Puerto Rico's Surf Culture

Book excerpt: Since the 1968 World Amateur Surfing Championships were held in Rincon, Puerto Rico has been on the international map of world-class surfing destinations. But it wasn't until photographer Steve Fitzpatrick relocated to San Juan in 1992 that the island's outstanding surf conditions and culture had a dedicated documentarian. Steve has spent the last two decades chasing nearly every swell with his camera, and has now distilled the absolute best images into this collection of more than 270 images. Pulled from an archive of more than 50,000 captures, this dramatic group of images presents the best surf Puerto Rico has to offer and the talented, athletic personalities that relentlessly harness its awesome power. Complete with images of the island's stunning natural beauty and a scientific analysis of Puerto Rico's well-endowed oceanographic situation, hardcore surfers and non-surfers alike will be impressed by this stunning work.