Help

Support

Need help with SurfVault? You’re in the right place.

Contact us

We respond to most questions within 1–2 business days.

Getting started

What is SurfVault? SurfVault is where the surf world stores, finds, and shares its photos and video. Photographers upload sessions tied to specific surf breaks and dates; surfers browse their breaks to find shots of themselves and request access. Shapers showcase their boards in the Boardroom, and businesses can advertise to surfers — all in one app, on iOS, Android, and the web.

How do I create an account? Download SurfVault from the App Store or Google Play, or go to app.surf-vault.com. You can sign up with Apple, Google, or email and password. After signing in, you’ll be walked through picking a handle, choosing whether you’re a Surfer, Photographer, Shaper, or Advertiser, and setting your profile visibility.

What’s the difference between account types? Surfers, photographers, and shapers can all browse sessions, favorite surf breaks, and message others. Photographer accounts can additionally upload photos and video, create sessions, organize media into groups, and get discovered in the photographer directory. Shapers build board galleries and get discovered in the Boardroom. Advertisers run ads on a prepaid credit system to reach surfers at specific breaks or on the Discover feed.

Do I need a subscription? No. Free accounts can do everything in the app. Paid plans (available at app.surf-vault.com) increase your photo and video storage limit.

Photos and sessions

How do I find photos of myself? Sessions are organized by surf break and date, so you can browse to the spot and day you surfed and find your waves — even if you never caught the photographer’s name. Photographers can also tag you directly, so shots you’re in show up in your feed and notifications.

What are the colored groups in a session? Photographers can sort a session’s photos and clips into colored groups — for example by rider or rash-guard color — so you can filter straight to your own shots. Tap a group chip in the session to see only that group.

How do I upload photos? Photographer accounts only. On mobile, open the Session tab (+) and follow the prompts. On the web, go to the upload page. You’ll pick a surf break, a date, and then select photos and video from your device or Google Drive.

Why are photos I’m looking at blurred or watermarked? Photos shown in the app are low-resolution watermarked previews. If you’d like the original, you need to either own the session (be the photographer) or have an approved access request from the photographer.

How do I request access to a photographer’s photos? Open their profile and tap “Request Access.” The photographer will be notified and can grant you full access to view and download originals. Access can be time-limited or unlimited.

Do I always have to request access? Most of the time, yes — but some photographers turn on auto-grant, which lets you unlock their originals instantly without waiting for approval. When you download from an auto-grant photographer, you can choose to save to your Vault, your camera roll, or both.

How do I download photos I’ve been granted access to? On mobile, open the session and tap any photo → tap the download icon. You can also save them directly to your Photos library from the session menu → Save Photos. On web, use the download button on the session page.

How do I get paid for my photos? (Photographers) Add your payment handles (Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or Cash App) to your profile so surfers can pay you directly for your work. You grant access to the full-res originals, and payment goes straight to your own account — SurfVault never touches the money and takes 0%. Prefer tips? Flip on the donations toggle and your profile shows a “Buy Me a Coffee”–style block instead.

Why can’t I see some sessions on a photographer’s profile? The photographer may have marked their profile as Private. Their profile is still discoverable, but their sessions require an approved access request to view.

Video

Can I upload video clips? Photographer accounts only. Yes — you can add video clips to a session right alongside your photos. They upload, process, and deliver the same way: surfers see a watermarked preview, and the original unlocks once you grant access.

Is there a limit on video? Clips have a maximum length and file size, and your storage limit covers photos and video together. If a clip is too long or too large, you’ll be told before it uploads. Need more room? Upgrade your storage plan at app.surf-vault.com.

Why is my video still processing? Video takes a little longer than photos to generate previews. Give it a few minutes and refresh the session; if it’s still not ready after about 10 minutes, contact support.

Shapers

How do I set up as a shaper? When you sign up, choose Shaper as your account type (or add a shaper account via Manage Accounts). You’ll get a profile where you can build galleries for your boards.

How do I add my boards? Create a board for each shape, add photos and video clips of it, and mark your standout shapes as featured so they surface first. You can feature up to 9 boards.

How do surfers find me? Your featured boards appear in the Boardroom and Discover feeds, and to surfers near your local surf break. The more active your galleries, the more you surface.

How do I get paid for a board? Add your payment handles (Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or Cash App) to your profile so buyers can pay you directly. SurfVault never touches the money and takes 0% — you keep every cent. Surfers can also message you in-app about a custom order.

Advertisers

How do I advertise on SurfVault? Create an advertiser account in the app, then manage your campaigns and credits on the web at app.surf-vault.com. See our advertising plans for the full breakdown.

How does ad pricing work? Ads run on prepaid credits. One credit = one “surface-day” — your ad running at a single surf break (or on the Discover feed) for one day. Your daily cost is simply how many places you’re running. No bidding, no surprises.

Where do I manage my campaigns? On the web at app.surf-vault.com. Create or pause campaigns, target specific breaks and/or the Discover feed, and top up credits there.

What happens if I run out of credits? Your ads pause automatically and we’ll let you know — you’re never charged for reach you didn’t buy. Top up with a credit pack or upgrade your tier to resume.

