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On a Rising Swell
A high-speed glide through Florida surf culture and a deep dive into the lore of a classic surfing destination.
Not far from where the Apollo 11 rocket launched to the moon, surfers make their way to the shore in the night. Clutching their surfboards, they chase a familiar dream: more speed, more altitude, and going beyond the limits of what has been done before. For that, they want to be the first ones to catch the early morning waves.
In this book, Dan Reiter chronicles stories of the sport on Florida’s Space Coast, a region that has produced some of the world’s finest surf champions, Pipe masters, and surfboard builders. On this stretch of sand between Cape Canaveral and Sebastian Inlet, Florida’s surf history reaches back to the native Ais people of the Atlantic Coast and continues to the elites of today, including Kelly Slater, Caroline Marks, and CJ Hobgood. Reiter offers insights into the evolution of surfboard shaping and design, the distinctive culture of the East Coast surfboard industry, and the traits and traditions that make Florida surfing unique.
United by the background of Florida sun, soaring blue skies, and shifting sandbars, each one of this book’s eclectic chapters tells its own story of passion and pursuit. Weaving together history, personal experiences, and interviews with the greats, Reiter redefines surf literature and invites readers to share in the thrill of a rising swell.
“On a Rising Swell whittles the entire balsa wood world of surfing down to its porous Florida core—a world in which criminals, artisans, and athletes come and go like hurricanes, beach breaks, and surfboards.”—Jason Katz, founding editor, Islandia Journal
“Goes far beyond simple research and delves not only into the fascinating history of the Space Coast’s surfing culture, but into the very zeitgeist of the sport itself. This is the kind of book that could only be written by a member of this remarkable subculture as well as a writer of great wit, intelligence, and a keen understanding of context. Essential reading to anyone who calls themselves a surfer or a sportsman.”—Matt George, author of In Deep: The Collected Surf Writings
“Every so often a writer bubbles from the substrata fully formed, handily entering what fellow surf scribes call the ‘meat eater’s club.’ This new Dan Reiter offering serves as an Exhibit A.”—Scott Hulet, editor, The Surfer’s Journal
Dan Reiter lives in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on a dissolving barrier island. His surf writing has been featured in The Surfer’s Journal, Surfer Magazine, and Eastern Surf Magazine and his short stories have appeared in American Short Fiction, Tin House, and the Kenyon Review.
