On the cover of the new issue: Mark Healey (@healeywaterops) dropping through critical airspace at the 2023 Eddie. “I shot this photo from a helicopter using a long lens,” says photographer Mike Coots (@mikecoots). On the back: Midcentury high society—and sleds—on display at Lima, Peru’s Club Waikiki, 1959. Photo by Frank Scherschel, courtesy of LIFE photo archives.

Other entry points in the issue include surfer/writer/photographer Damien Castera’s (@damiencastera) journey into war-torn Ukraine, a visit to the labs and lineups of Réunion Island ten years into its shark crisis, and a glimpse into the Tandjung (@rizaltandjung) family compound on Java. Visuals span from the backyard surfboard laminations of late Pacific Beach denizen Bradley Buben to the large-scale fine-art works of Alaska-raised, Mexico-residing Kylie Manning (@manningkylie). We also test the hypothesis that working with a top-tier coach for a week in the Maldives can improve an average surfer’s skill, have coffee with Peruvian Miguel Tudela (@migueltudelach), and examine the high-action images of Josh Tabone (@joshuatabone).