The Art of Wave Riding, Ron Drummond's self-published 26-page bodysurfing primer, came out in 1931 and is often described as the first surfing book. It features an illustrated cover and just over a dozen black-and-white photographs. Only 500 copies of Wave Riding were ever printed. 

, 24 at the time of publication, was tall (6' 6") and broad-shouldered and generously bearded, had been a star track and field athlete at UCLA, and would later become well-known to surfers for pioneering the sport of canoe surfing, which he mostly did at Orange County's Dana Point.

Two-time Olympic swimmer Wally O'Connor wrote a short preface to The Art of Wave Riding, as follows: “A great deal of publicity has been given the Hawaiian swimmers on riding waves with surfboards. Without a doubt it is great sport, but in my estimation it cannot compare with the thrills, pleasure, and exercise of body surfing.”

As of this writing, an original copy of The Art of Wave Riding was available from an online bookseller for $2,500. Twenty-five reformatted and hand-bound copies of the book were made in 2019, and 

Here is the complete text of The Art of Wave Riding

When the temperature rises and vacationists flock to the beaches, one feels sorry for those who have not learned to enjoy surf swimming. To spend a day on the sand, obtaining a “luscious sunburn” or developing a “beautiful tan,” is pleasant; but the real pleasure of a trip to the beach is derived from play in the breakers. Most people who have spent their vacations at the beaches, and who have been fortunate enough to have become expert surf swimmers, state that it is beyond doubt their favorite sport.

Wave riding—without a surfboard—is a sport with which few people are familiar, and it is undoubtedly in its initial stages of development. There are no books of instruction on the subject, and at present only a few of the more athletically inclined have become proficient wave riders. These lucky fellows have usually practiced for two or three summers, and after gradually picking up the art of wave riding by themselves, they are naturally a trifle reluctant about teaching their hard-earned secrets to others.

One has only to watch a swarm of bathers at any crowded beach in order to see that thousands of people are interested in the sport. Whenever a good wave for riding comes in, about half the people make an attempt to ride it, and only about one-tenth of one percent of them even get started on it. It is this pitiful sight of thousands of swimmers, young and old, men and women, always trying and never succeeding, that has urged me to put into print a few hints that I hope will be of some help in teaching the enthusiastic beach-goers the art of body surfing, and thus increase a thousandfold the pleasure derived from ocean bathing.

Hundreds of people have asked me, “What is the knack of wave riding?” There is no simple formula that will enable a person to ride waves. However, there are a few details which, if known, should prove most helpful. To derive the most pleasure from riding large waves, an all-around knowledge of swimming is essential. A powerful stroke, speed, good endurance, and the absence of fear are the primary requisites. However, small waves can be ridden by one who has practically no knowledge of swimming, and because of this fact even the amateur can start practicing immediately.

The fundamental rules governing wave riding are the same for both large and small waves. In brief, wave riding is the art of propelling oneself to the crest of a curling wave, falling over with the wave, and staying in front of the bore as it moves towards shore.

There are two different methods each of which should be mastered by the beginner. One is with the face down and the arms extended in front of the head, and the other is with the face out of water and the arms at the sides of the body. Riding with the arms at the sides is the more enjoyable of the two methods and is used in riding large waves; but riding with the hands in front is easier to learn and is the best way to coast in on a wave caught by the swimmer in shallow water after it has broken.

Types of waves in the ocean surf vary greatly according to the tides, wind, and current. Sometimes waves will be perfect for riding, and then again at the same beach on the following day they may be almost impossible to ride. Usually the best time for a beginner to learn is at high tide when the waves are breaking fairly close to shore.

Walk out to a point where the waves are breaking in water between knee- and waist-deep. The more shallow the water the easier it is to catch the wave. The object is to fall with the eave as it curls over, and therefore the important factor is to judge the time and place of this curling over. Then you can be at the right place at the right time. In order to get a perfect start, it is advisable to watch the wave for some time before it reaches you, being prepared to step forward or away from it according to your estimate of the breaking point. Succeeding waves break at differing distances from the shore, and it requires experience to be able to judge correctly just where a wave will break. Most people who attempt to ride waves fail to get started because they are too far from the shore when the wave breaks. Remember, it is much easier to go out to meet a wave and catch it than to swim toward shore to catch it.

When you are ready for a start, turn your left side toward the shore and watch the approaching swell over your right shoulder. When the wave is about to break on you, take a step toward the wave so you are falling or sinking into the base of the swell. Then give a strong push off the bottom with your left foot, sending you upward and forward, and at the same time your right leg should be off the ground and bent at the knee so that you can add momentum by a stroke that suddenly straightens the right leg as in the scissors kick. Instantly, after you kick off of the bottom and straighten the right leg, use the arms as in the sidestroke, first the right and then the left, and then if necessary, one more stroke with the right. This should put you in the correct position to fall with the wave.

