Surf Nation: In Search of the Fast Lefts and Hollow Rights of Britain and Ireland

by Alex Wade

If golf is the new football, then surfing must be the new golf. People are flocking to the sport in record numbers, often defying the unforgiving British climate to make the best of what can be some world-class waves. But is it all just surf dudes in VW camper vans heading down for a week's hell-raising in Newquay? Or is the sport attracting a wider range of addicts, often eschewing the established beaches in pursuit of a more solitary, and sometimes more dangerous, goal? In SURF NATION: IN SEARCH OF THE FAST LEFTS AND HOLLOW RIGHTS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND, Alex Wade takes the pulse of these islands' surfing credentials, and finds a growing army of devotees as well as some stunning locations. A witty and engaging mix of travelogue, reportage and guide to where to find the best breaks, SURF NATION reveals Britain and Ireland to be not just a growing hotbed of surfers but a surf destination of real credibility.

340 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2007

About the author

Alex Wade was born in Chiswick, London in 1966. Despite an upbringing in Devon he remains a dedicated QPR fan, often travelling from his home near Sennen Cove to games in Shepherd's Bush.

Alex's principal interests as a writer are law, sport (especially football, surfing and boxing), poker (Alex played, while a columnist for Flush magazine, in poker tournaments around the world) and travel, as well as general features, football match reports (for The Game, the acclaimed supplement of The Times) and book reviews (for The Times Books and Times Literary Supplement section).

Many years ago, when he was a media lawyer, Alex worked for leading libel firm Carter-Ruck before becoming now-Express Group proprietor Richard Desmond's first Head of Legal Affairs. Subsequently Alex's unreconstructed tendencies got the better of him. His life went off the rails but boxing played a large part in his rehabilitation. This story is chronicled in Wrecking Machine, a Sunday Times sports book of the week ("superb", "irresistible") but also one that saw Metro's book reviewer characterise it as "drivel" written by "a sexist womaniser who likes a drink or six". Best to buy it and make your own mind up.

Since 2002, Alex has worked mainly as a writer. He has also enjoyed stints as a licensed bookmaker and a sports rights consultant, selling the rights to key properties such as the FA Premier League in territories as diverse as Albania, Georgia and Azerbaijan. He has made a number of media appearances including Sky News, Talksport, BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Radio Five Live.

Alex has travelled extensively. He has written about New York, Albania and Kazakhstan; Barbados, Ireland and Andalucia; Captain Cook country, Mexico and Francis Ford Coppola's retreats in Belize and Guatemala. His two sons, Harry and Elliot, are keen surfers, and Alex continues to surf, box and play football despite surgery on his neck in 2009 and any number of sports injuries from repeated shoulder dislocations to broken bones and torn ligaments.

For many years Alex worked as a night lawyer for national newspapers including The Times, Independent and Sun. In 2006 Alex was the lawyer behind the scenes for Frank Skinner and David Baddiel's FIFA World Cup podcasts for The Times, and he continues to provide pre-publication legal advice either directly for clients or via Frugal Speech Ltd, an editorial services company which he runs with his partner Caroline Davidson.

Alex was proud to serve on the committee of Walcot Amateur Boxing Club in Swindon and is pleased to note that Wrecking Machine is, apparently, the most popular book in at least one of Her Majesty's institutions.

Alex Wade's literary agents are Jonathan Harris and David Luxton.

Reviews

[Jaimal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting fired up for the Saltwater Buddha book tour (which I’m planning on taking through Europe) I started flipping through Alex Wade’s stellar book Surf Nation: In Search of the Fast Lefts and Hollow Rights of Britain and Ireland. It has long been a dream for me to surf the cold waters up in those misty and mystical islands, but in a weird way, Wade’s writing is making me feel like I’ve already been. With both casual wit and journalistic seriousness (the perfect combo for me) each chapter takes you right to the scene, to areas most surfers have never heard of but, contrary to popular belief, have deep surf cultures – and great waves. This is a book any surfer with Euro fantasies should tap. Here’s a sample graph from the intro (where Wade is just about to begin his 18-month journey through the northern isles) that speaks to the author’s eloquence and insight into the sport. “But the thing about surfing is that however impoverished one’s ability, the desire to surf, for the sport’s ever growing band of aficionados, is irresistible. The sight of a perfect wave, or of magnificent lines of swell sweeping inexorably to the shore will make anyone who has ever experienced the sensation of surfing go weak in the knees, forget conventional notions of responsibility and obliterate knowledge of their own less-than-impressive ability.”

Here’s to feeling weak in the knees for years to come.