Water Sports Books

How is it that someone who gets seasick and loves her two showers a day attempted to sail across the Pacific in a small yacht with her new husband and baby? It can be summed up in two words. Love. Adventure. Yep, there is the love of adventure, which is pretty self explanatory. And then there is lo...

Surfers are heirs to a rich legacy. From Polynesian princes whose names have been lost to history, to lantern-jawed champs and wave-riding iconoclasts, surfers are tuned deeply into the natural rhythms of the planet. It’s a way of living and a way of being – a physical act that can lead to a state o...

From the comfort of your deck chair, set sail to distant lands on a round-the-world journey with mouth watering recipes and stunning photography from each region. Welcome aboard! Includes signature dishes from internationally acclaimed chefs. Sample Recipes Grilled Scallops with Vegetabl...

Spot X Surfing NZ will be a 'must read' for anyone planning to surf New Zealand, it is a compilation of knowledge gleaned after years of experience by some of this countries finest surfers. Over 30 Spots from Northcape to Bluff. Topographic maps with access to spots clearly shown. B...

Life was never destined to be a smooth ride for the Abberton brothers. The four boys, all born to different fathers, grew up on Sydney's Maroubra beach at a time when the place was in the shadow of drugs and gang violence. Raised largely by their grandmother, Sunny, Jai, Koby and Dakota found solace...

New Zealand lost one of its favourite sons when Sir Peter Blake was shot and killed in the Amazon in late 2001. Blake had become a icon after leading New Zealand to victory in the 1995 and 2000 America's Cups, following earlier successes in the Whitbread Round the World Race and Jules Verne Challeng...

With the cruising and fishing series you only need one source of information to make your boating trips more enjoyable. The series features charts prepared by the Royal New Zealand Navy that are easier to use than traditional charts and contain additional information on location of supplies for food...

There are approximately 750 dive spots through out the book, and each spot is presented with the same layout - species (Cray, Scallops etc), degree of difficulty, GPS, depth, current, access, restrictions and a short but accurate diving tip for each spot. Any divers wanting to explore wrecks, caves ...

Whether you're a beginner trying to get started or an experienced surfer looking to take it to the next level, The Surfing Handbook gives you the tips you need to maximize your performance on the water, with guidance on training and conditioning, technique and style, safety and etiquette, and gear. ...

 Mike Pigneguy has always been involved with boats and ships, and with his partner Dee, they owned and operated the 96ft 'Te Aroha' out of Auckland for fifteen years, taking groups of around 20 passengers on 3 and 5 day natural history cruises around New Zealand's wonderful Northland Coast. ...

Sea kayaking is a major, year-round recreational activity in New Zealand. With its mild climate and wonderful coastline, New Zealand would have to be among the best places in the world to go sea kayaking. This new book by the very experienced Kerry Howe won't tell you how to paddle or brace -plenty ...

With every scrap aloft, carrying more sail than many larger keel yachts, and the crew driving her as fast as possible on the edge of control, no other yacht captures the attention quite like an 18-footer in full flight. This is as true today as it was 100 years ago. From its origins in the 1890s as...

'It is the cheapest bit of go-faster gear you can buy…' - Robert Lloyd, Island Sailing Club 'One of the most readable books on the complex subject of sailing faster, and without doubt, a must for every racing sailor' - Yachts and Yachting Some people like to sail. Some people like to sail f...

 Hydrographic chart is split in two, one side covers Waiheke Island to Ponui Island and the second side covers the Western Coromandel from Colville Bay to Wilsons Bay in the south. The fishing Consultant for this chart is Eugen De Bruyn, skipper of Sea Genie a very successful charter boat oper...

For over 155 years the America's Cup has been the world's most prestigious race for ocean-going yachts. This superb book tells the story of the Cup from the very beginning. It presents a unique collection of beautiful paintings depicting dramatic scenes from every match since 1851. Enlarged details ...

125 Great Kayaking Runs New Zealand is a whitewater kayaker's paradise, unequalled in the world for its great variety of challenging wilderness runs, stunning waterfalls, gorges and multiday adventures. In this fully revised and expanded fourth edition of New Zealand Whitewater Graham Charles ...

The sea offers many opportunities for recreation and tourism purposes and in practical terms it is a source of food and transport. In the past, most of our marine environment was 'protected' from tourist use by its inaccessibility, safety concerns and the relatively high cost of recreating in the s...

Sir Peter Blake was perhaps the greatest competitive yachtsman of all time ? the man who seized the America's Cup and won the Whitbread. In his later years he turned away from international competition and used the yacht Seamaster to draw attention to the threats to the world's environment. It was i...

This captivating book follows the late Sir Peter Blake - legendary yachtsman and adventurer - on his final, ill-fated voyage. It tracks him and his dedicated team on the blakexpeditions exploration vessel Seamaster to the environmental pulse points of the planet as they look to generate greater awar...

“Our journey across the Tasman was frightening at times. Sharks tearing at our hull, 30-foot waves crashing over our kayak, and the possibility that the stern of the boat might be ripped away; these were all very real fears. Who were we to take on the Tasman Sea? But the little kid inside me s...

