Surfers read the patterns of the sea like others read a book. For them, the organization of swells and currents and the curling folds of the waves are elements of a natural language, as coherent in structure and meaning as any taught in school.
Each of the eighteen stories in this collection is a raw glimpse of surf life-from sliding into cold, stiff neoprene to experiencing the ecstasy of the Pure Art of Surfing. Most previously published in magazines over the past thirty-five years, the stories in this collection capture the movement, mythology, fantasy, and philosophy of surf life and culture on the sweet and ragged wild edge of beauty.
My arms and shoulders were on fire, and I was feeling lightheaded and numb. Every time I broke over a wave, there was another one outside. I was way past my second wind and my third, but I kept paddling, mechanically, flat on my board under the glare of the sun, white spots now sparking into my vision, breathing rapid and hollow, and still the waves kept coming, and the sounds of their cracking and curling overlaid the steady rumble behind me and-every once in a while, woven into the work of the sea-there was a shard of conversation . . . voices drifting through it all, coming from somewhere out in the kelp, like the music of my delirium . . . voices like spirits standing at the gates, the words fragmented, indecipherable, but forming in my hallucinating consciousness a recurring phrase: TRESPASSERS WILL BE EATEN!' - The Lost Coast: Stories from the Surf The Lost Coast: Stories from the Surf is a collection of eighteen stories that offer a rare and raw glimpse into surf life-from sliding into cold, stiff neoprene at 4 AM to experiencing the ecstasy of a curling cresting wall of water. With pacing that ranges from a swift smooth paddle to a gnarly ride, these stories-most of which have been published over the past thirty years-capture the spirit that gave rise to a culture of surf on the sweet and ragged wild edge of beauty. Drew Kampion is the only American surf writer who kept my interest during the period when I was World Champion-what everyone else was saying made me just want to look at the pictures. Drew's writing has always been an excellent barometer on the state of our tribe. - Nat Young, 1966 World Champion and four-time longboard champ Drew Kampion is a former editor of Surfer, Surfing, Wind Surf, and Wind Tracks magazines. He founded, edited, and published the award-winning Island Independent, and is the author of the best-selling titles Book of Waves and Stoked! A History of Surf Culture. Drew continues to write for magazines dedicated to the surfing life, as well as others. He is married with two children and lives on an island in Washington State. Jeff Petersen was raised and resides in northern California. He is an artist with an incredible amount of respect and love for the ocean and art; he feels lucky to combine these two interests in his work on The Lost Coast: Stories from the Surf. This is his first book.