In shallow water, children and small men can ride almost any type of small wave all the way to shore by placing the arms straight above the head, hands together as in diving, and face in the water. When catching the wave, instead of placing the hands at the sides, give the body a strong swing forward and throw the arms straight out ahead with hands clasped together and hold body and legs quite rigid. A big breath must be taken before the start, for as soon as the wave becomes small and weak and the head is raised for a breath of air, momentum is lost. The novice can ride farther in this manner, but it is not so pleasant as riding with the face-up. In using this method, be careful to avoid scraping your nose on the sand when riding the wave far inshore.

In order to catch a wave after it has broken, when you are standing in water more than waist-deep, it is necessary to sink sufficiently to be able to get a good push off the bottom. You should come to the surface just as the wave meets you and have sufficient forward momentum to get you started on the wave. Try to push off the bottom just hard enough so that your speed is the same as that of the wave.

Never ride waves amongst rocks or submerged pilings.

The chief difference between riding large waves and riding small waves is that you are in deep water before catching the large ones, and it is therefore necessary to get your drive to the crest of the curling wave by swimming instead of by pushing off the bottom. The basic procedure is exactly the same for both large and small waves. Judge the wave so that you are in exactly the correct place to catch it—right under the crest of the curling wave just before it breaks. As with smaller waves, the body must be propelled in some manner to the crest of the wave as it is curling over. The method by which this is accomplished is very important. Some swimmers can successfully catch average breakers by using a fast crawl stroke, but one reason that many people fail lies in the fact that they try to use this method and simply are not fast enough. Fortunately there is an easier method.

As previously stated, the important factor is the ability to judge the waves, and if a person can successfully do this, there is no reason why he should not become a good wave rider; for there is one stroke that is easy to learn and ​if​ once mastered will enable you to catch just as many waves as the fast crawl swimmer.

The author experimented for some time with different methods of starting on waves, and finally, after taking everything into consideration came to the conclusion that the following method is the easiest and best.

Assuming that you have judged the wave properly and are in the exact spot where you should be, turn on your left side as in the side-stroke position and watch the wave by turning your head to the right. Put both arms forward, the left arm almost straight and the right elbow bent to bring the hand about six inches in front of the face. From this position the one powerful stroke about to be described will shoot you to the top of the curling wave. Pull the right arm back through the water, and at the same time give a strong scissors kick with the legs, followed by a stroke with the left arm and then one more strong overhand stroke with the right arm. This last arm stroke is not essential, but helps to pull you ahead of the wave. The scissors kick should be done with the lower leg back as it is then much easier to roll over from the side stroke position to the final position on the stomach. The thrill of wave riding comes after this one powerful stroke has shot you to the crest of the breaker, for then you find yourself poised several feet above the water below you, and you realize that you are set for a thrilling fall.

Often times, one must do some fast swimming in order to be exactly where the wave breaks. The American crawl is undoubtedly the fastest stroke, but it is not as efficient as the side-stroke for shooting the body to the top of the wave. There are times, when waves are hard to judge, that the crawl is preferred to the side-stroke, but it is then used only because of its speed, which enables the rider to catch the wave. It is quite possible to catch all types of waves by using the crawl, but after one has mastered the easy graceful motions of the one powerful scissors kick, he would as soon do an adagio dance in an overcoat, as go back to the crawl. When swimming the crawl, it is impossible to watch the oncoming wave, and if the wave is of a type breaking at the top and with a great volume of water before it, the rider both risks a failure to have sufficient momentum to ride the small bore starting at the top of the wave, and risks finding himself slightly too far inshore where the very top of the wave will break on him and spoil the ride. In illustration number 10 the rider is swimming crawl and the wave has just started to break at the top and will fall on him and spoil his ride. He should be exactly at the crest of the wave and ready to give one powerful scissors kick which will shoot him ahead five or six feel and give him enough momentum to keep gliding down on the wave until the bore is large enough to carry him in. The crawl can be sued best on average waves that neither break at the top nor have a decided curl. When exceedingly large heavy waves are curling and hitting with a resounding crash, a type called “sand-busters,” it is necessary to use the scissors kick in order to get well ahead of the wave and “break it down.” (This will be discussed in detail later.)

After a person becomes used to swimming in the surf he should have very little trouble in judging exactly where the largest waves are breaking, and it is then not necessary to do any fast swimming in order to catch them. In this case, the scissors kick may be used exclusively.

The beginner will do better if he swims beside a pier and notes approximately how far out on the pier the waves are breaking. Then if he keeps some object on the pier as a marker, he can easily stay in close proximity to the place where they are breaking. Always remember that it is much easier to swim out after a breaking wave and catch it, than to swim toward shore ahead of it in order to be at the right place when it breaks.

