Life lessons from Gerry Lopez’s “Surf Is Where You Find It.” Photo: Courtesy of Patagonia
Gerry Lopez and Ramon Navarro are two very different surfers. Lopez is a surfing legend (and part-time Hollywood movie star) who sits as a true icon of the sport. Navarro is bred of nine generations of Chilean subsistence fishers and foragers who, by riding the biggest waves on the planet, is attempting to save the breaks of the Chilean coast where he grew up and the livelihood of the locals who inhabit it. Their common ground is that they both represent the true surfing spirit.
Oh, and that each has released an incredible book that perfectly captures the essence of that spirit.
Available through Patagonia, Lopez’s “Surf Is Where You Find It” is a collection of stories about the lessons learned from a lifetime of surfing. Written with honesty, humility, and the deftest of self-deprecating humor, it is 38 individual tales about those who have been influential in the sport. These fascinating vignettes are augmented with imagery from Lopez’s personal collection and from some of the iconic photographers of the sport. This is a new edition, expanded with new stories and additional photographs and taking in Lopez’s pioneering role in the growth of SUP as well as his love of snowboarding.
Gerry Lopez at Pipeline, the wave that made him famous. Photo: Jeff Divine/Patagonia
Gerry Lopez (right) with old sparring partner and lifelong joker-in-crime Rory Russell. Photo: Jeff Divine/Patagonia
“The Fisherman’s Son: The Spirit of Ramon Navarro” is a different beast, a book by Chris Malloy that is a companion to the movie of the same name. It is a pictorial study of Navarro riding the biggest surf on the planet as a means of saving the stunning Chilean coastline that is his home. Malloy says in the book’s introduction that, “for the last 10 years, he has set new bars for what humans can do in heavy water.” Surf stars like Kelly Slater, Shane Dorian, Mick Fanning, and Sunny Garcia contribute and add weight to the theory that Navarro is one of the most underrated, and most admired, big-wave surfers in the world.
Book excerpt from Patagonia.
The many lives of Ramon Navarro.
Malloy, however, digs deeper, beyond wave-riding, tracing Navarro’s generational attachment to the Chilean coast and his drive to protect the waves and the coastal people from a myriad of man-made threats ranging from coal-powered power stations to nuclear reactors and unsustainable coastal development. Navarro has initiated a Save the Waves campaign , #LobosPorSiempre, an effort to protect Punta de Lobos by creating a local foundation that aims to safeguard the land and marine environment as well as assist with ongoing stewardship projects.
Both books provide more than just stunning words and imagery portraying two inspirational lives; they—and this is a rarity in a surf book—also make the reader think. Think about what the ocean means to the individual, and how we can use our passion for the sea to better our own lives and, more importantly, the lives of others.
Malloy and Navarro are currently touring both the book and film (see teaser above) at Patagonia stores in April, with the book on sale beginning June 2015. A portion of the proceeds will be used to support Navarro’s environmental efforts.
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