Review
“After decades of publishing grammar readers and college-board study guides, Wavescape is just what you’d expect from a textbook titan like Barron’s, taking the insights of experts and converting them into elementary themes any student can understand … Sections are well-written and offer an accessible mix of surfing mood and solid information. In fact, it’s the lack of daunting insider minutae and dudespeak that helps it stand apart, providing a perfect introduction for any novice looking to one day ace their SATs (Surfing Aptitude Test) at home or abroad”
— Matt Walker, Surfing, 2003

Book Description
Here's every surfer's dream book! It's beautifully illustrated and describes the world's best surfing sites all over the world. Divided into five sections covering Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and the Americas, this volume follows surfers in their search for that perfect wave. The authors recommend seasonal journeys, and take readers along with them to famous sites in Mexico and the Spice Islands in summer, Europe and Africa in autumn, the South Pacific in winter, and Australia in spring. And, of course, there's always California for just about any time when surf's up! An opening chapter on the history of surfing describes how in the 1770s Captain Cook first saw the sport enjoyed by Hawaiians. By the mid-twentieth century, new materials such as fiberglass and polyurethane revolutionized surfboard manufacture and substantially increased the sport's popularity. Approximately 150 dramatic color photos complement exciting descriptions of the world's most famous and most challenging surfing locations.

Back Cover Copy
Less than a hundred years ago surfing was a secret known only to a few island cultures. Today it is one of the biggest sports in the world, attracting a devoted following who will travel literally anywhere to find the perfect wave. In recent years the brave—and foolhardy—have even surfed the icy, treacherous waters of Antarctica in search of that moment of transcendence.

Wavescape is a world tour of the finest surf spots yet discovered. Ranging from the paradise of Indonesian islands? turquoise waters to destinations such as Pipeline, Hawaii, which has a fearsome record of carnage and mayhem, the authors take you on a worldwide excursion, giving expert advice on how to ride the waves at each location. In addition, they offer tantalizing hints about other virtually secret beaches that you can find near several locations they describe in detail. They also have valuable advice on many surfing-related topics, such as attitudes of the local people and what to expect when you deal with them . . . the frequency of shark attacks . . . and which beaches to avoid altogether unless you?re an expert—or a lunatic.

Featuring stunning photography and action shots of every surfing destination described, this exciting volume shows all the thrills and spills that each site has to offer. From Europe to Australia, by way of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific islands, Wavescape demonstrates the lengths to which surfers will go in their thrilling quests to find bigger and more challenging waves.

About the Author
Chris Towery is Senior Editor of Eastern Surf Magazine. He has surfed for more than 15 years, riding waves on the East Coast, California, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Costa Rica. Matt Pruett is Associate Editor of Eastern Surf Magazine. Originally from North Carolina's Outer Banks, where he first learned to surf, he has since surfed in Indonesia, Barbados, Costa Rica, and Mexico, among other sites.

FROM THE PUBLISHER