<p>Fibre optic distributed acoustic sensing (FO-DAS) technology is continually gaining attention in the seismic industry due to its cost-effectiveness, longer aperture sensing, minimal maintenance, and its capability to deliver seismic data with high spatial resolution for imaging subsurface stratigraphy and structures. This technology, which consists of an optoelectronic interrogator unit and fibre optic cables as sensors, has been deployed in various geophysical borehole investigations. However, its surface-deployment for subsurface imaging has been limited due to the sensor’s broadside insensitivity. This review significantly advances the understanding of FO-DAS technology, with a particular focus on surface-deployed fiber-optic cables for subsurface imaging. We provide an extensive review of innovative cable configurations, such as inertial member cables, sinusoidal and helical cables, which have been designed and deployed to overcome the broadside sensitivity limitations of straight surface-deployed cables. The potential of surface-deployed fibre optic technology for multicomponent sensing is also explored in detail. In addition, we propose improvements in cable design, cable materials and fibreglass refractive properties for enhanced sensitivity. These insights provide practical ideas for improving fibre-optic DAS systems, pushing the boundaries of surface seismic data acquisition and subsurface imaging.</p>