Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Guide to Surfing

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

On and off I have been surfing for a couple of years but I'm still not a surfer.... I can paddle, stand up and occasionally ride a wave properly but I've got a long way to go. I surf with people who are better than me in the hope that I'll learn from their experience. I am a frustrated "surfer". I read this book looking for some guidance in how to pull off some basic and intermediate manoeuvres. It's a small magazine like book that follows the standard surf book set up: getting started, choosing a board and understanding the beach but it covers one area most books aren't so strong on. It tells you how to actually surf. Its all there in sequenced photos with descriptive text. In succinct wording the authors describe how to angle your body and distribute your weight as you make a backhand turn or set yourself for a tube ride. I now know my technique has been wrong. I am landlocked, several thousand miles from a beach. Having read this book, I'm on the next plane home and heading to the nearest break.

...but not much else. After buying this book based on recommendations at this site, I was very disappointed by the absolute lack of real instruction. There was one - ONE - page on how to surf for beginners. That's it. Nothing else. Then they went on to talk about surfing waves over 10 feet and tricks and stuff like that. The "buying a surf board" section was adamant about the fact that there are many types boards to choose, but didn't go into what they were, not to mention what types are best for a beginner! I don't have another book to recommend, but really, don't buy this book.

As someone who has been surfing for 30 years, and a female, I can tell you that this is one of the most exquisite books that I have had the pleasure of reading. I am fortunate to have, a few years back, surfed with Jay Moriarty and was one of the people who surfed out to help scatter his ashes... This book was never intended for beginner surfers or even those who have completed a weekend surf-camp type situation. This book is for the seasoned surfer - those of us who relish gaining a few new tips from pros like Jay. If you're looking to pick up some great "how to's" and "why'd that happen" then this is the book for you. It also, in clear and plain language, explains why this is a sport that causes all of us involved to be intensely loyal. A reader said "a man's book". Wrong. It's a surfer's book.

This book is an inspiring introduction to surfing. It gives you enough basic info to get out on the water and surf your first few waves. However, you won't learn much in the way of intermediate skills from the descriptions in the book. You'd have to see them being done to really understand them. Of course the only real way to learn is to go out and do it again and again, but this'll give you a step in the right direction.

As a woman relatively new to surfing, I ordered this book to get some additional insight on the technique and ettiquette of surfing beyond the surfing clinic I took an my experiences this summer surfing North County San Diego. Although this book was somewhat instructional and useful, I was greatly put off by the COMPLETE ommission of any reference to women surfers in the entire book. No words, no pictures, nothing. In addition, references like "some surfers have even lost their girlfriends because of their passion for surfing!" (paraphrasing) make it clear that these authors think surfing is for MEN ONLY! With the huge increase in women surfers, I thought a book being published just this past June would give some equality to the sexes.

As a woman relatively new to surfing, I ordered this book to get some additional insight on the technique and ettiquette of surfing beyond the surfing clinic I took an my experiences this summer surfing North County San Diego. Although this book was somewhat instructional and useful, I was greatly put off by the COMPLETE ommission of any reference to women surfers in the entire book. No words, no pictures, nothing. In addition, references like "some surfers have even lost their girlfriends because of their passion for surfing!" (paraphrasing) make it clear that these authors think surfing is for MEN ONLY! With the huge increase in women surfers over the past 5 years, I thought a book being published in June 2001 would give some equality to the sexes. I find that the 1970's book "Surfing California" (which I had also ordered at the same time) is more inclusive to women than this book...