Essential Surfing

Essential Surfing is the "bible" for new surfers! It covers everything from board design to board repair. From wetsuits to wax. From choosing or building your own board to waves, wind and tides. There is so much info in this book that will help new surfers understand surfing before they even get wet. A "must" for beginning and intermediate surfers.

Essential Surfing is the standard reference on surfboard design and equipment. Detailed breakdowns and direct correlations between surfboard design features and surfing performance explain what, why and how surfboard design features influence the surfer’s ride. In depth surfboard design information was compiled over decades of research testing board designs in various wave types and sizes with experienced surfers, surfboard design professionals and material manufacturers. In addition to an overview of surfing equipment the book also provides the reader with an understanding of elements critical and unique to surfing that should be considered by surfing enthusiasts before entering the water. Essential Surfing empowers the surfer with experience based information that typically takes years of involvement in the sport to learn.

Essential Surfing author, George Orbelian, is a native San Franciscan who started surfing his local beach break in 1970 and never stopped. Coming to surfing from building and racing motorcycles, his quest to understand surfboard design led him to working at his local surf shop, Wise Surfboards, while attending San Francisco State University. Building surfboards with Bob Wise and interacting with customers led him to writing Essential Surfing to share what he had learned about surfing and surfboard design. After reviewing Essential Surfing, SURFER Magazine retained him as Surfboard Design Editor where he created the Design Forum format, answered a Question and Answer column on surfboard design, and contributed his expertise to the TIP’S column and numerous articles. Orbelian has done extensive research into the development history of surfboard design, materials and construction. He has been a strong proponent of measurement controlled shaping. His writing, photography, research and interviews have been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio interviews and documentary films. Orbelian is the Co-founder of Project Kaisei, a global non-profit initiative researching solutions for plastic marine debris pollution which received Goole Earth Hero recognition in 2009.