surfEXPLORE — John Seaton Callahan · International Surf Travel Consultant

Sierra Leone, West Africa · Photo: Emiliano Cataldi / surfEXPLORE

John Seaton Callahan

A master safari guide
commands his rate
because he has been there
a thousand times.

John Seaton Callahan is a Worldwide Surf Travel Expert, professional photographer and founder of the surfEXPLORE Group. A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) — Bachelor of Design, College of Fine Arts — he has spent 35 years building one of the most comprehensive private archives of surf exploration on the planet.

He has completed more than 100 international surf travel projects in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas since 1990. His work has been published in every major surfing publication worldwide, with more than 130 cover images and over 6,000 pages of editorial material. He is represented by Getty Images with a current portfolio of 32,000 images and video clips.

John is listed on Matt Warshaw's authoritative Encyclopedia of Surfing. He is the author of surfEXPLORE: Discovering New Surfing Locations Worldwide, published by Schiffer Publishing. His client history spans film and television producers, travel providers, publishers, companies and private individuals.

From naming "Cloud 9" on Siargao Island in the Philippines, to exploring the Maldives with Tony Hinde-Hussein, to being the first to surf many locations worldwide — including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and now-famous breaks across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas — John has done it all over the past 35 years.

His service is research, planning, group co-ordination, travel logistics, photography and videography — the full spectrum, from blank map to executed expedition. Clients include access to locations that do not appear in any app, platform or public database. In the right place at the right time, every time.

As Featured In

Africa Asia Europe The Americas Tropical Zones Temperate Zones Coldwater Zones

35 Years Active

100+ Int'l Projects

120+ Cover Images

32K Getty Images Archive

The Field

Where others see
a blank map,
Callahan sees a wave.

Every surfEXPLORE project begins months before departure — satellite analysis, oceanographic modelling, diplomatic logistics, local network activation across four continents. The actual expedition is the product of that invisible preparation. Your group arrives to a charted destination, not a gamble.

Southeast Asia

Pre-Expedition Planning

Remote Access

Local Transport

West Africa Overland

Field Camp

Arabian Peninsula

Community Access

Island Access

Wave Quality

The locations remain
confidential.
The waves speak
for themselves.

Every break in the surfEXPLORE archive has been physically surfed, assessed and documented across three decades — with hundreds of locations in our research database waiting to be explored. Coordinates are released only to confirmed project clients under agreement. What is shown here represents the calibre of what is waiting.

Location Protocol

Specific break names, GPS coordinates and regional identification are disclosed only to confirmed clients. This is standard practice in professional surf exploration — the same discretion applied by elite safari operations to their most sensitive game corridors.

AFRICA · ASIA · EUROPE · THE AMERICAS
100+ LOCATIONS · ALL CLASSIFIED

Reading the conditions · Comoros

Finding the waves, Angola

No roads? Hike in, Haiti

The Process

Research. Plan.
Produce. Deliver.

01

Consultation & Brief

Your group's ability level, travel window, risk appetite and desired experience are established. This determines which tier of the 100+ location archive is appropriate and which continents are in scope.

02

Research & Destination Proposal

Drawing on 35 years of field notes and an active global network — local fixers, fishermen, government contacts — a bespoke project is designed. Swell windows, access logistics and contingency plans are all specified.

03

Full Pre-Expedition Production

Permits, transport chains, accommodation, equipment logistics, medical preparation. Clients receive a comprehensive expedition dossier. Nothing is improvised on the ground that can be resolved in advance.

03b

Strike Missions

When the conditions are right, a "strike mission" can take place, specifically to chase a special incoming ocean swell. Instead of a traditional surf trip, clients fly or drive to a remote break with only 24 to 48 hours notice, hoping to score perfect, world-class waves. Strike mission trips are entirely dependent on swell charts, wind models and tide forecasts — and depend on knowledge and experience to be successful.

04

Field Leadership & Documentation

On-ground leadership for groups of 3–4. Callahan reads conditions daily, adapts the itinerary in real time and ensures every client surfs the best waves the destination can deliver. Specific languages including French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Korean can be accommodated at additional cost. Professional photography and videography throughout.

In the Field

See what thirty-five years
of exploration looks like.

This is the work. Remote coastlines, local transport, uncrowded waves and the kind of access that only comes from decades of relationship-building across four continents. This location in Pacific Indonesia was completely unsurfed by anyone until our surfEXPLORE project in 2024. This is what your clients will experience.

Watch on YouTube

Investment

Knowledge built over 35 years.

A master East African safari guide does not negotiate his day rate. The expertise behind each surfEXPLORE project — the satellite research, the local networks, the three decades of field notes — is not available anywhere else. It is priced accordingly.

Consultant Day Rate · International Projects $500 USD per day · Private groups of 3–4

Full pre-expedition research, satellite analysis & swell modelling
Bespoke destination proposal & comprehensive expedition dossier
Logistics production: permits, transport, accommodation, local fixers
On-ground field leadership & real-time conditions assessment
Daily itinerary adaptation based on swell & weather
Professional photography & videography documentation
Post-expedition location report (coordinates under client NDA)

surfEXPLORE operates on a transparent day-rate basis. We have no commercial relationships with resorts, operators or accommodation providers, from basic to ultra-luxury — our sole interest is delivering the best possible surf travel experience for your group.

