Surfing Books - Page 3

The Best of Surfer Magazine

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Worth the Price 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I do not subscribe to Surfer magazine because I find many of the articles inane, the focus on slash and burn surfing predictable, and the advertising offensive. But a 60 years of age, I am hardly the targeted audience. That said, the gems from over the years included in this book make for nice reads in most cases. I must say I have re-read several articles and will be taking this with me when I travel. Having Parmenter involved did not hurt my making the decision to buy the book. His writing is excellent.

Editorial Review:

Since 1960, Surfer magazine has been chronicling a pastime that confounds description. Now for the first time, Surfer has collected its eclectic array of surf journalism into one volume, from dyspeptic editorials and gnarly travel pieces to great fiction and humor writing. Each piece is introduced by the editors and accompanied by the full-color cover of the Surfer issue in which the article first appeared. With the top names of surf journalism, this authoritative volume defines almost fifty years of Surfer style and substance.

The Big Drop: Classic Big Wave Surfing

John Long

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

This book Rips 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I am a grom, at the age of 17 right now, and I rarely read a book cover to cover.I've always been interested in big wave surfing, but never the old timer stuff. This book has revealed the truth about riding big waves in and interesting perspective to the new generation such as myself, and I will never forget some of the stories in here. I reccomend that if you're a surfer, and are even remotely interested in attempting to tackle large surf, that you pick up this book. It will give you second thoughts about venturing out at places like Mavericks, Waimaii Bay, and Todos Santos.

Firsthand accounts... 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

...of Big Wave surfing - many of the stories are haunting and memorable. It was hard putting the book down once I started reading. I actually found it more interesting and insightful than watching film of surfers going over the edge - you actually get into their excitement, awe, and fear of what they've gotten themselves into - not only when they've caught the waves, but gut-wrenching accounts of what they were thinking and feeling when driven under (or saw their friends driven under) by these monsters.

This is as close as you're going to get, short of paddling out yourself! BTW, I just finished reading "Caught Inside" before "The Big Drop" and reading these stories made reading CI seem like a waste of time.

You won't regret reading this one - highly recommended!!!

Editorial Review:

32 classic big wave surfing stories.

Maverick's

Matt Warshaw

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Visually appealing and well written 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is a fascinating look at the history and sport of big-wave surfing, focusing primarily on Maverick's but also discussing some of the other big-wave spots in the world, such as Todos Santos and Cortes Banks. If you have fond memories of the classic travel and surf-bum movie from the 60s, "The Longest Summer," about great surf spots around the world, you'll probably enjoy this book.

My review concentrates mainly on the dangers, since I was interested in researching that, but overall it's a beautifully illustrated and well-written account of the sport. The author starts with the early history back in the mid-1850s (when a legend has it that a Hawaiian was supposed to have ridden a tsunami back to shore).

I was interested because I used to live for many years near Maverick's, one of the premier big-wave surfing spots in the world, and I was curious what it had to say. I've never been a board-surfer myself, but grew up in southern Cal and did a lot of body surfing when I was younger. One time, I foolishly tried to body-surf a storm-driven 18-footer at Gillis Beach in southern California and got ground into the bottom and held down long enough so I thought I might not get back up to the surface in time. But I survived, and am now older and wiser.

I've had a few other misadventures, such as having been pulled out by a couple of riptides (including one that pulled me underneath the water briefly), so I've always had respect for the ocean, and I figured big-wave riding must surely be even more dangerous. Photos of lone surfers dwarfed by enormous waves have always amazed me and sent shivers up my spine, as I remembered my own scary encounter with a wave. Oddly enough, the author goes to some pains to dispell that notion by recounting various statistics and many anecdotal stories about the sport.

For example, although it's possible for a big-wave to hold a surfer underwater long enough to drown, this is very rare. More likely is for a surfer at the more crowded small-wave sites to get knocked unconscious by someone else's board who wiped out and to drown that way. Or there's the possibility of an unsupervised and inexperienced surfer drifting into a strong riptide. And as the author says, "No big wave surfer ever tested the odds as boldly as the untrained, pot-bellied, beer-staggered, citizen body-surfer."

