Simon Schuetz has studied almost every book and website on surf spots. He has spent countless hours compiling data on wave frequency, quality, tide, and shape to create a world surf map. While evaluating each location and deciding which spots to include, he found that some coastlines have almost no surfing information. In this interview, Simon talks about the blank areas of the map.

Are there any regions with little information about waves, that might have potential for future discoveries?

When you take a look at the surtripmap you will notice some gaps like in Namibia or Angola. India and the Middle East also have very little discovered spots. And especially remote, cold regions have so much potential. Iceland, Russia, Japan, Norway, Canada, Patagonia… I could keep this list going.

There are many reasons why some of these coastlines are relatively unexplored. It is just extremely hard to get to remote spots in Russia or Iceland. And not only do you have to go there, but you also have to get lucky as many of these spots are extremely fickle and forecasts aren’t that reliable. The weather can change quickly. Also ‘artificial’ restrictions like military zones or dangerous countries like Yemen are a reason for unexplored coastlines. There are plenty of world-class waves out there waiting to be surfed for the very first time.

What’s your interest in discovering waves in the arctic, antarctic, and sub-antarctic?

I really enjoy driving along the coast looking for empty waves because of the adventure that comes with it. Also in my mind there is nothing more amazing than raw nature. Planet earth has so much to offer. I am sure every surfer can relate to that. Combine the two things, and you have the adventure of discovering great surf spots and the raw nature in those regions.

What’s ahead in mapping waves around the world? Are there any other map ideas that you have been thinking about?

All the research that went not only into the surf spots but also into all the illustrations really showed how many amazing places there are on our planet and that we are far from having it all captured. It is impossible to show every region with the detail it deserves on a worldmap, so the idea of the surftripmap really is to remind people to keep searching.

Check out the website, surftripmap.com for more info, or follow http://www.facebook.com/surftripmap.

Alaska, the final frontier. Throughout history it has taunted the hearts of the hardy with dreams of wealth: fishing, oil, and gold. In recent times the northernmost state has reached into the world of surfing like Jack Frost nipping at your toes, enticing a frigid fringe of surfers to mine it’s wealth of waves. With scarce coastal access and a juicy swell window, murmurs of cold-water boat trip businesses have been circulating in Yakutat pubs. Scott Dickerson is at the forefront of Alaska’s surf community and has spent some time contemplating a surf charter endeavor.

Scott: The most striking things about surfing the cold frontiers are the spirit of discovery and the incredible scenery. I can’t think of a more stoke inducing thing than discovering a new surf break that in all likelihood has never been ridden before and pioneering it with a handful of friends. And all this surrounded by untouched wilderness and wildlife. To me, that’s what surfing in Alaska is all about. It was nicknamed the Last Frontier when the US purchased it in 1959 and for us surfers that name still rings true.

Arctic Surf Blog: A boat trip in Indo sounds pretty neat, so what kind of person would prefer to go on a cold water charter?

Scott: A surfer who desires a sense of discovery and exploration and wants to surf uncrowded waves. Personally when I see a crowded surf break my stoke fizzles. Growing up in Alaska and surfing with just a few friends my whole life has clearly been a unique experience. But I think that any surfer could appreciate the special experience of pioneering a new surf break with just a few friends.  This is what a surf charter in Alaska can offer. With more coastline than the entire US combined and less people than most large cities in the US it’s easy to understand how Alaska remains as a paradise for surfers looking for adventure.

Arctic Surf Blog: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Scott is also an accomplished surf photographer. Checkout his work at SurfAlaska.net.

A few charters have already sprung up. The screen grab below is a glimpse into the birth of arctic surf boat tripping. Like the Mentawais in the early 80’s, the potential for Alaskan breaks is just beginning to be realized. Get your waves before it blows up.

Sean Moffatt is one of a few surfers in the Falkland Islands and has found several new and un-surfed waves down there. He was kind enough to talk about surf exploration in this far region, and share some photos from his discoveries.

What is the general landscape and weather of the places you are exploring?

The landscape here is pretty bleak and baron.  There are no trees, just mountains, rivers and open countryside.  The coastline is mostly rocky, with large amounts of kelp around the Islands. However, there are a good number of sand beaches scattered about.

Do you have any unique methods of doing things in the cold?

The water temperature goes down to 3 or 4 degrees in the winter, so 5mm hooded suits, 7mm booties, and 5mm gloves are a must.  We don’t have any method as such to keep warm, any suggestions would be greatly received.  We just keep surfs down to a maximum of 3 hours in the middle of winter.

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Adam Waldie spent 13 years as a Navigator in the Australian Navy. Most of his time was lived in submarines, as well as patrol boats and destroyers. He ventured as far south as Heard Island and as far north as Yakutat Alaska, including all the places in between those two places. He is the founder of Surfing Atlas, a one stop online resource that compiles crucial information for traveling to well known and lesser known surf spots across the globe. Adam saw the opportunity to gather this data and put it in a place easily accessible for travelers. Adam was very kind to share some of his insights about cold places with Arctic Surf Blog.com.

What drives your interest in distant cold-water waves?

Cold water (below 35 degrees north / south) makes up 55% of the planet. That’s an enormous amount of potential. When you consider that the majority of surf holidays occur within around 20 degrees of the equator it makes for some very un-crowded potential as well. It’s more than that though, the solitude of some of these destinations is incredible. These are the last corners of the Earth.

What areas have you specifically been to or been interested in?

Alaska and the west coast of Canada are a lot easier to travel around than the sub Antartic islands. The sub-Antarctic islands and the Chilean coast have astounding potential but access is difficult and expensive. Still, I think a true cold water surf resort will be a reality as the tropics become more and more crowded. This is what really interests me, cold water surf tourism. New Zealand would be a good test site and their lower west coast receives ample year round southern swell to make that a reality. Add surf camp with roaring log fires and your in business.

What informed your decision to visit some of these specific areas?

A lot of my sub-Antarctic island trips were done with the Australian Navy. Permission is needed to surf many of these areas but its not impossible to obtain. We were in 5000 tonne warships and still some of the swells down there make you feel under-gunned. Again, this is a big impediment to getting around down south. The sheer amount of swell is incredible, you spend most of your time waiting for it to die down as opposed to pick up.

Did you see any waves or potential for waves?

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