Review

WL Rating

In surfing’s history, there are a handful of characters to whom the sport owes a large debt of gratitude: Icons like Duke Kahanamoku, Bob Simmons, Gordon Clark, and Hobie Alter come to mind. Well, if you haven’t already, you’ll want to add Jack O’Neill to the list. While O’Neill is best known for helping keep surfers warm, he also played a significant role in developing the sport in Northern California, and in advancing the concept and funding behind professional surfing. In Drew Kampion’s new book, It’s Always Summer on the Inside, the former editor of Surfer Magazine digs deeply into O’Neill’s legacy, carefully chronicling the inspiration, invention, and evolution of O’Neill’s modern wetsuit. The book’s title was pulled from the O’Neill tagline that was actually conceived by Kampion in a barter deal for a wetsuit, and ultimately became famous (infamous?) after gracing the top of a much loved O’Neill ad/poster.  Kampion’s book is an interesting chronological collection of memories from just about every character of consequence that bumped into Jack during his formative years.  The book breaks a lot of new ground, providing some of the richest detail on Northern California surf history that I’ve encountered. Ocean Beach and Santa Cruz surfers in particular are in for a treat with this book since it provides a wealth of stories and photos from the early days of NorCal surfing. Ultimately, O’Neill is a lot like some of those other surfer-innovators of the time, chasing their own surfing dreams while building massive business empires in the process. What an amazing time this must have been. A good coffee table book and a must read for NorCal surf history buffs. Also, a WL Essential. (November 2011)

It’s Always Summer on the Inside - Drew Kampion

Details

Category: Non-Fiction

Reading Style: Medium

Pages: 256

Pub Date: 2011

Tags: Bio, History, Surfing