The surfing blogosphere is all abuzz today over a new artificial wave technology, but the fact remains that there are still plenty of natural waves out there in unexpected places. Like New Brunswick, for example. Moncton resident Kyle Ereaux sent us a few photos from his home province, along with these words:

"In New Brunswick we've been having an exceptionally wild winter. A relentless string of winter storms has politicians talking about disaster relief, fishermen talking about their traps, cottage owners about erosion and surfers talking about the waves. While most of the province is tired of winter, my brother and I (the only two surfers I know of in N.B.) are having a wonderful time. Here is a collection of images from a recent gale. We tend to get howling onshores for 48 hours and then a brief but glassy few hours as the wind changes and the sun comes out. The waves are fickle but fun. Some might ask why bother to surf in New Brunswick? The answer is purely because I can. There is a unique satisfaction I get when surfing a place I know that nature does not normally allow to break. However, as I am starting to learn, there are more waves in New Brunswick than I ever imagined."

Photos by Kyle and Graham Ereaux.

What do you do when you're stranded in Edmonton and it's -26 outside? You grab your baggies, push through the crowds of Aquacisers and go surfing in the wave pool at North America's biggest shopping mall.

Thanks to Jeff Brooks for the link.

A few days ago Grain Surfboards sent us some photos that we thought we'd pass on for your afternoon viewing pleasure. All three are at or near the company's homestead in Maine—a soulful little state that almost counts as a part of Canada.

For more about Grain Surfboards, visit their website here.

Ben McBrien goes right at Maine's favourite left on his handbuilt alaia.

The essentials of bodysurfing: swim fins and a shoulder plane.

Gerimiah Meeh enjoying the fall weather while he fine tunes a Grain plane.

Carl White has been shaping foam on the South Island for quite some time now, gaining a small but loyal following over the years. He's usually an under-the-radar type, so we were stoked to see this clip pop up a few days ago. Carl's bang-on with his comments about supporting local business and local shapers.

For more about Carl's work, you can check the Barracuda Surfboards site here.

It felt like Christmas had come early when I checked the mail a few days ago and found a copy of Matt Warshaw's new book, The History of Surfing. It's one of the most impressive surf books I've ever seen—495 beautifully designed pages that take you from ancient Peru and ancient Polynesia to Kelly Slater and the Superbank. It happens to be supplemented with a ton of great photographs—think a really, really big issue of The Surfer's Journal. There's a reason that Warshaw is at the top of the surf writing field, and if you're looking for a gift for the literate surfer in your life, this is definitely the one. A fitting summary of the book is provided by Warshaw himself in the introduction: "I wanted to clean and jerk the entire gorgeous sprawling mess of a sport—hoist it up where surfers and nonsurfers alike could see it anew and in full."

On a related topic, Joe Curren has an interesting post on his blog about the book's cover. We'll also be running an interview with Warshaw in the Spring 2011 issue of SBC Surf.

Thanks to Raincoast Books for the assistance.