SurfVault Guide

Find anything on SurfVault — web or app.

A visual guide for surfers, photographers, and shapers. Where every feature lives, how the Library keeps it all organized, and exactly what to tap — whatever device you’re on.

Free plan · No credit card · Your photos stay secure

Start here

Three ways in — pick the one that’s you.

Every account can do everything, but here’s the shortest path to value for how you’ll actually use SurfVault.

Surfer

Find & save your waves

  1. Set your location to see sessions posted nearby
  2. Favorite breaks & follow photographers — get notified when new uploads land
  3. Discover waves on the map, or jump to a break and filter by the date you surfed
  4. Request access, save to your vault & tip the photographer
Photographer

Upload, organize, deliver

  1. Upload from your phone or computer
  2. Everything lands in your Library — file & group it
  3. Link your payment channels so surfers can pay or tip you
  4. Surfers request access, or send them a private share link
  5. Approve & deliver — you get paid direct
Shaper

Show your boards

  1. Build a board gallery — add photos & video of every board you shape
  2. Keep it growing: drop in new shots of your boards being ridden anytime
  3. Link your payment channels — surfers tap to pay you direct
  4. Land in the Boardroom; surfers message you to order direct
Flagship · Library

Every photo you own, in one place.

The Library is your home base — a single hub where every upload flows from Inbox to a polished, published session. File it, group it, tag who’s in it, and deliver it, without ever losing a frame. On the web and in the app.

Inbox

Every upload lands here first — unfiled and waiting. Clear it a whole day at a time.

Drafts

Build a private session, get it just right, then publish when it’s ready to share.

Published

Live on your profile and discoverable by the surfers in your shots.

People Tag who’s in the shot, across every session
Groups Free-text folders that span sessions
Drag-to-file Drop selections onto a session, person, or group
Filter by break Lens your whole library by surf break
Duplicates Find & clear repeat shots in bulk
Calendar Jump straight to any day you shot

Shapers get the same Library, tuned for boards instead of sessions.

The map of SurfVault

What are you looking for?

Pick a feature area to see exactly where it lives — on the web and in the app, side by side. One-sided features are flagged, so you’re never hunting for a button that isn’t there.

