The Gift of Experience: Remarkable Encounters and Misadventures in the Global Pursuit of Waves

I emerged from the jungle path and skirted up the dune to discover a pristine beach with only the footprints of various birds and crabs, no signs of humanity. My heart raced as I looked to sea and observed the peeling of beautiful six-foot waves a few hundred feet offshore. I couldn't wait to get out and surf them.

The usual questions began racing through my mind: how shallow was the reef and how jagged was the coral; what creatures of concern lurked beneath the surface; where was a channel ...