What do you think?
Rate this book
Riding the Magic Carpet: A Surfer's Odyssey to Find the Perfect Wave
"The right-hand point at Jeffreys Bay is one of the surfing world's most exciting finds, and from the age of twelve it had been my life's purpose to surf there." J-Bay, South Africa, has the fantasy, the almost mythical waves every surfer dreams of riding once in their lifetime. But Tom wouldn't go until he was ready. He would seek out surf-spots from the virgin reef-breaks of the Outer Orkneys to the temple point-breaks of Indonesia, from the beautiful beaches of France to the wilds of Sri Lanka, on his quest to ride the waves of his dreams. Get on the road, get stoked, and get in the water.
- GenresNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Tom Anderson
9 books23 followersTom was born in Watford, London on the 15th May 1980. He lived with his parents in London until he saw the error of his ways only a couple of years later whereupon his family moved back to his father’s homeland of South Wales. It was inevitable that he would be drawn to the sea since his grandfather had been a top lifesaver and his father a successful competitive surfer ‘back in the day’.
Tom began surfing at the age of 11 and moved to the seaside town of Porthcawl at the age of 13. He saved up for his first custom surfboard at the age of 14 after doing a milk round for 27 weeks (=270 pounds!) working from midnight until five AM every Friday night, under the watchful eye of long-time Porthcawl Point local Gez McKay (who has since joined the police “’cause it gives you even more water time than a milk round”). By the age of 16 Tom had gained a place on the Welsh Junior Surfing team and British Junior Development Squad.
After finishing school Tom began to travel abroad as much as possible in search of better waves. During a degree in English at the University of Glamorgan, the Student Loans Company funded a large proportion of the travel which went on to form the basis of the Magic Carpet storyline.
He still had to get the odd job though and has done just about everything, including such ‘trades’ as golf caddy, caravan cleaner, bailiff, suit salesman, dishwasher, ice-cream bike operative, barman, line-feeder at a Sony factory, private investigator, canine dental machine repairman and obviously surf shop assistant.
His interests away from surfing include making so-called terminally ill cars last an extra 23,000 miles (and still counting, thank you Nissan!), watching the Welsh Football Team and Arsenal (be it at a dodgy foreign bar, in the stands of the Millennium Stadium or at Highbury/the Emirates Stadium), longboard-skateboarding, poker, basketball, reading and writing and scheming for other ways to fund more surf travel.
Tom began surfing at the age of 11 and moved to the seaside town of Porthcawl at the age of 13. He saved up for his first custom surfboard at the age of 14 after doing a milk round for 27 weeks (=270 pounds!) working from midnight until five AM every Friday night, under the watchful eye of long-time Porthcawl Point local Gez McKay (who has since joined the police “’cause it gives you even more water time than a milk round”). By the age of 16 Tom had gained a place on the Welsh Junior Surfing team and British Junior Development Squad.
After finishing school Tom began to travel abroad as much as possible in search of better waves. During a degree in English at the University of Glamorgan, the Student Loans Company funded a large proportion of the travel which went on to form the basis of the Magic Carpet storyline.
He still had to get the odd job though and has done just about everything, including such ‘trades’ as golf caddy, caravan cleaner, bailiff, suit salesman, dishwasher, ice-cream bike operative, barman, line-feeder at a Sony factory, private investigator, canine dental machine repairman and obviously surf shop assistant.
His interests away from surfing include making so-called terminally ill cars last an extra 23,000 miles (and still counting, thank you Nissan!), watching the Welsh Football Team and Arsenal (be it at a dodgy foreign bar, in the stands of the Millennium Stadium or at Highbury/the Emirates Stadium), longboard-skateboarding, poker, basketball, reading and writing and scheming for other ways to fund more surf travel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 10, 2017
Our own home-grown british surf author! This is probably his best book (of the ones I've read). Tom is a great story teller and he starts this book with a goal and it is fascinating to read how he works he way up to it. Inspired my surfing and surf travel enormously.
July 20, 2020
The story covers various surf spots around the work (sri lanka, indo, south america, south africa). Always better and memorable to get a feel for future holiday destinations through stories rather than travel forums/holiday sites. Good travel book, and with interesting surf facts to learn.
May 3, 2020
Shockingly boring from start to finish. Fails to capture the essence of surfing, just a boring narrative.
May 8, 2024
Amazing book, encourages you to travel and surf. Tom does such a great job at describing the waves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2012
In Riding The Magic Carpet, Anderson sketches a journey that starts in South Wales, ventures to the icy reaches of the Orkney Islands, and careens through Western Europe, Indonesia and Central America, before winding up at its destination: Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa. J-Bay, as Anderson calls it, is the pinnacle of the author's quest to find--and surf--the elusive perfect wave.
