“Surfer Stories” is a book compiling 12 stories told by 12 surfers about 12 other surfers. Photos: Surfer Stories
To talk story is an integral part of surfing. Telling stories about the waves, lying about the size of them, and laughing about the journey that prefaced riding those waves. Talking story is part of being a surfer, and a new book written by Claudia Lebenthal talks a lot of story.
Surfer Stories is a compilation of 12 untold stories by 12 writers about 12 of the world’s greatest surfers. Lebenthal is the founder and editor of a website called Style of Sport. The book features some incredibly interesting people: Shaun Tomson wrote about Kelly Slater, Sam George about Laird Hamilton, Gerry Lopez about Garrett McNamara, Jamie Brisick about Derek Hynd, Jim Kempton about Gerry Lopez, Karen Rinaldi about Rell Sunn, and Foo Fighters lead guitarist Chris Shiflett wrote about Tom Curren, to name a few.
Over the course of collecting writers for Surfer Stories, Lebenthal did, as you’d expect, receive a few refusals. One came from David Duchovny, star of X-Files and Californication. Duchovny turned down the offer because he didn’t surf, but his refusal into something positive: an introduction to Chris Carter, creator of the X-Files. Carter was once an editor of SURFING magazine. He had profiled Shaun Tomson in the 1980s and asked if he could do it again for Lebenthal’s book. Lebenthal said yes.
The stories within are told in a way that only those particular surfers can tell them; through a lens with decades of experience in the water, sharing waves and everything that comes with the pursuit of them.
Lebenthal has been interested in surfing since the mid-’90s. At the time, she was the Visual Projects Director at Conde Nast Sports for Women, and she fell in love not just with the act of riding waves, but everything about surfing.
“I found surfing had such a rich culture, and history of photography and style,” she told me. “I immersed myself in the sport as an editor, and became obsessed. I had the opportunity to go to the North Shore and see it all first hand. I had the opportunity to meet legends like Rell Sunn and see the opening ceremony of the Eddie Aikau Invitational. There were so many stories to tell and photograph. I became obsessed with it all.”
That obsession didn’t wane over the years, and slowly an idea began to form in her head: a collection of stories told by surfers, about the world’s best surfers. Surfers come from all walks of life, but the bond between them is often an interesting one.
“I thought it would be really interesting to have a collection of all those different voices, perspectives, and connections to a particular surfer whose story they wanted to tell,” Lebenthal said. “And these are stories, not bios, but untold, and revealing as much about the writer as the surfer, all contained in one book.”
Surfer Stories isn’t meant solely for people who surf, but for anyone interested in stories about people. The surfing is just the vessel for those stories.
“My goal from the start was to create a book about surfing that would appeal equally to those who surf and those who don’t by simply telling great human stories,” she explained. “I wanted a mix of voices and backgrounds. I had a wish list of fellow surfers, famed authors, celebrities, surf journalists, and other notable figures. Some said yes, some said no, but in the journey of my quest to fill out a roster of 12, I was connected to different writers by different people, and organically it ended up being the perfect group. Those writers chose the surfers whose story they wanted to tell and the book took on a life of its own. It became more than just about surfing. The book became a reflection of the diversity of the world in which we live – black and white, men and women, gay and straight – surfers who are legends and pioneers, in and out of the water.”
Surfer Stories has stories from all over surfing. From the past to the present, from Teahupoo to Pipeline and Jeffreys Bay. Legendary surfers who have cemented themselves in the annals of surfing history, telling tales about other legendary surfers. It’s a wonderful compilation for anyone who loves riding waves — or just great stories in general.
Find Surfer Stories on Amazon here.
