Surfing is an attitude, not just a ride.
So when a former editor of “Surfer,” “Surfing,” and “Windsurfing” magazines chooses the island way of life – and it’s not an island in the state of Hawaii – the attitude has to carry him when the waves do not.
Author Drew Kampion first surfed in the ’60s before combining his love for the wild waves with editing and writing.
No, there aren’t a lot of surfable waves off Whidbey Island, his home since 1991, but Kampion keeps it in perspective.
He can always bicycle.
“It’s a lot like surfing. You work to climb a hill and get a free ride to the other side.”
He’s seen the sport morph through the decades, from the Beach Boys and “Gidget” movies to the 21st century crop of videos and movies, including Sundance Film Festival opening with Stacy Peralta’s surf documentary “Riding Giants,” MTV’s surf segments from X-Games, and WB’s series “Boarding House: The North Shore.”
Kampion added his words to the 2004 mix with his book “Stories from the Surf: The Lost Coast” ($19.95, Gibbs Smith).
In 22 stories, Kampion captures the moment, the mythology, the spirit and the language of surfers in a stream-of-consciousness anthology.
“Surfers engage on a daily basis with the wild. And the wild is fast disappearing,” Kampion said.
Meantime, surfers get off the beach, face sharks and rip tides, and compete for limited resources.
“Good waves focus on certain spots and everyone wants to get them,” Kampion said.
Never an athletic youth, Kampion found his niche with surfing in the 1960s.
“I find the dynamic of waves fascinating. I enjoy surfers. As a group they’re incredibly vital,” he said.
“They learn big lessons through surfing. They have this little slogan: ‘Life is a wave and your attitude is your surfboard.’ It really is the truth.”
Surfing is a lot of work for a relatively short-lived reward when a 10-second ride is a long outing.
“It’s hard to surf. You have to pay in advance. You have to paddle out and go through the discomfort before you can enjoy it. It takes effort. The discipline becomes part of the lifestyle.”
Washington state’s water is simply too cold for Kampion’s taste.
“I hate cold water. We really don’t have good surfing beaches in Washington. It’s easily the worst place on the West Coast. We don’t have the natural formations that create the right kind of waves.”
OK, inquiring minds want to know – what about those sharks?
“Sharks are significant psychologically … but physically not that common, although any surf shop in the Northwest worth its salt has one surfboard with a bite in it on the wall,” Kampion said.
Kampion’s favorite story in “Lost Coast” is “A Wave in Search of the Perfect Surfer.” But his favorite character is Morey Sanchez in “Douglas La Mancha and the Razor Bay Rippers.”
“He’s the manager of a surf team, a weary old guy stuck with a bottom-rung surf team (on a) terrible circuit. I like him, the sad-sack team manager.”
Kampion sees the threads that bind surfers.
“It’s an enthusiasm about life. Surfers are alert and appreciative and do the best with each wave that comes their way.”
Enthusiastic. Appreciative. Doing the best with what comes. Sounds like good advice for living.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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