West of Jesus: Surfing, Science and the Origins of Belief

If you see no incongruity in analyzing biological neurochemistry while studying the monster waves of Hawaii's Pipeline, or in pursuing tribal mythology while contemplating surfboard fins, then welcome to Steven Kotler's world.

Kotler is a remarkable writer who has traveled to the cosmic intersection of science and spirituality on a surfboard. Diagnosed with debilitating Lyme disease, he pulled himself back to health and productivity by taking the surfing cure. Kotler dragged both mind and body around the world to exotic surf spots in search of mental and physical renewal. After a couple of near-death wipe-outs, he hears a curious surfing legend about "The Conductor," a godlike force that controls the weather and the waves. This inspires Kotler to seek enlightenment along the way.

It is a great quest consisting of equal parts travelogue, ethnography, memoir, epiphany and scientific hypothesis. As a writer, Kotler is never indulgent, self-pitying, vulgar or nutty and his ideas are not desultory or fragmented. He is an observant, reliable, humorous and educated guide who is self-deprecating about his skills as a surfer as well as a divinity student. He is the kind of guy who can experience a great deal and then wryly claim, "I had not learned plenty."

The title West of Jesus seems somewhat out of sync, as this quest has little to do with prophets or scripture and much to do with mankind's connection with the earth. A lovely poem by Philip Larkin cited in the book is more applicable: "If I were called in to construct a religion I should make use of water." Kotler says, "As strange as it may be, there seems to be something in surfing that produces self-transcendent states more often than in other sports." Surfer magazine confirms this and states, "We could continue to fill editorial pages for two years solely with letters written by surfers to tell us of their spiritual quests in the waves. It's a phenomenon, really."

Kotler, a resident of Los Angeles, flung himself to locales such as Indonesia, Mexico and New Zealand in search of the ultimate surf experience. Ironically, he has his first truly transcendent, religious moment while surfing practically in his own backyard in Santa Monica. "Time was moving so slowly that I could see every inch of the water, every surface nub, every shadowy nuance. It was then that I noticed my peripheral vision was extended, almost panoramic. I had the strange sensation of thinking that I was seeing out of the back of my head."

As "beach reading" goes, this is perfect. Or, as a surfer might say, radically tubular.

West of Jesus: Surfing, Science and the Origins of Belief
By Steven Kotler
Bloomsbury, 261 pages, $23.95 hardcover, $13.95 paperback