Mark Renneker, a UCSF physician and avid big-wave surfer, gathered data and compiled statistics on injuries and concluded that cheerleaders were injured more often than big-wave surfers.

Peter van Dyke, another big-wave fan, had some other comments, pointing out that in one recent year, a half dozen Grand Prix racers were killed but not one surfer, and many more bull-fighters were killed. He said that big-wave surfers were so unconcerned about their fitness that they trained on "cake, Kool-Aid, ice cream, and cigarettes." He also pointed out that the last surfer to die at Waimea was Dickie Cross back in 1943. By 1994, no-one had yet died at Maverick's (although that would soon change with Mark Foo's death).

The book also contains a full chapter going into the events preceding and following Mark Foo's death. One of the things that becomes apparent there is that surfers aren't so much killed by the waves as by occasionally getting their ankle straps caught in underwater reefs so that they can't surface. Although no-one to this day knows what killed Mark Foo, it's possible this was part of it, and one of the other surfers had the same thing happen that very day, although he was able to get free just as he was running out of air and get to the surface.

Still, because of the perceived dangers, out of 5 million surfers world-wide, only about 100 are regular big-wave riders.

But as I said, the book also contains a more general discussion and history of the sport from the early days to the present, using Maverick's as its point of departure. There are many spectacular photos, including a fantastic two-page spread of Mike Parsons riding what's thought to be the largest wave ever ridden at Cortes Banks, an open ocean reef 100 miles to the west of San Diego.

By the way, I agree with the previous reviewer about possible huge waves up in Alaska. In fact, in Puget Sound they sometimes get 60-foot waves, and they can get 20 or 30 foot waves at the mouth of the Columbia river in Oregon, where the Coast Guard trains captains in the heavy surf handling of boats. Also, off the tip of South Africa there is an area where, because of the way the ocean currents travel up from Antartica combined with a sea floor that funnels the wave energy, it's thought that 100-foot waves can occur. (In fact, it's one of the few places in the world where large ships occasionally disappear, and it's suspected huge "rogue waves" may be responsible). There was also the finding of the underwater quake that caused a tsunami to go 2000 feet up the mountainside at an uninhabited bay up the west coast of Alaska. No-one saw it but the devastation was so dramatic it wasn't hard to figure out the cause when it was discovered later.

The largest wave ever recorded (at least by a reliable observer) was by the USS Ramapo back in the early 1930s. The ship was about 120 feet long and completely fit on the side of an enormous sea wave that passed under it in the mid-Pacific, and was estimated to be 134 feet high. Now that's a wave any surfer could envy.

Editorial Review:

With its massive faces, punishing rocks, and treacherous currents, Maverick's presents a surfing challenge like no other. Author Matt Warshaw has updated his critically acclaimed illustrated history of Maverick's to cover important recent developments, and we've added a fresh new cover to kick this edition off in style. "A fascinating account," to quote Surfer magazine, it takes "a cue from Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm...Warshaw focused on a single event...and expands on it to illuminate an entire culture and its world beyond waves." The event was the death of celebrated surfer Mark Foo, one of those who congregate every winter to test themselves in the dark, foreboding waters. And what unfolds in Maverick's is no less than the story of big-wave surfing, from its ancient Hawaiian origins to modern tow-in riders. It's a book to be enjoyed not only by those who surf deep in the waves, but also by those whose taste for adventure is satisfied deep in the pages of a very good book.

The Art of Surfing: A Training Manual for the Developing and Competitive Surfer

Raul Guisado

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Fair & Honest Review 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I feel some of the other reviews were a too harsh. I first read the book at Borders and really liked it :) Obviously no book or video compares to time spent in the water but I found the book to be very good and informative. Most "learn to surf" books always seem to contain the same basic info (paddling, popping-up, duck-diving) but this book goes far beyond and can be appreciated by the advancing-beginner & intermediate surfers looking to improve. I'm hoping to teach a surfing class at the college I work for & would seriously consider recommending this book for any surfing students. The other book I really liked was Taj Burrow's Book of Surfing but I believe is for more advanced surfers and contains too much surf jargon & slang for the beginners.