Profile and settings

Where do I change my settings (units, theme, language)? On mobile, go to Profile → ⋯ menu → Settings. There you can switch distance units (miles or kilometers), choose light or dark appearance, set your nearby-search radius, and turn individual push notifications on or off. Your settings sync across your devices.

How do I change my handle? Go to Profile → Edit Profile on mobile, or the Edit Profile page on web. You can change your handle at any time.

How do I make my profile private? Go to Profile → Edit Profile → toggle the “Private” switch. Your profile stays discoverable, but sessions and photos require access requests.

How do I update my profile picture? Profile → Edit Profile → tap the avatar at the top of the screen.

How do I edit my status note? On your profile, tap your status bubble to edit. Status notes expire automatically after 7 days.

Can I have multiple accounts (e.g. surfer + photographer + shaper)? Yes. SurfVault supports up to 5 linked accounts per device. Each account is a separate profile with its own followers, photos, and subscription — you just don’t have to sign in again to switch between them.

Mobile: Profile → ⋯ menu → Manage Accounts → “Add account.”
Web: click “Manage Accounts” in the sidebar (above Logout) → “Add account.”

To switch, tap any linked account on the Manage Accounts page. Notifications for every linked account on a device come through to that device, and tapping a notification automatically switches to the right account before opening the destination.

Will I get charged for each account’s plan? Yes — each account has its own subscription. Linking accounts is for sign-in convenience only; storage and billing remain per-account.

How do I sign out of just one account? Use the “Remove from this device” / “Remove from this browser” button on that account’s row in Manage Accounts. The account stays intact server-side and you can add it back any time. The standard “Logout” button signs out of the active account only — siblings stay linked on the device.

Notifications and messages

Why am I not receiving push notifications? Make sure notifications are enabled in your device’s Settings app under SurfVault. If it’s never asked, open SurfVault and the in-app “Stay in the loop” prompt will request permission. You can also fine-tune which alerts you get — active photographers, new sessions, messages, and more — in the app under Settings.

How do I send someone a message? Open their profile and tap the “Message” button. From your Messages tab, you can continue any existing conversation.

Someone’s profile shows “Deleted User” — what happened? That user closed their account. Past messages from them are preserved so you don’t lose the conversation, but you can’t send new messages to them.

Location and discovery

Why does SurfVault ask for my location? Location is only used to show you nearby surf breaks, photographers, and sessions on the Home and Map tabs. You can deny or revoke this permission anytime in your device settings; the app works without it, you just won’t see “nearby” recommendations.

How do I find a specific surf break? Use the search at the top of the Home or Map tab. You can also browse the full directory under the Surf Breaks section.

Subscriptions and billing

Where do I manage my subscription? All billing is handled on our website at app.surf-vault.com. Log in, then go to the Plans page to view, change, or cancel your subscription.

Can I subscribe from the mobile app? No — subscriptions are only available on the web. You can still use a paid plan’s benefits on mobile once you’ve subscribed on the website.

How do I get a refund? Email support@surf-vault.com with your account handle and the reason for the refund. We handle refund requests on a case-by-case basis.

Account deletion and data

How do I close my account? On mobile: Profile → ellipsis menu → Account → Close Account. On web: Plans page → Close Account section at the bottom.

What happens when I close my account?

Your account is scheduled for permanent deletion in 30 days.
Your profile is hidden from other users.
Any paid subscription is set to cancel at the end of your current billing period.
You can log in during the 30-day grace period to cancel the deletion and restore your account.
After 30 days, all your photos, sessions, and account data are permanently deleted.

Can I export my photos before my account is deleted? Yes — during the 30-day grace period you still have full access to your account. Download any photos you want to keep from the session page.

How do I cancel a pending deletion? Log back in — a banner at the top of the screen will show you how many days remain and let you cancel with one tap. If you cancel before your billing period ends, any paid subscription continues normally.

Troubleshooting

The app is crashing or frozen — what do I do? Try these in order:

Force-quit the app and reopen it.
Restart your device.
Make sure you’re on the latest version (check the App Store or Google Play).
If it’s still happening, email us with your device model, OS version, and a short description of what you were doing when it crashed.

Photos I uploaded aren’t showing up. Uploads process in the background. Refresh the session page after a minute or two — previews and thumbnails take a moment to generate. If they’re still missing after 10 minutes, contact support.

I forgot my password. On the login screen, tap “Reset password.” A reset link will be emailed to you. If you signed up with Sign in with Apple or Google, you don’t have a password — just use the same sign-in method.

I can’t sign in with Apple / Google — what’s going on? Make sure you’re using the same sign-in method you originally signed up with. SurfVault automatically links accounts with the same verified email address, so if you signed up with Google and then tap Sign in with Apple later using the same email, you’ll end up in the same account.

Still need help?

Email us at support@surf-vault.com. Please include:

Your handle (e.g., @yourhandle)
A description of the issue
Your device model and OS version (for mobile issues)
A screenshot or screen recording if possible

We’ll get back to you within 1–2 business days.