Surfing the South

Steve Estes is an avid surfer and professor of history at Sonoma State University.
For more information about Steve Estes, visit the Author Page.

“Combining history, travelog, and memoir . . . a valuable gift.”—Journal of Southern History

"The author’s contribution to the literature of surfing history in particular is a substantial one . . . Estes’s book carves out a little cove of quiet, contemplative ethnographic-historical examination that speaks to the myriad ways southern residents of the United States have engaged with and made meaning of their connections with water, American empire, and surfing culture."—H-Environment

"An impressive travelogue, at the same time the book of a surf enthusiast as well as a close observation of a scholar who is interested in understanding this region and the people who live there."—H-Soz-Kult

“This is an entertaining and engaging book, a print documentary of the people and places that make up this coastal chain of breaks. Estes roams in and out of homes, restaurants, surf shops, and of course beaches, catching a wave when he can. He is an observant narrator, and the book is full of diverse and revealing interviews with the folks who have sustained the southern surfing scene. As Estes fleshes out the histories of the coastal communities where surf culture endures, a collective portrait emerges that is not just about surfing but about how people work their passions into their lives and build their lives around their passions.”—Douglas Reichert Powell, author of Endless Caverns

“Part road story,part history, and part account of a middle-aged father hesitantly coming to terms with his aging daughter, Surfing the South is an insightful, hilarious, and ultimately touching book. A wonderfully written blend of southern history, surfing history, and beautiful insights into the magic of surfing in a place such as the South.”—Scott Laderman, author of Empire in Waves: A Political History of Surfing