Surfing dachshund. Angry pros. Surfers rescued. New surf movie.

A bit of a mishmash of a surf news roundup this week.

surfing dachshund featured in viral tiktok video

A surfing dachshund is gaining widespread attention after a TikTok video showed the small dog calmly riding a wave in Australia. In the video, the dachshund stands balanced on a surfboard while being guided through small, manageable surf. The dog appears steady and relaxed as the board glides toward shore.

Apparently, the pup learned by practicing on surfboards in their owner’s pool. As we write it, the video gained 11 million views. We’re sure it will gain a few more.

olympic surf qualification changes criticised by top tour surfers

Following last week’s news, this was guaranteed to have happened. World champion Yago Dora and several elite surfers have criticised recent changes to the Olympic qualification system for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, announced by the International Surfing Association.

Under the revised system, the number of surfers qualifying from the World Surf League Championship Tour will decrease from 20 to 10. Additionally, only one man and one woman per country will qualify from the professional tour, compared to two per gender in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Tour-based qualification will take place in June 2028, after four events, three of which are scheduled in Australia.

A total of 48 surfers will compete at LA28. Of those, 20 surfers—10 men and 10 women—will qualify through the ISA World Surfing Games. Most remaining positions will be allocated through regional ISA events, and the maximum number of surfers per nation will increase from two to three.

Dora told Reuters: “We don’t want an easier pathway to qualify than the rest of the surfers. We just wanted it to be fair, and we want to make sure that all the best surfers are representing their nations in the Olympics.” He also expressed concern about qualification timing, saying that awarding tour spots after only four events “should give it the most fair way possible — that would be counting the full year of 2027.”

Italian tour surfer Leonardo Fioravanti wrote on social media: “The proposal that has been accepted today doesn’t even guarantee the 2027 world champion competing in the Olympics.”

ISA Executive Director Robert Fasulo responded that the organisation conducted consultations with stakeholders, including the WSL and national federations. He said the revised system offers “more pathways” and protects “the core Olympic value of universality,” adding: “There are more pathways with the new system.”

two surfers rescued after rip current incident in oregon

Two surfers were rescued on Saturday, February 21, after being caught in a rip current off Cape Kiwanda Beach on the Oregon Coast.

According to the Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District, emergency crews were dispatched for a possible high-angle rescue. One surfer managed to return to shore with assistance from others in the water. The second surfer was pushed toward a rock cliff and was unable to climb back up.

Firefighters deployed a quick-rappel system to reach the stranded surfer and assist him safely up the cliff and back to the parking lot. North Lincoln Fire & Rescue responded with Water Rescue 16, and the U.S. Coast Guard provided helicopter support. Both surfers declined medical treatment at the scene.

Officials reminded the public that rip currents can form quickly and may be stronger than they appear. Safety guidance advises remaining calm if caught in a rip current, avoiding fighting the current directly, and swimming parallel to shore until out of the current.

behind the scenes of “the search for volcano island”

A new behind-the-scenes video offers insight into the making of The Search for Volcano Island, a surf film documenting a journey through Alaska’s Aleutian Islands in search of remote waves.

The film follows five friends traveling by boat to explore cold, isolated coastlines. The project was produced by Fielder Films, founded by filmmaker Ben Weiland and Brian “Bobcat” Davis.

The feature highlights the logistical challenges involved in filming in remote and harsh environments and documents the effort required behind the scenes of a surf film production. You can watch it now on Amazon Prime Video.