Surfing’s Greatest Misadventures

Surfing editor Paul Diamond contacted me about a book called Surfing’s Greatest Misadventures. Indonesia seems the perfect place to gather those kind of stories, whether the mishaps be scraping yourself on a remote reef or getting hooked up with a Javanese party girl. Indonesia and surfing in Indonesia is made for adventure.

Surfing’s Greatest Misadventures talks about actual near-death experiences and a selection of humorous moments. Among the contributors are Steve Pezman and Buzzy Kerbox, 2 of the guys in surfing doco Riding Giants (recommended). The Bali connection to this book is local surfer Dede Suryana, plus other Bali surf stories.

Incidentally, a friend of mine who is a surfer, and who just moved from Bali, told me a story. A while ago while living in Canggu, a surf break and Balinese village up the coast, he looked out from is porch and saw a western guy surfing a part of the break no one usually surfs. He went out and watched the guy, and when he came in my friend said ‘Pretty good, but I never see anyone but me surfing right here’. They went back to his place for a beer, and the guy said he was involved in shooting a surf movie in Bali, and maybe they could use my friend as he spoke Indonesian. My friend had no idea who he was, other than he was American. A few days later he gets a call from a hotel in Nusa Dua, telling him to be there for a meeting. He goes in and there is a selection of famous surfers, and when the other guy walked in everyone starts calling him ‘Double D’ (Darrick Dorner). My friend got a job as transport crew and shared a room with Double D for a week.