Surfing’s history books are full of names that will forever be a part of our funny little pursuit. Many of those names are Australian — the Bustin’ Down the Door era made sure of that — and Wayne Lynch is up there with the best of them.
The video you see here is old. Fifty-two years old, in fact. Shot in 1972, it features Wayne Lynch and a handful of others surfing Bells Beach. The reason you’re able to see it here in 2025 is thanks to the Surf Film Archive, a group dedicated to finding, scanning and restoring Australia and New Zealand’s lost surf films.
“All the footage you will see was originally shot on film, and has been scanned from the highest possible copy we could find, sometimes even the camera reels,” the creators explained. “Everything is scanned and shared with permission by the original filmmakers or their families. We hope The Surf Film Archive will become a comprehensive resource for generations to come, and once completed we will gift the original scanned files to an Australian museum or institution for safekeeping.”
Looking back at surfing’s history is a great way to remember just how far surfing has come and how much things have changed. A few things remain the same, though: good waves and good style will never be out of fashion.
