This book may well serve as a useful tool in the field of
motivational speaking. (Review by Keith Millar)
Big-wave surfing is not an activity which receives much
publicity in South Africa. In fact, unless you are a reader of surfing
magazines you may not know anything about the sport at all. Yet South Africans surfers
are very active in this sport and a few have enjoyed considerable success at it
over the years.
One of these is Chris Bertish, author of the
autobiographical surfing epic Stoked.He
won the blue ribbon event of big-wave surfing, the Mavericks Big Wave
Invitational, in 2010 riding the biggest waves ever recorded at the event. He
also went on to come third in the Big Wave World Tour that year, despite
surfing only three of the five events.
Bertish lives by the mantra – “Dream it, See it. Believe it.
Achieve it”. He is a rather unique, single- minded and determined character. He
tackles life with a steely resolve and an honest belief that anything is
possible as long you work hard enough to achieve it.
Now, one would imagine that these characteristics, along
with a good dollop of natural talent, are a pre-requisite for any sportsman to
achieve the pinnacle of their chosen field. I imagine that even those in the
performing arts would benefit by these attributes.
However, what singles out Bertish, and for that matter the
others of his big-wave surfing brotherhood, from the rest is that they face the
very real possibility of death every time they indulge in their sport. They
travel the world looking for the biggest, most powerful waves to ride - waves
that can kill them if they make even even the slight miscalculation. The waves
at Mavericks, in Northern California, in 2010 when Bertish won the competition,
measured up 20 metres in height – the same height as a four-story building - and
broke with an estimated force of 500 tons.
Bravery or foolishness? You judge for yourself.
Bertish’s writing style is much like the character he
portrays himself to be. Relentless, intense and rather pedantic. There is not
much of the lighter side of life in the book. It mostly describes catching monster
waves, falling off, nearly drowning, and then offering motivational slogans
based on what he has learnt from the experience.
This is a pity as Bertish has achieved much in a life of
travel and adventure. Unfortunately, he glosses over these events and concentrates
very much on his surfing.
Bertish is a motivational speaker and this book may well
serve as a useful tool in that field of endeavour as it is filled with
motivational quotes and slogans to assist and encourage the reader to believe
in their dreams and to succeed against all odds.
Stoked will be
enjoyed by surfers and those knowledgeable about the sport. They hopefully will
be able to understand the lingo of the sport which is used so liberally
throughout the book and which left me somewhat confused at times. Stoked is
published by Zebra Press. The ISBN is 978 1764 4 (print). Suggested retail
price R230. – Keith Millar
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