sized chunks that even a newbie like me can wrap my head around.

It’s like having a friendly conversation with a knowledgeable friend who’s passionate about sharing their expertise.

And let’s talk about the illustrations – they’re absolutely fantastic.

From simple diagrams that explain the physics of waves to stunning photographs that capture the beauty of the ocean, each image adds another layer of understanding to the text.

So if you are looking for the best surfing photography book or best surf photos? This is the book for you!

Dimensions: 7.44 x 0.39 x 9.69 inches

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These are the 25 best surf coffee table books and I hope you like them. Also, please do check my post about National Parks coffee table book and Beach coffee table books. 

If you’re in love with the classic literature, don’t hesitate to read about the best adventure books of all time.

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Short FAQ about Surf Coffee Table Books

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