it's not often that I give up on a book. but I had to.

The appeal of "extreme" sports is in its metaphysical necessity. By putting your life so constantly on the brink of death, you become acutely aware of survival. Duane's quietly passionate search for the perfect wave profoundly elucidates why anyone would go through the humiliation of competing or even trying to work with nature: it's a transcendental experience where seven times out of ten, you'll get your ass handed to you (and that's when nature even cooperates), but the other three will be so viscerally thrilling that it will negate any doubts you may have had.

Sorry, I ended up with this after a run of disappointing reads...but there's gotta be better surf writing out there...

pint-sized epic. perfect surfing literature. enjoyed the hell out of duane's controlled expressionist style, plethora of surf and oceanic knowledge, and play by play way of documenting the minutae and atmosphere of his experience. made me want to surf which is all you can ask.

A great read about a writer who gives it all up for a year just to surf in Northern California.

The book is great about just leaving it all behind and doing what you love. It is well written, both in the writer talking about surfing and in relating his life and the amazing sense of balance he gains. Great, great book!

I remember reading this on Greg's recommendation. It was pretty good overall, just had lots of parts where the author felt it necessary to devote entire pages to decriptions of nature. But to get a glimpse of the life of a surf-bum its a pretty good read. Paints a much different picture than Spicoli...

I thought this was a great book, especially if you've ever surfed in or near Santa Cruz. I've read a few comments about how Duane's "in depth descriptive" gets a bit much - I actually enjoyed it. It brought me back. One of the things I remember most (aside from the great surf and cold water) is the beautiful landscape, and the great smells in the air. There's just no way you can write about your experiences in that area without adding that narrative - it just goes with the territory (I'm in NYC now - we get a much different smell!).

Enjoy this book - immerse yourself in it!

Looking back nearly thirty years, California is in recession, and the tech boom isn't even a whisper. Daniel Duane decides to do what most of us just dream of doing: spend four seasons on the California coast, researching breaks, and surfing them. This little volume of essays is a prototype of Barbarian Days, indeed there is a brief reference to Willam Finnegan's articles in The New Yorker, when Duane's mother buys him a subscription to the magazine. Where Barbarian Days occasionally becomes tedious, with Finnegan's endless claims to be the first dude to surf the best breaks on the planet that are now household names, Duane retains a consistent humility, through his detailed, beautiful observations of nature, and his honesty about his limitations in the ocean. This title remains a gem for those flat days, or for anyone who would like to learn more about Californian history and wildlife.

a great navel-gazing book on why people dedicate their lives to surfing. It also depicts the changing seasons around Santa Cruz with plenty of naturalist observations. Sometimes more like poetry than prose as it doesn't have much of a plot.

I have surfed for 57 years in mostly the SoCal environment. Have had a place in Mexico for 15 years and now currently 4 in Baja Sur. But what a surprise to read Duane's book of NorCal secret spots and winter water. Oh yeah, big difference between sand beaches and lonely reef places known mostly to locals. Plus, Northern California is more of a shark place than the southern realms.

I loved the Zen like journey of a person almost totally committed to an alternative lifestyle and the friends he made while spending a year doing what others had done AS their life.

Wake up call! Do what your heart tells you to on your best moments. Oh, yeah, the description of on land and on sea life are worth the time investment of this book.

Does Duane get caught up in the details sometimes? Is the writing overwrought in places, disrupting the pace of the narrative? Yes, and yes. But his love for place comes through in those details. When he describes the flight of a hawk or the intricate interaction of tide pool creatures, he's portraying surfing as the total sensorial immersion in nature that is at the root of what makes it so compelling. Ultimately, that attention to detailed observation is what makes this book compelling too.

I don't surf, but I do love being by (and going in) the ocean, and I know this book is going to make me want to move to Santa Cruz.

Update: Not bad. Felt like it started off strong and then got a little dull.