Showing Library

Feature
On the web
In the app
Library
All · Inbox · Drafts · Published Your media by pipeline stage: unfiled → draft → live
Librarythe view tiles
Library tabcategories
File a whole day into a session Clear the Inbox a day at a time
Inboxday headerFile
Inboxfile the day
People Tag who’s in each shot, across sessions — photographers
LibraryPeople
LibraryPeople
Groups Free-text folders that span sessions — everyone
LibraryGroups
LibraryGroups
Drag to organize Drop selections onto a session, person, or group
Drag tiles onto the sidebar
Selectadd to…
Filter by surf break Lens your whole library by break
All viewbreak filter
Libraryfilter
Duplicates scan Find & clear repeat shots in bulkweb only
AllDuplicates
— not in the app
Downloads Your generated zips & clips — links expire in 7 daysweb only
LibraryDownloads
— not in the app
Uploads Track, retry, or cancel in-progress uploads
LibraryUploads
LibraryUploads
Shares Manage your private share links — photographers & shapers
LibraryShares
LibraryShares
Your profile
Your profile & photos Your public page and everything you’ve uploaded
Your handle · top-right
Profile tab · bottom-right
Edit profile & links Name, bio, Instagram, website, tags
SettingsProfile
ProfileEdit profile
Payment / tip links Venmo, PayPal, Cash App on your profile — display only
SettingsPayments
ProfileEdit profile
Status note A short blurb on your profile, auto-expires in 7 days
Your profiletap the bubble
Your profiletap the bubble
Find sessions & breaks
The world map Every break with photos, by location
Map · top nav
Map tab
A break’s sessions All the days shot at one break
Searchbreak page
Searchbreak page
On This Day Photos shot today, in years past
DiscoverOn This Day pill
SearchOn This Day pill
Following bar Photographers you follow + who’s live now
Home subheader
Home tab
Discover & search
Home / discover feed Nearby breaks, photographers & fresh sessions
Home
Home tab
Nearby photographers Who’s shooting around you
DiscoverNearby
HomeLocals rail
Photographer directory Browse shooters by region
Surf Photographers
HomePhotographers
Search anything Breaks, people, handles
Header search
Search bar · top
Films
Watch surf films SurfVault edits & team-rider films
Films · top nav
Home feedfilm rails
Films at your breaks Films shot near you or at a spot
Filmsrails
Break pageFilms
Films you’re in Get surfaced when you appear — then claim & verify
A filmClaim
A filmClaim
From who you follow New films from photographers you follow
FilmsFollowing
Home feed
Upload & organize
Upload a session Create a session at a break & date
Upload
+ tab
Photo groups Sort a session by surfer or wave — surfers filter to just theirs
In the sessionsidebar chips
In the sessionGroup mode
Import from cloud storage Web: Google Drive. App: Files, iCloud, Drive, Dropbox & more
UploaderGoogle Drive
Uploadcloud / Files picker
Upload progress Track a big upload while you keep working
LibraryUploads
Progress pill above the tabs
Getting & sharing photos
Request access Ask a photographer for a private gallery
On the sessionRequest
On the sessionRequest
Download originals Full-quality files once approved
Downloadzip file
Save to Photos
Save to camera roll Straight into your phone’s Photosapp only
— not on web
Save to Photos on any shot
Share a hidden session A private link for an unlisted location
SessionShare link
SessionShare link
Private galleries & access
Approve a request Grant a surfer access to your shots
Access requestApprove
Access requestGrant
Set how long access lasts One week to unlimited
On approveduration
On grantduration
Private profile / blur gate Lock your gallery so it’s request-only
SettingsPrivate
Edit profilePrivate
Messages & notifications
Messages / chat Talk to surfers, photographers & shapers
Messages
Messages tab
Contact someone new First message from their profile
ProfileMessage
ProfileMessage
Notifications center Tags, requests, active photographers
BellNotifications
Notifications
Push notifications Get pinged when your photos are readyapp only
— not on web
SettingsNotifications
Favorites
Favorite a break Keep your spots one tap away
Breakheart
Breakheart
Your favorites All your saved breaks
Favorites
ProfileFavorites
Reorder / remove Curate the list
Favorites bar
Manage favorites · drag
Shapers & Boardroom
Your boards A living gallery of every board you shape — photos & video
Libraryboards
Library tabboards
Grow a board’s gallery Add new shots of your boards — including in-the-water — anytime
Libraryboardadd media
Libraryboardadd
Feature a board Surface your best — up to 9
Board editFeatured
Board editFeatured
The Boardroom Local shapers near you
In Discover
Boardroom feed
Order a board Reach out directly
Message the shaper
Message the shaper
Settings & preferences
Units, theme, notifications mi/km, light/dark, push togglesapp only
— not on web
ProfileSettings
Nearby radius How far discovery reaches
Honored — no toggle yet
SettingsDiscovery
Auto-save approved photos Send granted shots straight to your vault
Applied automatically
SettingsVault
app only Lives in the mobile app web only Lives on the website —  Not available on that platform
Deep dive · Photographers

Organize a published session for delivery.

Once a session is live, this is the workflow that makes surfers find themselves in seconds — and your approvals one tap.

app.surf-vault.com / the-poles · aug 9
The Poles — Aug 9Group mode
People
J@jaketagged
M@miatagged
Groups
Longboard set
Dawn patrol
+ New
3 selectedAssign to…
1 2 3
1

Group by a surfer — or a label

Assign photos to a specific surfer, which auto-tags and notifies them, or make a free-text group like “Longboard set” for quick sorting. Colors keep the sidebar scannable.

2

Select shots, then assign

Turn on group mode, tap the frames that belong together, and assign them to a surfer or a group. A photo can live in more than one.

3

Surfers filter to just theirs

Anyone viewing the session taps a chip to instantly see only those waves — so requests, approvals, and downloads are effortless.

This organizes one session for delivery — separate from your Library’s cross-session People & Groups.

Ready to find your waves?

Free to start. Your photos stay secure.

Free plan · No credit card · Your photos stay secure