hkwrites's Full Review: Andrea McCloud - The Girl's Guide To Surfing
Frankly, I’m tired of trying to paddle out into closeouts and mushburgers, doing turtle rolls and trying not to get worked at my local beach break. Confused? You won't be if you read Andrea McCloud's The Girl's Guide to Surfing. She would translate that gobbledygook into something like "the waves are not surfable, and I'm exhausting myself rolling under my surfboard so I don't fall down and get pummeled."
Now you know why I've written two epinions on surfing books, with a possible third on the way. The conditions stink, and frankly, lately, so do I. This winter I've spent more time and energy trying to get to the surfable side of a wave than riding. Ever persistent, I’m using this temporary setback to get educated by some of the best in the ocean while remaining safely on dry land. I’m biding my time, watching the pros on the Fuel TV network and reading the three “surfer girls” books* published in rapid succession this year. That and a few thousand push-ups ought to help me get it straight before the mellow waves of summer return.
Take a Look at This
Symbolon, the illustrator, (www.symbolonz.com) has created gallery-worthy artwork. The illustrations are energetic, confident, sexy in a tasteful way, and very compelling. They resemble animae, revealing the artist's Japanese roots. Even if you care nothing about surfing technique, the art alone makes the book an inspiration.
From a purely academic standpoint, the illustrations clearly demonstrate the concepts provided in the lessons. Page 19 has a clear and attractive diagram of the parts of the wave face (section, lip, curl, wall, trough, pocket, whitewater), page 41 details the anatomy of a shortboard and longboard, page 66 shows paddling problems of stalling and pearling (nose of the board diving under the water when you want to stay above the water) and the correct position. There’s a heck of a wipeout on page 70 – I hope she doesn’t hit her head underwater!
If only every instruction book could be so gorgeous.
What to Expect from this Book The Girl’s Guide to Surfing is an instruction manual, and a darn good one. In fact, if you actually want to learn to surf (as opposed to learning about lifestyle and fashion aspects), this is my top pick, even if you happen to be male. It’s well-organized, the typefaces are clear and fresh, and each topic and subtopic is broken down by headings and subheadings.
In addition to Andrea’s words, the book is full of meaty quotes from the pros who tell it like it was and is.
Chapters Include: “Introduction/Making Waves,” “Carving the Way: Wahine History” , “Wave Breakdown,” “Gear,” “The Fundamentals,” “To Rip or to Cruise?” “Etiquette and Safety,” “Travel,” “Additional Resources,” “Surf-Speak: The Lingo” (sampled above), and “Contributors.”
We’re all a Bunch of Kooks
“Kook” is not a very nice thing to call someone, especially if that person is a new surfer and really trying. However, in her introduction, Andrea McCloud calls herself one even though she is an accomplished surfer, and dedicates the book to the “inner kook” in all of us. So I’ll forgive her. In the introduction, she gives a pep talk on how to accept our current level of surfing, even if we think we should be further along by now. “Be patient, be persistent, and surf as much as you can,” says McCloud.
All Hail our Wahine Ancestors
The Introduction highlights some of the notable moments in wahine surfing history. “Wahine” means woman in Hawaiian. (“Kane” is the word for man.) According to legend, Pele, legendary Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, learned to surf and taught her sister Hi’iaka.” Thus begins “Carving the Way: Wahine History.” Since then, women and girls from the Hawaiian Islands, California, Australia, Europe, Japan, Indonesia, South Africa, South America, the American East Coast and even Canada have been surfing the world’s oceans. Currently, the women’s world champion is from Peru, although she wasn’t named world champ until after this book was published.
That’s Just Swell
Chapter one deconstructs the wave. Wind, the ocean bottom composition, and tides all affect the size and type of wave that will be created. This chapter gives good basic information as well as a listing of some of the big wave locations in the world.
Wax On, Wax Off
In surfing, equipment can make or break the experience. I’ve heard of a bizarre contest where champion surfers try surfing on all kinds of non-ocean equipment, including a table and a door. This book doesn’t teach how to do that. Chapter two does, however, stress the importance of choosing the right kind of board, the right kind of wetsuit, right kind of bathing suit (yes, this is very important ladies), and how to pack your surfmobile for everything you’ll need for pre- and post-surfing, plus what to put into your first aid kit.
What am I Supposed To Do?
