Buxton Books is proud to host Steve Estes, avid surfer and scholar, on Thursday, June 16 to celebrate his new book, Surfing the South: The Search for Waves and the People Who Ride Them. Steve will be joined by Kai Dilling, a local surf instructor and owner of Soul Surfing Company.

California. Hawaii. Those may be the places most people think of when they think about surfing in the United States. But Steve grew up surfing the beaches of Charleston and knows where there are beaches, there are surfers. To explore the mostly untapped culture of Southern surfing, Steve and his 11-year-old daughter took a tour stretching from Galveston, Texas all the way to Ocean City, Maryland. Steve’s book, part history, part travelogue, makes a case for the specific charm of Southern surfing. And, of course, pays homage to his time growing up surfing right here in Charleston. Together with Kai, Steve will talk about the places he’s been, the people he’s met, and the waves he’s surfed.

If you are passionate about waves and the people who ride them, this one is for you! This is a free, in-store event but RSVPS are encouraged. Email rsvp@buxtonbooks.com to reserve your place!

ABOUT SURFING THE SOUTH: THE SEARCH FOR WAVES AND THE PEOPLE WHO RIDE THEM:

When most Americans think of surfing, they often envision waves off the coasts of California, Hawai'i, or even New Jersey. What few know is that the South has its own surf culture. To fully explore this unsung surfing world, Steve Estes undertook a journey that stretched more than 2,300 miles, traveling from the coast of Texas to Ocean City, Maryland. Along the way he interviewed and surfed alongside dozens of people—wealthy and poor, men and women, Black and white—all of whom opened up about their lives, how they saw themselves, and what the sport means to them. They also talked about race, class, the environment, and how surfing has shaped their identities.

The cast includes a retired Mississippi riverboat captain and alligator hunter who was one of the first to surf the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, a Pensacola sheet-metal worker who ran the China Beach Surf Club while he was stationed in Vietnam, and a Daytona Beach swimsuit model who shot the curl in the 1966 World Surfing Championships before circumnavigating the globe in search of waves and adventure. From these varied and surprising stories emerge a complex, sometimes troubling, but nevertheless beautiful picture of the modern South and its people.

ABOUT STEVE ESTES:

Steve Estes grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, and he earned a PhD at the University of North Carolina. Estes is currently a professor of history at Sonoma State University in Northern California. He lives in San Francisco.

ABOUT KAI DILLING:

Family man, surfer, and instructor-owner at www.soulsurfers.net, Dilling has taught surfing at The College of Charleston. He currently lives in Mount Pleasant, SC and hosts a summer camp through his Soul Surfing Company that introduces kids, teens and even adults to surfing.

This is a free in-store event. RSVPS are encouraged however! Please email becky@buxtonbooks.com to reserve your spot today!