Surfing (Hawaiian: he‘e nalu, "wave-sliding") became very popular during the 1950-60s with the baby boomer generation on the US West Coast. They adopted and modified the Hawaiian practice of wave riding - where individuals (surfers) are propelled across the water by the force of waves, while standing on a flat, wide board.

Surfers' skills are tested not only in their ability to control their board in challenging conditions, but by their ability to execute various manoeuvres, such as the 'cutback' (turning back toward the breaking part of the wave), the 'floater' (riding on the top of the breaking curl of the wave), 'off the lip' (banking off the top of the wave), the 'aerial' (arcing through the air above the wave) and, if the surf conditions allow it, tuberiding: This is the holy grail of surfing, where the surfer manoeuvres into a position where larger waves can curl over the top of them, forming a "tube" (or "barrel") and with the rider inside the cylindrical portion of the wave.

Competitive Surfing is a comparison sport. Riders, competing in pairs or small groups, are allocated a certain amount of time to ride waves and display their prowess and mastery of the board. Competitors are then judged according to how competently the wave is ridden, including the level of difficulty, as well as the frequency of manoeuvres performed. There is a professional Surfing world championship series held annually at surf beaches around the world.

A non-competitive extreme activity involving riding the biggest waves possible (known as "rhino hunting") is also popular with some surfers. A practice popularised in the 1990s has seen big wave surfing revolutionised - as surfers use jet skis to tow them out to a position where they can catch previously un-rideable waves (this is known as tow-in surfing).