Writing generated by surfing is extensive. There are surf histories, surf memoirs and biographies, surf journalism and even surf encyclopedias. A developed research literature on surfing examines cultural and economic significance of surf and beach environments. But surprisingly little academic study has examined creative works based around surfing, even though a substantial list of publications (as many as 700, mainly fiction) dates back to the mid-19th Century when Herman Melville and R.M. Ballantyne first used surfing incidents in their novels. Internationally recognised writers who produced literary works based in surfing include Eugene Burdick, Frederick Kohner, Kem Nunn, Don Winslow, and Tim Winton. Recent Australian women writers known for their surf-based novels include Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey, Fiona Capp, Favel Parrett, and Madelaine Dickie. Beyond the work of these few named, there are hundreds more novels about surfing in adult, teenage, crime, romance and other popular genres. We believe this Special Issue of TEXT proposed the first call for academic refereed papers on the topic of creative writing and surfing.