Surf Is Where You Find It

From the outside looking in, Gerry Lopez seems to have a charmed life. Lopez knows and is admired by everyone who is anyone in the surfing world. I'm sure that starting and running his own board shaping businesses had its own headaches but, jeez, as Gerry would say, the guy grew up in Kauai, Oahu and Maui long before they were taken over by wealthy haoles, built a beautiful house on the beach at Pipeline (still known as the Lopez house even though he sold it long ago), was involved in the evolution of surfboards, tow surfing and surf exploration, starred in a movie with Arnold Schwartzenegger, and in recent years snowboards and surfs in Oregon and gets paid to go on surf trips by Patagonia. Does this sound like work? And I ask you, what other 63 year old surfer gets sponsored? Jeez. I guess it just goes to show how much he is respected. The one thing I would ask Lopez if I could is why the heck a barefoot island boy would want to surf in frickin' freezing water in Oregon but I guess if you are in love with snowboarding, that's pretty hard to do in Hawaii (no powder on Mauna Kea). I love reading about Hawaii in the days before the tourist boom and anything having to do with surfing and Gerry's book is chock-a-block full of great stories told in his easy-going style. Gerry's father was a newspaper reporter and Gerry has the same straightforward way of writing and, like his surfing, is stylish and seemingly effortless without unnecessary flourishes. Some of the stories are hilarious and some are sobering and life affirming (nothing like a near-death experience to make you appreciate being alive). Most, if not all, of the stories appeared in magazines over the years and are no more than four or five pages long. If I had been his editor I might have put the stories in chronological order or put dates and where each article first appeared at the beginning or end of each story but that's just me being picky. So why not five stars? That's for great works of literature but I did get five stars worth of enjoyment out of Surf Is Where You Find It.

I've always liked Gerry Lopez. Sure he was made into a kind of God in Big Wednesday, where I first heard about him, but there is no denying his style and grace in difficult waves. And what's more, after seeing him at G-Land in Endless Summer 2, he also showed he had a good sense of humour and was a great bloke as well. And so when I saw this book come out, I ordered it and found it reveals yet another great side to Gerry Lopez, an intelligent writer, and a thoughtful, rounded person with a great perspective on surfing and life. What a true legend.Lopez was there when Bali and Java was just beginning to take off in the 70s and 80s, being amongst the first to surf the world-class waves there. He talks about places I've surfed and can relate to-like never, ever allowing yourself to get caught inside at inside G Land's Speedies reef on a big day, or just how far you can go back in the tube at Uluwatu on a big day. Everyone knows he was amongst the standouts on the North Shore for years in the 70s, but he was also amongst the first to see Jaws before tow-ins. There is stories here on Chile, the Mentawais, Hawaii, Australia etc, and good historical stuff from the 60s and 70s-including his best ever day at Pipeline-a west swell with a 26 second period.He has surfed all over the world for decades, and this book contains some of his best memories and stories from those travels. He doesn't care much for the sometimes pretentious surf magazines, sponserships and inflated egos that can sometimes pervade surf culture today, he'd rather be out in remote Indo, Hawaii or Oregon with just his board and the ocean.Need I say more? This book is superb surf writing, one of my favourites. Now I only want to see my other favourite surf legend and unpretentious traveller-Tom Curren- write a book as well.

This is a book written by a surfer for surfers and anyone else that has ever been to the beach and seen someone ride a surfboard and said how do they do that? The writer is not only a talented world class surfer, an actor, but also an author of this and other books. Gerry Lopez tells his story in true Hawaiian, "talk story", style. Each chapter is a new adventure and some that take you to waves that he discovered or was just discovering with some of his friends who are listed in the Who's Who list of the best surfers in the world. Pick up the book I guarantee you won't put it down. Gerry, if you read this, I'm a year younger than you and still surf and reading this book makes me want to go out and surf with a young heart and passion everyday. I hope you have more stories to tell and a new book is on the horizon. Thanks for telling us your history through your stories.

I think anybody who is into surfing should read this book.I mean, this is surf history to the bone!What I found amazing is that every paragraph, every page I was reading, I truly felt like I was there.And that true 'soul surfing' vibe is in those pages.

I took my first surf lesson last year. The next 2 lessons this past March. I could use a few more so I decided to see if I could pick up some pointers from one of the greats. I wasn't disappointed. Appraoching Mr. Lopez's narrative with my beginner's mind, provided me with a way to think about the ocean, its waves, its floor, the formation of waves, the importance of a well executed duck dive, why some boards are better suited to certain waves and the "quiet" place that can be found within the embrace of a wave or under it. My goal was to understand its dangers: how to avoid them, how to live with them and, of course, the fun of it all trying to catch my next wave. If you're looking to pick up some tips and a bit of adventure you may well like Mr. Lopez's book. Oh yeah, I'm 60 now and looking forward to the next lesson.

Gerry Lopez is a master of surfing and writes with a unique and very interesting style just as his surfing!

Gerry Lopez is the only Surfer I’ve ever seen so at ease within a wave that can cripple or kill you for the slightest error of petty misjudgement. I have the stitches to prove it & my only worthy memory of the Banzai Pipeline is reaching the beach with relief only to be asked to paddle back out by a stranger who told me there was somebody left out there “would I help him rescue the guy?” Ohh NO I thought but we did & the victim who’d lost his board floundered between us clutching our inner lower legs as we paddled towing his almost limp body toward shore. We were his only chance, we saved him & my colleague known as ‘Ace Cool’ an aspiring big wave rider became a friend. I never Surfed Pipeline again - happy to survive its intensity by avoiding it. Gerry Lopez simply seemed to be at home there, without fuss or fear. His rides deep in the tube were esoteric almost in slow motion, always in complete control, always mesmerising. Aloha JN

A nice collection of short stories. The common thread for me is that it's all about our attitude and how we see the world.

In the world of surfing the name Gerry Lopez is synonymous with style. In this collection of surfing (and some snowboarding) anecdotes, Lopez recounts with his typically laidback style a lifetime of rich experience. For those that don't surf some of the surfing jargon may be difficult to overcome but for any surfer worth his or her salt, this is a must read. Delivered in a humble and honest yet light-hearted and entertaining voice, Lopez offers some insightful words of wisdom valuable to all. I had a hard time putting this book down.

Gerry transforma o surf em filosofia em cada página. É mais fácil ler o que eu não grifei, de tanta marcação que tive que fazer.