Review
WL Rating
I had seen this book on a variety of lists and sites associated with surfing, yet I never got around to reading it. Why? Because the title sounded so damned stupid. But, luckily for me, one of this site’s smarter readers suggested the book, extolling its many virtues (the book, not this site) and asking me why I hadn’t read it. Well, situation remedied, and now I can say that I am a big fan of Allan Weisbecker. Like Kem Nunn, Weisbecker manages to credibly portray surfing in his work, without resorting to cliché, or at least being honest about it when he does. Captain Zero is a quasi-biographical piece that highlights Weisbecker’s search for a longstanding surfer friend who dropped off the grid without a trace. The book follows the author from Tijuana down to Costa Rica, with Weisbecker surfing and evading danger throughout. When he finally does make it down to Costa Rica, things are not as he had hoped, and his buddy is pretty much a lost cause. Some compare Weisbecker to Graham Greene, and this book to Greene’s Heart of Darkness. For me, I found Weisbecker to be more like Kurt Vonnegut, brilliantly worshipping and ridiculing the things he holds most dear. Simply put, this book is really funny and absolutely worth a read. Buy the book, but buy it new so Weisbecker can keep up his lifestyle and his writing. (December 2009)
In Search of Captain Zero - Allan Weisbecker
