Boardshorts (occasionally in British English, swim shorts) are a style of men's and, recently, women's summerwear. They were originally developed for aquatic sports, specifically for surfing, but in more recent years they have grown in popularity outside of these sports, and have become a popular form of general beach and summerwear.

The name of "boardshorts" originates from their affiliation with aquatic sports that use a board, such as surfing. They are sometimes called "boardies" in slang, especially in Australia, and "baggies" in South Africa.

Boardshorts are especially popular in North America and spread beyond surfing especially as the skater punk fashion trend got underway. They are also typically worn in men's beach volleyball. They are less popular in other parts of the world, where other suit styles are preferred.

Boardshorts are designed to be quick-drying, and are generally made from smooth polyester or nylon material. They are durable and hold up to wear from contact with a surfboard, yet are comfortable and light-weight. They are well-adapted to their use in various active watersports.

Joel Parkinson (born 10 April 1981) is an Australian surfer who competes on the ASP World Tour. Known as Parko, he grew up on the Gold Coast with fellow surfer Mick Fanning. Parkinson is married to Monica with daughters Evie and Macey and son Mahli.

A highly successful competitive surfer, Parkinson has won ten elite ASP tour victories as of April 2011:

Another career highlight came for Parkinson during a December 2008 Pipeline Masters third-round heat in Hawaii when he matched Kelly Slater's 2005 record of two perfect 10-point rides under the world tour's two-best-waves scoring system. Parkinson went on to win the Triple Crown of Surfing for 2008 and then again in 2009 and 2010.

In July 2009, while in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa Joel launched his new official website joelparko.com

Taj Burrow (born 2 June, 1978 in Yallingup, Western Australia) is an Australian professional surfer who is currently competing in this 14th year on the ASP World Tour.

Burrow was born in Busselton, Western Australia to American parents and began surfing at age 7. In 1998 he qualified for the ASP World Tour at 18 years old, becoming the youngest surfer to do so at the time. Burrow had, in fact, already earnt a place on the world tour a year earlier, but he turned it down stating that, as a 17-year-old, he was "too young to do the tour full-on". After his first year on tour in 1998, he claimed the ASP World Tour Rookie of the Year award after finishing 12th place on the rankings. One year later he finished runner-up on the 1999 World Tour season rankings.

In 2007, Burrow won the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach. He backed this up with a victory at the 2007 Billabong Pro in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa where he claimed the title over the then 8-time world champion, Kelly Slater. This win helped to secure his 2nd place ranking on the ASP Men's Tour, his second runner-up season placing.