Sport - Surfing

New Zealand is one of the last few remaining surf destinations able to offer large, uncrowded water to surfers. The scenery is also spectacular and the unique shape of the land presents many options to those wishing to take advantage of all it has to offer - one of which is that the drive from coast to coast rarely takes more than 3 hours. This guide contains 470 detailed break maps, 80 classic kiwi line-up shots, 60 area synoptic charts, detailed weather information and break information by locals. Small format.

In Ghost Wave, Chris Dixon dives deep into the fascinating history of Cortes Bank and the motley brotherhood of argumentative, damaged, brave and quirky margin walkers who discovered and scaled the tallest mountain in the sea. Along the way, he'll show how these pioneering wave-addicts changed our very understanding of the science of surfing, while giving sea-level credence to environmentalists' fears that the weather is indeed going haywire.Ghost Wave is the result of extensive interviews not only with these surfers and those clos... read more

No one knows eight-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater better than Kelly himself. This ttle gives an illustrated tribute to the world's best surfer. It tells Slater's story in full colour, and reflects the twists and turns in an incredible and unconventional life.

DoP November 2009 The greatest surfers on earth talk about their lives and careers in this book: from ironman Laird Hamilton, seven-time world champion Kelly Slater, musician Jack Johnson, Andy and Bruce Irons, Duke Kahanamoku, Lisa Andersen - one hundred of the greatest surfers from around the world talk candidly about their life, career, and what it means to live to surf. Fact-filled, and with dramatic photographs of these surfers in action this book is certain to appeal to any surfer, or water sport enthusiast, and is full o... read more

Two childhood friends from small-town Wales meet in Miami for a summer road trip they've always dreamed of: to chase the swell of Hurricane Dean all the way up the US East Coast in search of once-in-a-lifetime surf. They embark on a hilarious journey of self-discovery and a travel experience like no other. Mixing the humour of Sideways with the extreme conditions of The Perfect Storm, this new book by one of the UK's favourite new travel/surfing writers is a quirky travelogue destined to become a cult classic.

Surfing is an obsession, and many a surfer has thrown away life-as-he-once-knew-it for a single wave. In The Pilgrimage some of the world's top surf writers pay tribute to 50 of the world's best waves – the breaks which have become so much part of surfing folklore that they've developed a life force of their own. This book is sure to become a classic. The text creates a great sense of place, and there's practical information on getting to (nearly) every break, the best time to go, what to take, where to stay, and what ... read more

This is a story about hunting for a monster. Unlike many monsters, however, this one is known to exist: the 100-foot wave. In recent years waves have been recorded which are dramatically larger in size, power and frequency than anything seen before. They have the power to flatten oil rigs and sink supertankers; more disturbingly still, they seem to disobey the laws of physics, swelling when logic shows they should be running out of steam. These rogue waves have attracted an obsessive following of scientists, who seek to unde... read more

Ultimate Surfing Adventures takes you on a thrilling ride around the world's best surfing spots Stunning, full-page photographs put you at the heart of the action while inspirational descriptions tell you why each break is so special. This is a sumptuous coffee-table book that's perfect for planning your next surfari, or that allows you to indulge in some armchair surfing of some breaks that only the most adventurous will visit. As well as classic waves around the Pacific there are a wealth of more unusual surf spots from Antarctic... read more

The Wave is a collection of world-class surfing images from acclaimed surf photographer and writer David Sparkes. Capturing the fleeting instant of a wave, recording a particular surfing location at a precise moment and following a surfer as they try to ride their perfect wave. Dave brings together these unique experiences in a form we can all share.The Wave enables us to take an armchair ride with surfers like Stephanie Gilmore, Tom Curren, Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater; travel to the landscapes where the best waves are found; and... read more

Matt Warshaw knows more about surfing that any other person on the planet. After five years of research and writing, Warshaw has crafted an unprecedented history of the sport and the culture it has spawned. At nearly 500 pages, with 250,000 words and more than 250 rare photographs, The History of Surfing reveals and defines this sport with a voice that is authoritative, funny, and wholly original. The obsessive nature of this endeavor is matched only by the obsessive nature of surfers, who will pore through these pages with passion... read more