Chapter three covers the fundamentals, like knowing if you are regular footed (left foot forward on the surfboard) or goofy-footed (right foot forward on the surfboard). This is important, because the leash (the strap that attaches you to your surfboard so you can get it back after a wipeout) goes on the rear foot. It also covers paddling out (how to get to the outside, surfable part of a wave), and how to do turtle rolls (how to get under your board when a big wave approaches). This chapter also covers how to do a pop-up (how to get from a horizontal position to a vertical position), how to take off on a wave, and how to turn on a wave so you don’t have to paddle out again.
Short Board vs. Longboard
The author would be the first to tell you I have the wrong equipment, which is why I’ve been so frustrated (that and I haven’t been doing my push-ups… shhhh, don’t tell anyone!) I’ve been experimenting with shorter boards because they’re so much lighter, and because I can duck dive instead of turtle roll, but after reading this book I’ve decided to rededicate myself to the “cruise” style of the longboard.
Shortboards require the rider to provide all the power and keep up the speed if neccessary, and it’s much harder to learn to surf on a shortboard. Longboards make it very easy to catch a wave as a beginner. In general, shortboards are for power surfing and longboards are for soul surfing, especially if you start getting into noseriding or crossover steps. I’ve seen longboarders who look like they're dancing on the waves.
This chapter covers the main maneuvers for both types of boards, including duck diving (how to get yourself and your board under water when a big wave approaches) for shortboards.
Survive and Thrive in the Lineup
This chapter is a “must read” for anyone concerned about safety and etiquette, which should really include everyone who attempts this sport.
The lineup is the unofficial queue for catching waves. Without knowing the etiquette, it’s very easy to offend people. Stinkeye doesn’t appear in this book’s glossary, but it’s a sure bet that you’ll get really mean looks if you accidentally (or purposely) snake (cut off or get in front of) a rider who has priority. If there’s a lot of localism (“when locals are territorial or nasty”) it could even mean getting your car vandalized or having a physical confrontation in the parking lot.
This chapter also covers safety, including rip currents, surfing solo, assessing conditions, and one section affectionately titled Jaws and Friends. The author even thoughtfully gives the reader some time and space to freak out about sharks and other sea creatures, plus water pollution, other surfers, and submerged reefs.
Surfing Safaris
In the sixties, Bruce Brown made many surf documentaries including The Endless Summer and many sequels that were part surf documentary and part travel film. Today, surf trips are just as popular as ever. This chapter details what to pack, how to tell if the conditions will be good for surfing, how to avoid the “dreaded diarrhea,” and how to keep safe and healthy on a surf trip. There’s a section on how to negotiate a price on renting a surfboard, and a homemade rehydration cocktail that sounds just ghastly but apparently works.
What Else Do I Need to Know?
The additional resources chapter has some great information ranging from magazines, books, surf movies, surf forecasting, associations, clubs, package tours and charters, surf camps and clinics, (hey look, surf diva is on there), surf maps and other surf “stuff.”
What Did You Just Say to Me?
Again, the glossary is a worthwhile part of the book to read, if not memorize, before your next surf lesson. Read it so you can spend your lesson time on surfing, not vocabulary.
Thanks a Million
If you’re a wahine and get a smile instead of a glare the next time you show up in the water with a surfboard, thank these fearless females for paving the way: Rochelle Ballard, Serena Brooke, Heather Clark, Julie Cox, Kim Hamrock, Margeaux Hamrock, Belen Kimble-Connelly, Pauline Menczer, Mary Osborne, Carla Rowland, and Frieda Zamba. There are insightful quotes from them in each chapter, and they all get their props on the Contributors pages.
Final Thoughts The Girl’s Guide to Surfing is the third surfer girl book I bought this spring, and of the three, it is my favorite “pure” instruction manual. I enjoy the other two* also, and recommend all three for anyone who is interested in the sport or the lifestyle.
Aloha, wahines and kanes, and mahalo (thank you) for reading!
*The three books are this one, Surf Diva: A Girl's Guide To Getting Good Waves by Izzy and Coco Tiyahani, and Surf Like a Girl: The Surfer Girl's Ultimate Guide to Paddling Out, Catching a Wave, and Surfing with Aloha by Rebecca Heller.
Separate from this book, if you would like to see the difference between the shortboard and longboard styles of wave riding, I highly recommend the film Riding Waves which plays occasionally on Fuel TV or is available at www.ridingwaves.com.
For a relatively current documentary of surfing, you might also enjoy Step Into Liquid by Dana Brown.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.