The California Surf Project [Hardcover]

Eric Soderquist (Author), Chris Burkard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2009

Quit your job, pack your boards, and surf your way down the California coast....
Sound like a daydream? The California Surf Project is the fully illustrated travel diary of two surfers who took this trip of a lifetime. Chris Burkard, a talented photographer, and Eric Soderquist, a professional surfer, cajoled their Volkswagen bus along Highway 1 from the Oregon border to the Tijuana Sloughs and discovered everything the Golden State's legendary coastline has to offer. Relive their incredible adventure of surfing perfect waves, sharing campfires with total strangers, and keeping the bus running with duct tape and prayers in more than 200 gorgeous photographs, soulful text, and a professionally produced thirty-minute DVD.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Burkard is a surf photographer whose work has appeared in over 35 international publications. He lives in Arroyo Grande, California.

Eric Soderquist is a professional surfer, artist, and world traveler. He lives and surfs in Shell Beach, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1 edition (April 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811862828
• ISBN-13: 978-0811862820
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Nature Travel > Adventure > Skiing
  • #19 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Sports
  • #28 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Skiing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Visual Love Letter to the Best Coast Line on Earth, May 25, 2009

By 

Jaimal Yogis "Author of Saltwater Buddha: a s... (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The California Surf Project (Hardcover)

Sometimes I think I love California too much. I find myself talking to east coast friends about it and wondering if I'm being over the top when I say things like "there's no better place on earth". But then I take a drive down Hwy 1 and I get all teary-eyed and grateful. If I ever leave California -- and I won't for very long -- I will not take this book with me. Because I would cry every time I saw it. Soderquist and Burkhard have captured what so many of us love about living here. Their journey is a visual love letter to the Golden State that I'll look at again and again if only to remind myself that I'm not leaving. Well done gents!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What it is, January 13, 2010

By 

sherri (Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The California Surf Project (Hardcover)

I liked this book. But then I like both surfing and good travelogues in general so it was a bit of a given.

Two surfers win a free grant to go on a surf trip as long as they write a book about it, so they do. Pretty much explains it.

Nice photography, interesting thoughts and angles from a surfers perspective and two guys get to surf the californian coast just for fun and document the whole thing. I thought the pic on the cover was one of the best in the book regarding mood and sense of place but the photography overall is good - in a trendy 'art' surfer mag kind of way. I was disappointed to only see photographs as one of the guys is a painter, but I thought the photographer had a good eye and natural style re graphic layout and image. (My thoughts anyway.)

Am also keen to read the Bend to Baja book mentioned by another reviewer.

Gave it as a present because I thought it was a good book for inspiration and didn't want it wasted, just sitting on my shelf.

(Would have donated it to the local library but have given them both the Bra Boys Autobiography and Mick Fannings and haven't seen either on the shelves, so passed it on to someone who I thought would appreciate it.)

Nice book. Recommended for the right audience.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great reminder, August 16, 2011

By 

surfcat50 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The California Surf Project (Hardcover)

A great reminder that the opportunity for discovery is always right in reach. Having traveled some of California as a non-native, I'm reminded just how much there is to take in there. It also made me consider that there might just be discoveries up and down the coast outside my back yard. If you have any interest at all in surfing in California, get it.