One bright February afternoon on a beach in Cornwall, Gavin Pretor-Pinney took a break from cloudspotting and started watching the waves rolling into shore. Mesmerised, he wondered where they had come from, and decided to find out. He soon realised that waves don't just appear on the ocean, they are everywhere around us, and our lives depend on them. From the rippling beats of our hearts, to the movement of food through our digestive tracts and of signals across our brains, waves are the transport systems of our bodies. Eve... read more

In an effort to have an answer to the question, 'What are you doing now, Sully?' inveterate traveller Sullivan McLeod started to tell people he'd decided to become a professional surfer. Then somehow he was registered in the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and found he was going ahead with his stupid idea. If you want to be a pro, this is where you start. So, despite the fact that he was unfit physically, financially and possibly mentally, Sullivan goes into training for his nine months on the circuit, with frequent sidetracking into... read more

The history of Australian surfing has been full of pioneers, outlaws, hooligans and mavericks. This lavishly illustrated book, with profiles of 100 legends of Australian surfing from 'ancient history' (pre-1950s) to the current day, is the perfect gift for any surfer or surf aficionado. Featuring many rare and archival images, along with hundreds of gorgeous contemporary surf shots, Australia's Hottest 100 Surfing Legends is a feast for the eyes. Packed with behind-the-scenes anecdotes from insider author Phil Jarratt, this is a ri... read more

Mick Fanning might only be 28 but he already knows how a lot of things feel that most of us never will. How does it feel to lose a brother? Win a world title? Rip your hamstring muscle clean off the bone? Weave through a zippering Superbank barrel for 20 or 30 seconds or paddle over the ledge at places like Pipeline and Teahupo? Have scoliosis so bad you can't get off the floor? Address the NSW state of origin team before a match, bowl to Matty Hayden and have Dave Warner belt you for consecutive sixes? Walk into the bar of a Brasi... read more

All surfers dream of shedding responsibilities and answering the siren song of the ocean swells. For most, it is an ideal that recedes as age advances - as family, career and provider commitments overwhelm the wanderlust of youth. But what if you could defy the slow march of age? Shelve all your worldly pressures, pack up the family and a few trusty surfboards and hit the open road for the Great Australian surfing road trip? Tim Baker is doing just that. Inspired by the dreams of his youth, and in the face of looming middle-age, Ba... read more

Before the two world titles, before the sponsorships, before the jet-setting life on the world tour, being paid to do the thing you love most: weaving through zippering Superbank barrels and paddling over the ledge at places like Pipline and Teahupo'o. Before the battles with scoliosis, snapping your hamstring muscle off the bone and losing the brother you worshipped. Before all these things is the one state of being where every surfer is equal. Before all these things you are ...a grom. The Grommet's Edition of Mick Fanning's best... read more

At a time when surfing is more popular than ever, it's fitting to look back at the years that brought the sport into the mainstream. Developed by Hawaiian islanders over five centuries ago, surfing began to peak on the mainland in the 1950s - becoming not just a sport, but a way of life, admired and exported across the globe. One of the key image-makers from that period is LeRoy Grannis, a surfer since 1931, who began photographing the scene in California and Hawaii in the longboard era of the early 1960s. First published in a limi... read more

Each World Sport book reveals an ideal location for learning a particular technique essential for mastering the sport, from trimming a surfboard along a wave in Windansea, California, to catching big air on a snowboard in the half-pipes of Whistler, Canada. Opening with perfect beginner locations and techniques, the complexity develops, leading readers through to expert-only locations and techniques, building an understanding of technique and equipment as they go.

Child star at 16, ranked third in the world at 17 - Mark Occhilupo looked set to sweep all before him with a radical, spontaneous, irresistible brand of surfing till a spiralling descent into drug abuse and depression snuffed his flame out prematurely. His celebrated comeback to win the world title in 1999 is a sporting fairytale without equal.