This follows his late-in-life attempt to learn how to surf, and like all his writing, it's filled with vivid scenes, emotional honesty, and a deep connection to the natural world. This was my first non-fiction read of his, and while the surfing technical bits didn’t totally hold my attention, the overall journey was worth it. What lingered most was the environmental backdrop. Even then, things looked bleak, and reading it now feels even heavier. Not my favorite Heller, but still a good ride.

This book was alright. It definitely isn't the worst thing that I read but it wasn't particularly interesting to me. I think mostly because I didn't care for the narration. Like it was okay but nothing that particularly stood out to me either. Though I thought that Heller talked about some interesting people so that was a plus.

Peter Heller writes about getting hooked on Surfing after he spends a 3 week trip surfing with one of his buddies in California. Upon deciding that he wants to go from being a kook to surfing like a pro, Peter decides to take 6 months with his partner and learn to surf like a pro in Mexico. Like all travel and adventure related books, it satisfied my craving to read, once-again, about someone that chucks their stress-filled life for one that is slower paced, simpler, and with moments of adventure. Peter also intersperses stories of ecology and projects he's involved with in the protection of our oceans and ocean wildlife.

It's a good read, and one that will make you want to move to the ocean and take up surfing.

46-year-old adventure writer Peter Heller gives himself six months to go from novice (or, 'kook') to skilled surfer ('shredder'), mostly along the coast of Mexico. This is a book about the joy of surfing, but it's also a book about relationships, particularly regarding Kim (the woman he marries), as well as his teachers and fellow surfers. Heller's a good writer (The Dog Stars remains a favourite of mine), as a narrator he's both likeable and self-aware (even when he's being a jerk), and I enjoyed the story he told. There are a few detours about how we are destroying our oceans and their inhabitants. Overall, it's a good read. Recommended.

Not bad, but I much prefer the other titles I've read by Heller.

A fun musing on love, life, and surfing. Who wouldn't want to take six months off to travel the coast of Mexico learning how to get barreled!?