Surfline.com is now ranked 1,180 in the US and 5,784 in the world in terms of popularity compared to other websites[1] and is now the largest provider of streaming HD coastal cams[citation needed].

[9][10][11] Callers heard a 90-second recorded message with information about the size, duration, and angle of waves at 22 California surfing locations.

[9][13] Previously, surfers used tips from local surfing stores or friends that live within eye-sight of the beach.

[18][9] Around this time, Surfline started doing forecasting work for special events, contests, and surf magazines,[9] as well as lifeguard organizations and government agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard.

[17][19][20] By the early 2000s, Surfline provided data for 37 beaches in California, four in Hawaii, 17 in Florida, and 20 others predominantly on the East Coast.

[12] By 2002, it had about 15 employees and 30 contract surfers that visit beaches in-person to provide reports on surfing conditions.

[22] In 2017, Surfline acquired Magicseaweed, a United Kingdom-based company founded in 2002 and focused on forecasting surf conditions in more than 200 countries.

Surfer magazine’s editor Brendon Thomas has said in response to this shift, “I’m not saying that’s necessarily a good thing, but it’s true.” [16] Another aspect of Surf Culture that is seeing some controversy is dealing with new crowds.

The locals were so upset that there was suspicion that some of the surfers in New Jersey even planned to get back by hiding and/or breaking the camera.