As the book’s title suggests, when it comes to surfing and surf culture, ‘In Deep’ takes you to the core of the matter. Matt George selects a collection of stories from his decorated career to provide a kaleidoscopic insight into many of the people, themes, innovations and locations that have defined surfing since the mid 80s.

After a stint as a pro-surfer, Matt became a prolific and revered surf writer, and has been published in every major salt-water powered magazine around the globe. Raised on the west coast of USA, his transcontinental journey as a scribe included a stint in Australia and tenure at Tracks. Some of his best work involved going gonzo Down Under, stepping boldly into the Ozzie throng and shedding a different light on the distinctive elements of the Australia surfing psyche. Meanwhile, he continues to be one of Tracks’ most celebrated contributors.

With a welcome range of writing styles, ‘In Deep’ invites the reader to invest in a rich and layered exploration of some of surfing’s biggest names. Matt has ridden shotgun with Kelly Slater (who wrote the book’s foreword) and sipped schooners with Occy in his prime at a Cronulla hotel; he’s followed the rainbow bridge in search of the truth about Cheyne Horan and unravelled the secrets of Michael Ho’s gift for eternal grommet hood. He’s covered the trajectory of Rob Machado – from soccer prodigy to deified pro-surfer and pottery enthusiast, and he’s stared into the ice blue eyes of Layne Beachley to feel the force of all that ambition. However, while surfing’s kings and queens are flamboyantly laid bare, Matt never loses the knack for elucidating the glories and tragedies of the common surfer. His essay ‘Harbour Bill’ (featured here) is a true classic, eloquently capturing the outlaw spirit of surfing and …