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by Stories Compiled by a Dedicated Surfer

Seattle, April 18 /PRNewswire/ - Hair-raising tales of shark attacks, tsunamis, sinking surf boats, big wave wipeouts, and comical mishaps are among the nonfiction stories that dedicated surfer Paul Diamond presents.

After rescuing a surf camp student from a near fatal ocean accident, Diamond began collecting and editing dramatic surf tales. The result is Surfing's Greatest Misadventures: Dropping In on the Unexpected ($15.95, Casagrande Press) available in stores or online including at http://www.thesurfbook.com. "As a veteran surf camp instructor, I've had my share of hospital runs, sharks, mishaps, and close calls," says Diamond. "I thought my stories were intense, until other surfers began sending me theirs."

Diamond's book includes these tales:

* In 1990, two of Hawaii's most famous surfers nearly disappear in the Mediterranean while attempting to paddle surfboards from Corsica to Elba.

* In Sri Lanka, beginner surfers take a group lesson and get slammed then sucked out to sea by the 2004 tsunami.

* In California, a magazine decides to hold the first-ever and never- repeated homeless surf contest - the prize, a shopping cart full of beer.

* On the island of Mauritius, an idiot savant gifted with virtuoso surfing talent, but cursed with a bread-eating addiction, glides gracefully on water until he gets too fat to surf.

Malibu surf legend Terry "Tubesteak" Tracy says of the book, "You'll love it. But some stories are not for the weak of heart, especially if you're 50- plus and still surfing."

Diamond spent a year gathering stories from surf journalists, filmmakers, magazine editors, watermen, and everyday surfers. "Some of these stories are so vivid and so well told they make my knuckles turn white with anticipation," he says.

The collection includes stories by and about notable surfers such as: Laird Hamilton, Greg Noll, Miki Dora, Steve Pezman, Buzzy Kerbox, Andy and Bruce Irons, Bethany Hamilton, and Brad Gerlach. Surfing's Greatest Misadventures: Dropping In on the Unexpected, $15.95, Casagrande Press. Available in stores or online, including at http://www.thesurfbook.com.

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