A crazy surfing roadtrip through Central America with some entertaining tales from a former drug-running life. ( )

One of those rare books where I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. I have never surfed and as I approach 50 in three months I probably never will, but to enjoy this book you don't have to have surfed. The writing is poetic without being wordy, and the experiences that the author has had prior to embarking on the travel/life experience this book describes, is amazing. ( )

This is a book that I've had on my bookshelf forever, which I picked up because I have a fascination with surfing. I love the idea of it, of standing up on a board and letting a wave carry you. I can imagine the joy of it, can imagine finding what Weisbecker describes as The Glide. (I've only tried it once on a water logged board and it was miserable just trying to just keep the nose of the board above water.)

This book begins with Weisbecker dropping everything and abandoning his home and possessions, except for his surfboards, truck, and dog, and heading south into Mexico. The journey is in part to return to the true surfing life, and in part to find his old friend Christopher, a.k.a. Captain Zero.

Weisbecker is a good writer and he describes wave riding and his travels in Mexico and Central America well enough to make them easy to visualize. His past adventures, including marijuana running, with Christopher are also entertaining and sometimes hilarious.

But as much as I love the idea of the surf experience on the water, I hate the posturing machismo that comes with it, the tendency toward a feeling of ownership over waves (perhaps understandable on crowded waters) and occasional assholery of some dudes. There's also a general attitude toward women of them not being real surfers and only being as something to F*ck that I hate. All of that comes out at points in Weisbecker's interaction with other surfers, as well as his own attitude of elitism. Not to mention, his occasional tendency to be patronizing (or "how cute") in tone when describing the cultures and people he meets down south (not always, but enough for me to notice).

It was a good read and I wasn't bored, but it's not a book I'm enamored with. ( )

In Search of Captain Zero is the story of Allen Weisbecker's search for his childhood best friend Christopher. The two were surf buddies and shared a dream to find the ultimate surf location. Christopher had disappeared years earlier and Allen sets off with his dog and his surf board to track him down. Along the way he meets many interesting people, catches some awesome waves, and reminisces about the time he and Christopher spent together. As young surfers trying to get by the got involved in the drug trade, often way in over their heads. You'll have to laugh at the fixes they manage to get in and out of! At the end of the trail Allen finds something different then he bargained for and he has to decide how far he'll go for friendship.
This is a great travel adventure story. Allen is willing to go places and do things that most of us don't have the guts (or stupidity) for. I listened to the audio version and Joe Barrett has a great voice for the adventure. This book will make you appreciate the safe, sane life you lead! ( )