Editorial Review:

Surfing has evolved from a relatively obscure past time to one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Today, there are millions of surfers across the globe. In his new book, competitive surfing coach and Olympic Ski Team coach, Raul Guisado presents the first-ever guide to avail participants, both beginner and advanced, with the same training and coaching principles of the more established and traditional sports. This book will empower both recreational and competitive surfers to improve their technique, expand their repertoire, and prepare themselves to catch the best waves. It covers boards and other equipment, the anatomy of waves, body position and stance, and techniques for everything from paddling to "walking the nose". Special chapters on competition, training, biomechanics, and psychology round out this comprehensive training guide to the sport.

Zero Break: An Illustrated Collection of Surf Writing, 1777-2004

Matt Warshaw

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

zero break 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

excellent reading:informative, entertaining,interesting,due to the diversity of the collected articles that span generations, time,numerous points of view and emotions, well organized. I have purchased numerous copies as gifts to share with old surf buddies!

Editorial Review:

The author of The Encyclopedia of Surfing returns with this definitive anthology of the best-ever writing about surfing, illustrated with classic and cutting-edge photographs and artwork. Hip and eclectic, the collection speaks to surfing's widespread and longstanding appeal: from Mark Twain's nineteenth-century description in Roughing It to Susan Orlean's essay on girl surfers in Maui and Tom Wolfe's "The Pump House Gang."
This anthology covers it all-from early surfing literature to descriptions of the sport's most colorful characters, from hair-raising tales of big-wave surfing to an exploration of surf culture.

Includes contributions by:
R. Crumb, Daniel Duane, William Finnegan, Rick Griffin, Frederick Kohner, Jack London, Herman Melville, Susan Orlean, Charles Schulz, Mark Twain, and Tom Wolfe

Complete History of Surfing

Nat Young

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this newly revised hardcover edition of The History of Surfing, world champion surfer Nat Young explores the history, stories, and inside expertise gathered in his years of deep involvement with the sport of surfing. The History of Surfing covers the full gamut, including surfing history, professionalism, surfboard evolution, professional surfers, the Hawaiian Islands, kneeboards, wave skills, kitesurfers, and the future of surfing. Also included are discussions with some of the sports greats-Duke Kahanamoku, Kelly Slater, and Lisa Anderson-as well as exclusive rare color photos covering surfing's exciting past and present, bringing to life one of the most exciting and stunningly beautiful sports in the world.
Author Bio: Nat Young is recognized as one of the great surfers in the history of the sport, having won the world championship in 1966. At that time his new power-oriented surfing style was based on surfing a shorter board than was traditionally used. He is credited with starting the style which was the basis for contemporary surfing. He was born in 1947, and grew up in Collaroy on the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia, where he lives with his family.

Duke: A Great Hawaiian

Sandra Kimberley Hall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Enduring Aloha 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

The Y2K millennial issue of Surfer magazine featured on its cover the formal portrait of a young Duke Kahanamoku with the caption "Surfer of the Century." Perhaps you've been to Kuhio beach at Waikiki and visited the Duke statue; maybe even left a flower lei draped on his arms. Most people also take a few minutes to consider the inscription that's written there, imagining what Aloha could mean if we each lived our life that way.

I ordered a copy of this book before it was published. When it arrived in the mail I realized that I held a small volume, one of life's little primers, that might affect me in a big way -- and that's what happened. If you love the ocean like Duke did, then Sandra Kimberley Hall has written the thank you letter we all wish we could have given him.

Duke Kahanamoku lived from 1890 to 1968. It's been more than thirty years since he died, and people still speak of him as if he's here among us. This book will help you understand why swimmers/surfers/water polo teams/outrigger canoe clubs/open water paddlers... all EXPECT to meet the Duke. He's right there with us every time we greet another ocean enthusiast with the generous spirit of Aloha that was his gift to all.

