There was a time when surf magazines didn’t just report on surf culture—they helped create it. Before influencers, reels, blogs, vlogs, and even the internet, magazines like Surfer were our conduit to the wider surfing world. They told us who mattered, what was happening, where surfing was going, and what was worth celebrating, questioning, or remembering. And the editors were the stewards of that culture. Steve Hawk was at the helm of Surfer Magazine—the “Bible of the Sport”—from 1990 to 1998, one of the most transformative periods in modern surfing. The Momentum Generation was emerging, VHS surf videos were reshaping how we consumed surfing, the culture and aesthetics were changing, and the internet was about to upend everything. In this episode of Swell Season Surf Radio, Steve joins us to look back at those years: the beautifully chaotic Surfer newsroom, the rivalry with Surfing Magazine, the blurry line between editorial independence and the surf industry, and what it meant to help shape surf culture before algorithms took over the job. We also talk about what surfing has gained—and lost—in the digital age, the importance of community in the lineup, and Steve’s fascinating career after Surfer, which took him through Surfline, Swell.com, the Tony Hawk Foundation, HBO, Sierra magazine, and Stanford Business. Those seemingly disparate experiences all collide in Steve’s debut novel, Nearshore, a fast-moving ocean noir that brings surfing together with Silicon Valley, nuclear terrorism, AI, environmentalism, and some uncomfortable questions about technology, power, and who gets to shape our future. In many ways, Nearshore feels like Steve Hawk’s entire career packed into one story.And that gives us a lot to talk about. Steve Hawk is our guest on this episode of Swell Season Surf Radio. Follow Steve on his instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevehawk6211/?hl=enYou can Purchase his new book, “Nearshore” here: https://inkspellbooks.com/book/9798217062331  The Swell Season Surf Podcast is recorded by The NewsStand Studio at Rockefeller Center in the heart of Manhattan and is distributed by The Swell Season Surf Radio Network.  For more information, you can follow https://www.instagram.com/swellseasonsurfradio/ on Instagram or go to our website: https://www.swellseasonsurf.com/  Music:  Artist: David Bowie Song: The Man Who Sold The World Album: The Man Who Sold The World 00:00 Surf Magazines Matter02:08 Meet Steve Hawk 04:30 From Rookie to Leader 07:13 Learning to Manage 09:16 Money and Surfing13:04 Swag and Sponsors 15:50 Did Surfer Shape Culture17:39 Great Stories and Writers 22:05 Inside Surfer Office30:26 North Shore Slide Nights 36:01 Show Up and Be Kind41:14 New York Surf Culture 44:35 Rockaway Boardwalk Scene 44:54 Diversity In The Lineup 47:48 Surf Clubs And Community 48:45 Offline Culture Comeback 50:38 Surfing And Intellectual Life 54:13 Crowds And Finding Empty Peaks 55:36 Democratization Of Surf Media 01:01:16 Algorithms And Tech Oligarchs 01:06:54 Cambridge Analytica And Precrime 01:08:48 Billionaire Villain Blueprint 01:14:14 Nuclear Terror And Scapegoats 01:17:47 Ocean As Antidote 01:20:10 Unfettered Capitalism Critique 01:24:38 Politics In Fiction 01:25:02 Surf Authenticity Details 01:25:47 Real Life Stories 01:28:52 War Tech And Surfing 01:31:21 AI Fear And Control 01:33:04 Magazine Rivalries 01:35:34 Donut Prank Fallout 01:38:58 Split Cover Debate 01:42:51 Tudor Cover Myth 01:45:38 Surfing Future Predictions 01:48:09 Climate And Ocean Threats 01:51:33 Media Diet And Bubbles 01:55:49 Surfers Questionnaire 01:59:25 Where To Find Nearshore 02:00:58 Final Thanks And Outro