Surfing is a seductive mistress, providing inspiration, a time for reflection, personal challenge and sheer exhilaration. This is especially true in NZ, where we have an affinity with the sea, and a disproportionately high number of artists, writers and musicians surf. Aaron Topp, himself a surfer, ...

This is the comprehensive sailing start-up resource. Can a keelboat tip over? Can I take a centerboard boat onto open water? How can I determine what boat I want? Once I do, what's a fair price to pay for it? Should I buy it new or used? How can I tell the difference between a used boat and one that...

This is the first history to be published on the life of the late Lou Tercel, a working-class Auckland crane driver turned legendary yacht designer, and his best-known creation. Built in the backyard of the family home, Ranger dominated the A-class competition from her launch in 1938 until finally o...

From Beach Blanket Bingo to Baywatch, surfing has fascinated people for years, and Kelly Slater is the sport's newest star. He's one of the world's most popular surfers; his radical moves have revolutionized the sport. Born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, in 1972, he found surfing to be a great way to esca...

Tessa Duder has edited two very successful collections of marine stories for adults, Salt Beneath the Skin and Seduced by the Sea, and has now produced a similar high quality collection of non-fiction for younger children, who also have a bit of saltwater in their veins. In this anthology of stories...

All surfers dream of shedding responsibilities and answering the siren song of the ocean swells. For most, it is an ideal that recedes as age advances - as family, career and provider commitments overwhelm the wanderlust of youth. But what if you could defy the slow march of age? Shelve all your wor...

SurfGirl have teamed up with some of the best female surfers in the world to bring you the "Surf Girl Handbook": the ultimate guide to women's surfing, and the surfing bible for surf girls everywhere! "The Surf Girl Handbook" covers everything you need to know about surfing and takes you from total ...

 Introduction It has given me great pleasure to be able to introduce people of all ages to the joy and excitement of sailing. I have been teaching since 1968, first using my father's sloop Coruba in Auckland, and then later on the beautiful waters of Vancouver Harbour, Canada, aboard the for...

The 12th edition of this bestselling book is proof of the success of Mary Blewitt's concise and clear style in explaining a particularly difficult skill, and it has been the bible for many generations of ocean navigators. Since this book was first published, the huge advances in electronic navig...

Blue Water is a collection of true adventure stories from a writer in love with the sea ...From an action-packed journey to the Arctic ice pack, encounters with whales and storms, to rescuing a derelict yacht - only to later be washed ashore on a New Zealand beach - Lindsay Wright has experienced it...

 In 1977, Colin Quincey became the first man to row the Tasman. Thirty years later, his son Shaun decided to emulate his father - rowing the other way. His father’s boat was the Tasman Trespasser, and when Shaun decided to build and row Tasman Trespasser II, he knew it wasn’t goi...

From the unprecedented success of the men's eight at Munich, through to the high drama of Beijing, where the Evers-Swindell pair triumphed by the narrowest of margins and Mahe Drysdale displayed immense courage under daunting conditions, Peter Bidwell paints an evocative and authoritative picture of...

Simply put, New Zealand is a great place to be a surfer. In Searching for Groundswell, Paul Hersey takes the ultimate surfing road trip, looking to connect with the best beach breaks, points and reefs along the 15,000 kilometres of coastline that surround New Zealand. He journeys to Dunedin, the Cat...

Salts and Suits is the amazing true story of how a group of young beach bums who turned their passion for riding big waves into the world's fastest growing leisure industry, surviving wipe-outs, drug busts, rip-offs, recessions and the constant pressure to act and dress like grown-ups. Still the...

William Owen's Hauraki Gulf is an essential resource for all those who fish, cruise or holiday in the spectacular waters of the Gulf. There is information about anchorages and harbours for all the important islands throughout the Gulf and detail about seamanship, boat safety and fishing as well as p...

On New Year's Day, 2005, David Shaw traveled halfway around the world on a journey that took him to a steep crater in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, a site known as Bushman's Hole. His destination was nearly 900 feet below the surface. On January 8th he descended into the water. About fifteen ...

'It is the cheapest bit of go-faster gear you can buy...' - Robert Lloyd, Island Sailing Club 'One of the most readable books on the complex subject of sailing faster, and without doubt, a must for every racing sailor' - Yachts and Yachting 'A classic' - Kelvin Hughes Some people like to sail. Some ...

"Inspiring" Independent. Michael Phelps is one of the greatest competitors the world has ever seen. From teen sensation in Sydney, to bona fide phenomenon in Athens, he is now - after the Beijing Games - a living Olympic legend. With an unprecedented eight gold medals and seven world-re...

The most comprehensive surf guide available is now into its 4th Edition. With an amazing 900 individual surf spots backed up by over 450 individual Surfer's Eye maps, our new edition of "Wavefinder Australia" packs all you'll need to know about Aussie surf spots into a neat little pocket s...

In 1968, the Sunday Times organised the Golden Globe race - an incredible test of endurance never before attempted - a round the world yacht race that must be completed single-handed and non-stop, going into port for repairs or supplies would mean disqualification. This remarkable challenge inspi...