Book excerpt: This book is a must read for all East Coast surfers who may have felt at sometime that they should apologize for where they are from. The stories and pictures in this book are sure to make the East Coast surfer proud, while sharing a universal story line with surfers all around the world. These stories could very well have taken place in Hawaii or California but, they didn't. The major theme is an eighteen-mile barrier island off the New Jersey coastline known as Long Beach Island (LBI). Every individual in this book is somehow connected to the island. Through a series of short stories from the 1930s to the 21st Century, you will be moved by what these individuals have accomplished in the surfing community as well as the "real world." Turn the pages to find out who is an innovator of snowboard technology; a photo editor for Surfer magazine; writer/producer of a Nickelodeon cartoon; and an award recipient from the president of the United States. Meet local surfing legends: Wimpy, Tinker, and Huckleberry. Find out what surfing pioneers did in the days before surfing wetsuits and wax. Travel around the world and through time for: Surfing in Vietnam during the Vietnam War; Running a surf hostile in Puerto Rico in the 1990s; Capturing storm surf on film for the last twenty years from all over the globe. Learn what unique surfing product came to a local surfer in a dream and how the internationally known franchise - Ron Jon Surf Shop, got its start on LBI. You're sure to enjoy the "Why We Surf" section with unedited material from our local surfers, ages fifteen to sixty-three. Hear about some of their most memorable surfing experiences and gain their deepest insights about this incredible sport and lifestyle. The book has over one hundred pictures from family collections, 60s surf magazines, and professional portfolios of some of the top surfing photographers. Surfing collectors will especially enjoy some of the vintage material. "Surfing the Web" will give you the links you need for everything from weather information to lodging on LBI. For those of you who are still learning about LBI, "Local Breaks" gives you the "low-down" about surfing conditions and even parking. There is something in Surfing LBI for surfers of every age and level of expertise. It's a "feel good" book that will leave you stoked every time you open it.