I'm the guy who led a letter writing campaign resulting in the approval of a U.S. postage stamp honoring the Duke. Others had begun the process more than twenty years ago. Working as a volunteer for the Surfrider Foundation, I circulated a newsletter beginning in 1998. For four years thousands of people all across America responded by sending letters/petitions/postcards of support to Washington -- and we succeeded. The stamp was issued on the anniversary of Duke's birthday, August 24, 2002. More than 62 million stamps were printed, and the edition is now sold out.

The handsome, active and youthful image chosen to portray Duke on the stamp has invited many others to examine his life -- Olympic champion, Halls of Fame, years of public service to the Territory/State of Hawaii. He was a lifelong inspiration to those who met him personally, and also those who could only read about him (a skinny kid like me in the library at Beach Haven, NJ hoping maybe I could learn to ride the surf on my blue & yellow inflatable canvas raft).

We all know that very few of us will ever appear on a commemorative stamp. Those who took the time to write to the Postal Service felt that Duke Kahanamoku was one of those people who represents us at our very best. This book celebrates all the reasons why.


Respectfully submitted,

Don Gallagher
38 Green Acre Road, Lititz, PA 17543-8770

Editorial Review:

Hawai'i's Ambassador of Aloha, Duke Kahanamoku, is remembered for his Olympic medals and as the Father of International Modern Surfing. But those who place leis on his statue in Waikiki equally honor him for his strength of character and the Hawaiian ideals he represented. In this moving tribute, filled with photos of Duke, his story and Hawai'i's are intertwined.

Men Who Ride Mountains: Incredible True Tails of Legendary Surfers

Peter Dixon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Delivers a thrilling approach to big wave surfers' imaginary 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Thrilling stories on Hawaii big wave pioneers, which have brought me a little closer to what was on those brave men's minds that has motivated them to overcoming such enormous challenges. Mr. Peter Dixon is indeed one of them, therefore credibility is top to what one is about to find inside this great book. Awesome means to delve into fundamental aspects of surfing history, and also good example of overcoming human limits.

Editorial Review:

One of the best and most readable books ever written about legendary surfers and their pursuit of the perfect wave, well illustrated with photographs.

Surfing USA!: An Illustrated History of the Coolest Sport of All Time

Ben Marcus

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Surfing is an icon of America’s free spirit and symbolizes youth, adventure, and rebellion. For decades it has influenced our culture in everything from movies to music, from fashion to lifestyle.

Like those who ride the wave, "Surfing USA!" is refreshingly different. Something more than a boring history. Something more than a timeline and a photo gallery. Consider it your personally guided tour through the history of one of the most popular and thrilling sports in American history.

Author Ben Marcus knows and loves the sport like nothing else, and has lived it. Here, the former editor of "Surfer" magazine and current freelancer for such publications as "Surfer’s Journal" brings you up close and personal to the exciting world of surfing.

Marcus’s lively narrative is complemented by an extensive variety of art that includes fabulous period images (vintage postcards, album covers, movie posters, and more) and colorful current photographs of surfers in action. More than 250 illustrations were selected especially to add to your appreciation of this remarkable sensation. Enjoy!

Wave-finder Surf Guide Australia

Cheyne Horan

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Features:

• Micor-sized full color surf guide.
• Pocket size guide: 3.5" x 5"
• Surfer's eye maps
• In-depth reviews and detailed surf data.
• Vivid colour photos.

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Amazing... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is amazing. It explains everything you have to know about the most beaches and waves of Australia. About the perfect wind, tide, swell direction and so on... quite useful!

Editorial Review:

Reviews of every surfing beach in Australia. This is a comprehensive guide covering every inch of every coast, a fantastic, one-of-a-kind, resource for surfers and vacations. Every full-color, pocket guide covers every inch of the Australian coast and also includes * signature Surfer's Eye beach and wave maps * handy 4x5 inch size * breathtaking color & B&W photos by the world's top surf photographers