Craig Jarvis

As someone who grew up in California and knew enough of the surfer life to get by, I though this would be a funny thing to see what they got right and wrong. But I found myself actually learning a lot of stuff that I could bring up in conversations with my surfing sisters, who actually bought it! I was able to use the language, and "judge" different surfer's techniques without them picking up a thing, a success in my mind. The one complaint I have is they kept saying the term "swallow tail boards" which I had never heard of. And anyone who says that will definitely be caught as a bluffer, the boards with an inverted "V" shape are called fishtails, other than that it was such an enjoyable read!… (more)

This guide is righteous. It will tell you everything you could possibly need to, want to, or not want to know about surfing, in short order. It hold a lot of information on all aspects of surfing, from sharks to boards to history to what to wear. I appreciated the tone of the guide, but it is not for everyone. It is rather irreverent, a bit haughty. I suppose it would appeal to sarcastic sorts. If you want to hack your way into the surfing world or not seem like a complete idiot your first time out, this is a handy guide.… (more)

The Bluffer's guide to Surfing is a (very) short summary of surfing. It dispenses with the 'hows' and 'whys' and gives you just the bullet points that will supposedly get you "in" with surfers, although I suspect a Bluffer's Guide to Wine, etc, would be safer than a cheat book about a sport that can kill you. I would not feel comfortable talking about surfing if this was my only information on the topic, but all the main points were there. I loved the humor, and the breezy writing style was perfect for the topic. There were a few places that could have done with pictures, diagrams, or just an illustration or two, but that tiny complaint aside, this was a fun book to read.… (more)