Swell Lines: A Surfer’s Journey

by Tom Anderson

The tale of an obsessive quest to prepare for and ride one of the world's greatest surf spots, Swell Lines details the tunnel vision and adventures of one surfer's pursuit of the legendary freight-train walls of South Africa's Jeffreys Bay. Taking in the frigid reefs of the Outer Orkneys, the temple pointbreaks of Indonesia, the surf zones of France and Sri Lanka and a trip through Panama and Costa Rica, Tom Anderson’s story spans a famous decade in the history of surf exploration. This is the book which sparked a generation of surf travelogues, now re-issued with a foreword from the author.Praise for Tom Anderson’s surf book contains a series of vignettes of life in strange, surf-battered places that will appeal not merely to surfers but to fans of travel writing generally...one is left admiring Anderson's drive, the vibrancy and honesty of his book and the simple fact of its existence. Surfing has been poorly served by writers, but here is a book that does the sport justice.' - The Times'Part-odyssey, part-memoir, part-travelogue...as much an insight into the drifter and dreamer's mentality as it is a surfer's guide.' - The Sunday Express 'Anderson will do for surfing what Hornby did for football.' - Publishing News.'Awesome. It's not often that a book can get you as amped to travel as a good surf movie, but this one does!' - Matt Archbold, Professional Surfer.'Best book I ever read.' - Shawn 'Barney' Barron, Professional Surfer.'..akin to the epic adventure stories...has the necessary grit to the oyster to take it beyond merely a good travelogue and to inspiring thoughts as to what it is about this sport which touches our souls...a real pleasure to read and a welcome addition to an area with very few well written books.' - The Surfer's Path Magazine 'If you've spent a lot of time travelling to surf, this book will bring back memories of a great many places - the experiences are real and the telling down to earth and genuine...If you've not been lucky enough to see the surfing world then this book is a chance to live a little through the authors quest.' - MagicSeaweed.com'Anderson's book - fresh, ingenuous and honest - will inspire the urge to explore in every surfer.' - Huck Magazine'A great way to work out your own surf goals and plan of action, this will definitely re-ignite your surfing wanderlust. Beware - if you have a full-time job, you will seriously consider jacking it in! Total escapism.' - Surf Girl Magazine'Tom Anderson brilliantly conveys that the surfing mentality is skewed to the point of madness... seemingly random surf dude conversations about love and death and the state of the atmosphere play out a philosophical debate between hedonism and seriousness, science and soul... the archetypal surfer does not exist and surfers may be weirdos but they are weird in wonderfully unpredictable ways.' - The Daily Telegraph

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2020

Reviews

[Jordan Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much preferred it to Grey Skies. Really enjoyable book, lovely wave descriptions. I could be imagining but I bet he’s a blooming nuisance to surf with.