Professional photographer Thom Gilbert spent four years among surfer royalty at the top of their game--in Spain, New York, California, and Hawaii--with his camera trained not only on tiny figures disappearing in the waves, but also on the surfers' faces and bodies back on land. He returned from the beaches with intimate portraits of the world's best--from the newest talent to the oldest and most revered--and also with dramatic action shots and revealing images of the culture.

Surfing is a sport, a lifestyle, and an extreme sport. Surfers, both men and women, have their choice of how to face the ocean and the challenges it provides.

They can explore the meditative calming experience of waiting and catching great waves. That happens on every seacoast in every part of the world--from the Hamptons to Florida and Texas to the Southern California coast made popular by the Beach Boys. They can take on the biggest, most dangerous waves in the world in places like Mavericks, California, and Nazar