Dave Rearwin

Who is Dave Rearwin, and why is he writing books and making DVDs* about surfing?

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I love the ocean, and I love surfing. I caught my first unbroken wave at the age of ten, on a huge, heavy balsa board that took two of us to carry to the water. From that moment on, I was hooked.

So I grew up surfing on big heavy boards in the pre-foam, pre-wetsuit, pre-leash era. When shortboards came in, I jumped at the chance to ride something lighter, faster and more maneuverable. Later, with advancing age and injuries, I found I had to move back to longer boards.

I was lucky to surf California, Hawai'i, Mexico and South America long before things got as crowded as they are today. (There was also no internet, no surf reports, and no access to buoy information or maps of surf spots.) In the process I learned a few things about reading reefs and swells in new locations, and figuring out when, where and how to ride breaks I had never seen before (and which in some cases had never been surfed before) without benefit of input from anyone who had already surfed them.

It wasn't always fun; having experienced a number of forced layoffs and injuries (some from surfing, some not), each time I had to figure out how to get back in surfing shape without doing further damage. Hence the workouts and stretching exercises.

My surf books and videos are an attempt to share what I have learned with those who love the ocean and surfing, as well as anyone who wants to understand a bit more about how to maintain fitness easily, regardless of age or physical limitations. And if you surf in a Spanish-speaking area, there's something for you, too: "Spanish for Surfers." I upgrade my products on a regular basis, and I welcome suggestions for future improvements. Email: drwin808@gmail.com.

I don't claim to be the best surfer in the water; in fact (although like many others I've had a couple of standout moments) I'm definitely a journeyman. But sometimes experience trumps raw talent, and just as superstar athletes have coaches who could never approach their levels of skill and performance, even a journeyman may have a tip or two to advance your surfing to the next level. I had to focus on how to make my surfing better, and that’s what I hope to pass on to you.

Does this stuff work? All I can say is, if I'd had access to it years ago, I would have been able to surf better, get hurt less, recover faster and have more fun in the water. And that's what it's all about.

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*About the DVDs: for some reason, Amazon will not list both books and DVDs on the same author page. But both of my DVDs are available on Amazon: "Surf Better - Shortboard (Regular)" and "Surf Better - Shortboard (Goofy-foot)."