Captivating new TV series searches for Drive to Survive impact on surfing | Kieran Pender

Make or Break's behind-the-scenes look at the World Surf League engages fans and non-fans alike even if some hard questions remain ignored

There is a moment early in the first episode of Make or Break, a new series from Apple TV+ about the World Surf League, when Tyler Wright neatly encapsulates the tension at the heart of professional surfing. We come from a sport of, aww we're hippies'," says the Australian surfer, a two-time WSL champion. We're not. We're competitive little assholes."

Surfing has long grappled with this bipolar identity; a sport initially beloved by the counter-culture movement that grew popular, some would say too popular, on the back of booming commercial and competitive success. Make or Break, an entertaining seven-part series, is the latest attempt by the surfing elite to capitalise on its popularity. Given the show has already been renewed for a second season - before it even went to air - they will most likely succeed.