Introduction:
Surfing may be an alternative therapy for achieving balance, well-being, and stress reduction. However, the dose response for surfing to have a positive effect on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of recreational surfers is still unclear.

Aim of the study:
To analyze the influence of the volume of surfing (frequency × duration) on the HRQoL of Brazilian recreational surfers.

Material and methods:
An ex post facto study was conducted with 29 recreational surfers, who completed an electronic form comprising three sections: i) sociodemographic and economic characteristics, ii) characteristics of surfing (experience and International Physical Activity Questionnaire – short form), and iii) HRQoL (SF-36). Differences in HRQoL between volume of surfing (low/high by the median), controlled for drinking status and economic status, were analyzed using analysis of covariance. Moreover, a corrected effect size was estimated by Hedges’ g.

Results:
The median for volume was 180 minutes/week. The overall HRQoL (g = 0.98, p = 0.033) and the domain of ‘vitality’ (g = 0.99, p = 0.049) were statistically higher for recreational surfers with a higher volume of practice. Furthermore, ‘role physical’ (g = 0.81, p = 0.034) and ‘bodily pain’ (g = 0.60, p = 0.189) showed moderate effect sizes

Conclusions:
Increasing weekly surfing volume enhances HRQoL among recreational surfers, particularly in the ‘vitality’ and ‘bodily pain’ domains.