Anyone can book a guest into a luxury resort and collect a commission. The vast knowledge and experience behind each surfEXPLORE project — accumulated over 35 years across four continents — is what commands a professional day rate. If luxury accommodation is your priority, we can arrange that too. But the waves always come first.

"The most experienced guide in the Maasai Mara commands $600–$900 per day because clients understand that his knowledge cannot be Googled. I have surfed breaks that do not exist on any map. The thirty-five years of preparation behind that access — and the certainty it delivers to your clients — is what you are retaining."

— John Seaton Callahan · Worldwide Surf Travel Expert · Singapore

Credentials

The record that
earns the trust
of serious clients.

John Seaton Callahan is not an enthusiastic amateur. He is a credentialled professional whose work is documented in the world's leading surf publications, in the Getty Images archive, and in the most authoritative reference work in the field.

📚

Published Author — Schiffer Publishing

Author of surfEXPLORE: Discovering New Surfing Locations Worldwide, available from Schiffer Publishing, September 2025. The definitive reference on international surf discovery methodology.

📸

Getty Images — 32,000 Image Archive

Represented by Getty Images. 130+ cover images. More than 6,000 pages of editorial material published in every major surfing publication worldwide.

🔎

Encyclopedia of Surfing — Matt Warshaw

Listed on the authoritative Encyclopedia of Surfing, the most rigorous reference work in surf history and culture.

🎓

UCLA — Bachelor of Design, Fine Arts 1987

University of California, Los Angeles. College of Fine Arts. The foundation of a career built on visual intelligence and systematic creative research.

🤝

References Available on Request

Previous clients include film and television producers, travel providers, publishers, companies and private individuals. References provided to serious enquiries.

The Book

surfEXPLORE:
Discovering New Surfing
Locations Worldwide

Published by Schiffer Publishing, September 2025. Written by John Seaton Callahan and the surfEXPLORE Group — this is the product of 35 years of international surf exploration and 50+ documented projects across four continents.

In 28 chapters of international surf travel in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, the book establishes a methodology: how to identify, access and assess remote surf terrain, how to build the local relationships that make access possible, and how to translate raw exploration into an exceptional client experience. It demonstrates what three decades of systematic fieldwork looks like.

For luxury expedition operators — Cookson Adventures, Pelorus, White Desert, Lush Palm and Tropic Surf and comparable companies — this is the credential that distinguishes a genuine field expert. A proven track record in print, in image and in the field. Available for B2B consultation, project collaboration and private client referral.

Request a Consultation Trade Enquiry

What They Say

Recognised by the
authorities of the sport.

"No one in the history of the sport has taken the search for surf as seriously, and has chronicled those surfaris so comprehensively."

Sam George The Inertia

"John Callahan's life has been about exactly what the title of his new book — surfEXPLORE — suggests."

Phil Jarratt TRACKS Magazine

"The book is the culmination of a multi-decadal project from photographer John Seaton Callahan and his surfEXPLORE personnel."

Steve Shearer Swellnet

Follow the Expedition

Find surfEXPLORE
across all platforms.

Instagram @surfexplore Facebook The surfEXPLORE Group LinkedIn The surfEXPLORE Group Flickr Archive Published Materials YouTube @surfEXPLORE Apple Podcasts Book Chapters

Contact

Begin the
conversation.

surfEXPLORE accepts a limited number of commissions each year. Enquiries are welcome from private clients planning a group of 3–4, and from luxury travel companies and expedition operators seeking a specialist surf travel consultant.

All enquiries are treated with complete discretion. Location discussions are conducted under non-disclosure terms as standard practice.

WhatsApp / Signal: +65 8595 7661
No voice calls please — message or schedule a Zoom
Email: jsc@surfexplore.info
Based in: Singapore

All images and video © John Seaton Callahan / surfEXPLORE
© 2025 surfEXPLORE · All rights reserved

Private Clients

Bespoke Group Expeditions

For groups of 3–4 seeking a fully researched, produced and guided international surf expedition. Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas.

Trade & B2B

Cookson Adventures · Pelorus · White Desert · Lush Palm · Tropic Surf

For luxury expedition operators seeking to add premium surf exploration to their client offering. Consultancy, curation and field leadership available.

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Company / Organisation (if applicable)

Enquiry Type

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Message

The world does notreveal its finest wavesto the unprepared.

A master safari guidecommands his ratebecause he has been therea thousand times.

Where others seea blank map,Callahan sees a wave.

The locations remainconfidential.The waves speakfor themselves.

Research. Plan.Produce. Deliver.

See what thirty-five yearsof exploration looks like.

Knowledge built over 35 years.

The record thatearns the trustof serious clients.

surfEXPLORE:Discovering New SurfingLocations Worldwide

Recognised by theauthorities of the sport.

Find surfEXPLOREacross all platforms.

Begin theconversation.

The world does not
reveal its finest waves
to the unprepared.