From its humble beginnings, surfing has transformed into a lucrative, international industry, and the US surf tourism market alone was estimated to be worth $14 billion in 2024. More people are taking up the sport than ever before, and with GPS-enabled surfboards, performance-tracking smart watches and artificial wave technology improving year-on-year (as shown in this photo of the landlocked Kelly Slater Surf Ranch), the trend is set to continue.

Now check out these nostalgic images of American road trips from every decade

The most incredible historic images of surfing in the USA