Help writing a book

[keb11]

Hi I have never surfed and I don't know anyone who does, but that's partly because I'm from the North-East of England and frankly you'd be a bit mad to be a dedicated surfer up here!
I am however writing a fiction book (much warmer past-time) about someone who is an experienced surfer. I'd like advice about where in the world someone would go surfing in July (I was thinking of Australia, even though it's their winter time) and what size waves would someone who is experienced, set out to find? Any jargon would be good too, types of board and so on....
Any help would be much appreciated!!
Karen

[surfnoob]

Probably worth making the effort to do a little research first and then you could approach the well-established NE surfers for further help and advice.

[drowningbitbybit]

I'd like advice about where in the world someone would go surfing in July

Northeast of england?

[jaffa1949]

? Any jargon would be good too,
Karen

You will lose any authenticity the moment you write the word "Dude" anywhere in your manuscript.

Downside, you are going to have to hang out with surfers to even understand what is going on. Upside, you will have set of unique experiences.

I'd like advice about where in the world someone would go surfing in July

Northeast of england?

Hey DBbyB sthese is some nice surf in Norway.
Warm water surf July = Bali = bucket loads of Australians being bogans in Bali ODing on Magic Mushrooms and Arak, lots of dialogue there!

[sonfollowerssurf]

Come hang out with Son Followers Ministry Cocoa Beach. Like us on facebook feel free to ask any questions would not mind helping.

Impacting the coast for Jesus

Wayne

[Hurricane]

Hey now Jaffa some of us still say dude... at least in the States we do, but I also say brah occasionally. So no hating on the word now. As for the story, give us a little more detail like reef break, sandbar, big wave, regular wave, barrel surfer, and etc. The more background the better we can help.

[jaffa1949]

Just dislike the way Dude is used a punctuation and media clips to show the dumbness of surfers.
In Australia there was a time when bloody was and integrate adjective compare these two clips and see why I dislike dude.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-5F_7DwPpo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVgg-1cIY_Y

I leave the judgement of intelligence to the viewer dudes!

Oh BTW thought the two clips would be a good comparative study on colloquial English for our budding writer.
Both would generate culture shock as neither is English as is spoken in the NE

[drowningbitbybit]

Northeast of england?

Hey DBbyB sthese is some nice surf in Norway.

And some bloody marvellous surf in NE england!
Cold, brown murky water, but great surf!

[keb11]

Hmmmm - well I knew it wasn't going to be easy - no, there are no 'dude's' in the story, just one stressed, middle class, middle-aged gentlemen, who decides to re-visit his youth. Needless to say he doesn't last long on his 'board,' which right about now is the only piece of surfing jargon that I do understand! My homework tonight is to google barrel surfer...

[drowningbitbybit]

one stressed, middle class, middle-aged gentlemen, who decides to re-visit his youth. ... barrel surfer...

Well, that'll be fine, as long as your middle class, middle-aged gentleman utterly fails to get anywhere near inside a barrel

[frreako104]

Sounds like a good book. Or at least interesting. I'd say Hawaii and the pacific you'll find many surfers. On the east coast US there are a few. Not many though. But some

[Hurricane]

Oh and let us know when you publish it! I want to buy a copy, just make sure to send a shipment to the east coast of the US please and Jaffa, as always well said my friend. haha

[keb11]

Well, how does Darwin sound, in July? It's warm there, they have waves.
Well this is fascinating stuff! I never knew it was all so complicated. The next book really
will be about surfing...

[jaffa1949]

HMMMM, Darwin, yes it has occasional waves, when there is a cyclone in the Arafura Sea, it will certainly add an exotic touch, your middle age hero could find his lost youth torn apart as salt water crocodiles and sharks duel over his body, he would also have no need of a wet suit but would surf wearing a full body stocking to stop him from dying from Irakanji jelly fish or sea wasp stings. bu xxxxx would an exciting destination and he would be a novelty as most of the surf crew head to Indonesia rather than brave those forms of death ( and they are real).

There are even rumours of tidal bore on the Kimberly Coast with all those adventurous add ons.

a language difficulty looms large, a middle aged NE coast man is going to great difficulty understanding surf language let alone the Northern Territorian surf language.
I'm thinking sort of a three way cross between Crocodile Dundee and Billy Connelly and Hamish Macbeth.

[jaffa1949]

Just another quick thought, it would certainly bring an interesting slant to a middle life crisis.
Also a question of long, short or fish board or like so many midlifers a SUP

I might be having fun with your concept but I hope it helps

[drowningbitbybit]

Well, how does Darwin sound, in July? It's warm there, they have waves.

Darwin would be an odd choice - it's not really a surf destination, for all the reasons Jaffa mentioned above.

If I was a middle-aged guy having a mid-life crisis in Australia (shhh all you at the back who said "what do you mean if?"), I'd be heading to Byron Bay (surf town, full of pseudo-hippies), Margarets River (much more credible, with actual hippies), or Surfers Paradise (great waves, revolves around surf, hyper-crowded and insanely aggressive locals). Those are the spots your surfer ignoramus would probably start in at least.

Oh, and for my middle-aged mid-life crisis in Australia and the search for uncrowded pristine waves, I might be moving to Tasmania later this year
That would put a bit of a different slant on your book!

[Hurricane]

Oh also if you need a list of local spots in any of these areas, the Surf Map section has a lot of choices.

[keb11]

Thanks guys, I'm getting there, no doubt I'll be back soon asking silly questions. Darwin is out, although I was hoping he would go surfing near some sharks, the silly fella...

[Hurricane]

Always happy to help those willing to learn about our sport!