Photo courtesy: Joseph Tomarchio

In the middle of a crowded lineup maelstrom, it is always good to reflect on what brings you back to the ocean to ride those lumps of water. During weekend warrior sprints to populous breaks, sometimes we forget what draws us back to these same spots–OR–what makes us pile a hefty truck with apocalyptic supplies to seek out empty forgotten peaks—besides the beefy local who’s board you dinged last Sunday.

Face it–you weren’t always a shredder and you might have someone or something to thank for your salty introduction. Author Joseph Tomarchio’s book “Legacy of Stoke: A Collection of Stories that made us Surfers” showcases anecdotes from the every day surfer’s first time experiencing what it means to be “stoked.” From beautiful Hawaiian surf prayers to a gritty tale about fighting the temptation to paddle out during an all-time swell or study for an exam, each short story showcases tangible moments many of us have experienced post-salt water intro.

Much like surfing a new peak and experiencing the local surf banter, each of these excerpts has a unique voice describing their first time standing up on a board or beating the odds against a physical incapability just to be in the water. Heartfelt and inspiring, this book will pull at your heartstrings while you fondly recapture your own experiences, sans sunny Sunday with a beefy local’s close encounter, of course.

One of my favorite featured excerpts:

“Of a whole year of devotion, probably no more than a day was spent truly on my feet and surfing, so I couldn’t view such a moment without an ardent, frustrated desire, a bear-religious craving for wholeness. Unlike so many other passions: while on might, I suppose, wish for a bloom to remain in blossom, for a ripening grape to hang always on the vine-yearnings…for fleeting beauty and youth, the understandably hopeless hope that we might freeze our world’s better moments-the wave’s plenitude is rather in the peeling of the petal, the very motion of the falling fruit.”

For more information about “Legacy of Stoke: A Collection of Stories that made us Surfers” or to submit your own story, click here!