As a non-surfer, I was pleasantly surprised by the accessibility of the book - there is a brief glossary in the back, but for the most part it wasn't needed, as there were brief explanations of key concepts as the story moved along. The book takes the form of a travelogue, whereby Anderson and various surfing pals visit ever more impressive destinations in the build up to Anderson's voyage to Jeffrey's Bay.
The first section of the book sees a group of surfers tackling the relatively virgin waters of the Orkney Islands, as well as Thurso East, one of Scotland's fabled surfing spots. Crucial to an enjoyment of the book is an understanding not so much of surfing but of the commitment to surfing that Anderson and his ilk possess, and how this fuels his quest to surf the world in pursuit of those perfect waves. The trip to the Orkneys--a freezing, little-visited destination with little in the way of guaranteed, well-documented waves--shows not only the men's love of surfing, but the importance of finding new spots in which to surf, however unlikely these spots might be.
As the book progresses, Anderson travels to France, the Basque country, Sri Lanka and Indonesia to surf, before breaking his leg in a football match and travelling to Costa Rica and Panama to visit his girlfriend, another keen surfer, whilst being unable to surf himself. All this builds up to a recovery that sees Anderson, finally, making his way to Jeffrey's Bay via Durban. As he travels, we are introduced to popular surf spots and those that are hidden away and jealously guarded. Surf etiquette plays a part in negotiating these locations, as locals and outsiders battle for space. Anderson documents how the fluke of good waves can alter the fortunes of a town or region, as in turning flood-damaged Sri Lankan towns into relatively prosperous surf destinations.
As a sport that I was largely unfamiliar with when picking up this book, surfing emerges as more complex, more competitive, and more compelling that I had previously imagined. The tone is occasionally meandering and sometimes I found the writing a little bit flat, but I wonder if some of the problem stems from attempting to write to a non-surfing audience as well as, presumably, many readers who are as invested in, and as knowledgeable about, the sport as the author himself. As an introduction to surfing, Riding the Magic Carpet is an enjoyable read, and I'd be interested to see how Anderson's other book, Chasing Dean, matches up.
Overall rating: 6/10
As a non-surfer, I was pleasantly surprised by the accessibility of the book - there is a brief glossary in the back, but for the most part it wasn't needed, as there were brief explanations of key concepts as the story moved along. The book takes the form of a travelogue, whereby Anderson and various surfing pals visit ever more impressive destinations in the build up to Anderson's voyage to Jeffrey's Bay.
The first section of the book sees a group of surfers tackling the relatively virgin waters of the Orkney Islands, as well as Thurso East, one of Scotland's fabled surfing spots. Crucial to an enjoyment of the book is an understanding not so much of surfing but of the commitment to surfing that Anderson and his ilk possess, and how this fuels his quest to surf the world in pursuit of those perfect waves. The trip to the Orkneys--a freezing, little-visited destination with little in the way of guaranteed, well-documented waves--shows not only the men's love of surfing, but the importance of finding new spots in which to surf, however unlikely these spots might be.
As the book progresses, Anderson travels to France, the Basque country, Sri Lanka and Indonesia to surf, before breaking his leg in a football match and travelling to Costa Rica and Panama to visit his girlfriend, another keen surfer, whilst being unable to surf himself. All this builds up to a recovery that sees Anderson, finally, making his way to Jeffrey's Bay via Durban. As he travels, we are introduced to popular surf spots and those that are hidden away and jealously guarded. Surf etiquette plays a part in negotiating these locations, as locals and outsiders battle for space. Anderson documents how the fluke of good waves can alter the fortunes of a town or region, as in turning flood-damaged Sri Lankan towns into relatively prosperous surf destinations.
As a sport that I was largely unfamiliar with when picking up this book, surfing emerges as more complex, more competitive, and more compelling that I had previously imagined. The tone is occasionally meandering and sometimes I found the writing a little bit flat, but I wonder if some of the problem stems from attempting to write to a non-surfing audience as well as, presumably, many readers who are as invested in, and as knowledgeable about, the sport as the author himself. As an introduction to surfing, Riding the Magic Carpet is an enjoyable read, and I'd be interested to see how Anderson's other book, Chasing Dean, matches up.
Overall rating: 6/10
November 8, 2011
This is what living your dream should be all about. A feel good, get stoked read.
November 17, 2012
another piece of travel writing and another inspiration. really easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable.
January 3, 2013
Couldn't put it down. Makes you want to travel. Will definetley be picking it up again. A keeper for sure!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews