In Search of Captain Zero 

How far would you go to find a friend? To find yourself?

Allan Weisbecker traveled all the way from New York to Costa Rica, mile-by-mile, with these two purposes in mind -- as well as to score some quality water time. The result is In Search of Captain Zero, a firsthand account of surfing discovery -- and rediscovery -- as he travels through Mexico and Central America, surfing heaps, and reflecting even more.

Weisbecker begins in his Long Island home, describing how he and his friends -- specifically his best friend Chris -- made surfing their lifestyle. Chris actually turned Allan onto the sport, together they braved the elements, and he uses their shared challenges along the North Shore and other testing grounds to bolster his courage as he tackles new adventures. Some of the "new" adventures he describes are actually memories of a delinquent past where Chris and Allan operated as smugglers -- big time smugglers. Ship-sinking, 1,000-pound-bale smugglers. These gut-wrenching tales will make your heart race as if a coke-filled balloon popped in your belly, so it's no wonder that Allan feels close enough to Chris to search the earth for him and the camaraderie that seems to be slipping away as he pushes past 40.

Actually, if you were to pick a single theme for the book from the variety of thought streams, it would be loneliness. Weisbecker starts camping alone on Montauk's tip and he finishes alone. Well, not entirely. Along for the ride is a dog named Shiner, who protects and serves throughout. But all the people are transient, if still appreciated. He says good-bye to his girlfriend, his many acquaintances along the way and, ultimately, the very friend he so sought to find. But in the process, it becomes clear that surfing has been his closest ally all along -- without sounding nearly so cheesy. In fact, Weisbecker's crowning achievement is the ability to reflect some of surfing's more subtle elements to the mainstream without alienating the core reader, making this one of the more accessible and enjoyable tales for both audiences.