Once the top of a wave has curled over sufficiently to make white water, caution should be used in undertaking to ride it, as it is then difficult to get the body out ahead of the wave, and instead of falling with the wave, with your head well out of water all the time, you are likely to lag behind just enough to go over with the wave without being high enough at the start, with the result that the very top of the wave will fall on you and spoil the pleasure of the ride—at least until you manage to get ahead of it.

When you find yourself lagging behind in this manner, many little tricks of the game can be put to use. Most people start to lose the wave after riding it only a few feet, and most people never get properly ahead of the wave at all simply because they use the crawl stroke instead of the strong scissors kick which sends them up and forward where they can remain ahead of the wave after it has broken. This is very important on large waves and sand-busters.

While poised on the top of a large wave, the beginner is likely to look eight feet or so directly below him and, realizing the distance he is about to fall, will hesitate. When in this position, it is too late to prevent yourself from going over with the wave, and it is much safer to fall in the correct manner keeping well out in front of the wave as it crashes. Keep the body semi-relaxed, but never let it bend in the slightest degree, for once a person becomes doubled up he will not stay in front of the wave and is quite likely to find himself being roughly juggled about in sundry odd positions under several feet of water. There is some danger of being bumped against the bottom when you lose control of yourself in this manner. However, I have never heard of any injury exceeding slight bruises and scratches.

One of the most important details is to always take a big breath just as you are falling. This gives you much more buoyancy and helps you to stay in front of the wave. On the large waves, you are liable to have foam about your face which will inhibit breathing for a few seconds. Lowering the face in the water is undoubtedly a great help in this case as it helps to hasten you forward to a point where you can more easily catch a breath. However, as this is not so pleasant as riding with the face-up, raise​ the head as soon as you feel that you are in front of the wave and going steadily.

My hypothesis assumes that a man’s body is driven toward shore in practically the same way as a large rubber beach ball, which will generally stay ahead of a broken wave until it reaches shore. There must be weight enough to keep it low, it must be ahead of the wave always, and the pressure that drives it forward is naturally from the rear. On a man, this pressure is against the lower side of the body, and therefore, it is more effective when the head is low and the feet are high. When you raise one foot, have all of the leg from the foot to the knee out of water and raise the knee four or five inches. This creates pressure on the front of the thigh which has a decided tendency to push the rider forward. Almost always it is advisable to bend one leg at the knee when coasting in, and on some waves it is advisable to bend one leg at the knee when coasting in, and on some waves it is advisable to raise them both. The second leg is seldom raised very high, however, and is bent slightly inward. Sometimes, when the wave has almost reached the shore, it helps to raise one foot and kick the other foot up and down as in the crawl stroke. Hunching the shoulders (towards the ears and slightly forward) seems to offer less resistance to the water and helps in making the ride longer.

If you have a powerful American crawl leg stroke, you can use it instead of raising one foot. And if you have an unusually powerful leg stroke it will enable you to keep well ahead of a wave and coast up and down the beach as you ride, instead of heading directly toward shore.

One of the questions most frequently asked is, “Where do you put your hands?” The best place is simply to let them drag at the sides, fairly relaxed, with the fingers straight and the back of the hands-down. Often, beginners will instinctively put both hands out in front as they are falling, thinking that this will help to break the fall. In reality, it keeps them from getting well ahead of the wave and, consequently, most of the wave comes down on top of them.

One can always find diversion in wave riding, for after the simple fundamentals of riding have been mastered there are a great number of intricate tricks that can be practiced and perfected. One of the simplest of these is to straighten one arm ahead of you with the hand open and the wrist bent sharply backward so that the hand plows through the water making a large fan-shaped spray. This, of course, offers a great deal of resistance and has a tendency to stop you when on a small “weak” wave.

Another easy stunt is to make one complete twist or spiral of the body as you are falling on the wave. This can be learned in a few minutes if, instead of keeping your body pointing straight forward as you fall, you swerve to the left and at the same time rotate your body to the right. The result will be that at the finish of the fall you will find yourself again pointing straight toward shore. On small waves this must be done very quickly, but on large waves it can be done very slowly and gracefully.

Riding waves on your back is easily accomplished with a little practice and gives quite a thrill when you fall on a big one. Always keep the head and shoulders low in the water when coasting on the back.

One of the more difficult tricks in wave riding is to neatly turn one complete front flip while falling. This can be easily done only on a certain type of exceedingly large wave, and a person generally gets considerable abuse before he masters the trick. Large waves that break at the top are best for this as they treat you more gently if you are not successful. Practicing it on large sand-busters is dangerous and should be attempted only when in the company of expert surf swimmers.

Two men riding together can work numerous combinations. Be close together when catching the wave, and have your partner turn on his back while you slide on top of him as though he were a surfboard. Grasp each other firmly around the waist as you fall. A fall in this position offers quite a thrill, but the best way in which to use another man for a surfboard is to catch the wave close together, and before you fall, slide over on your partner and then slide back until you have a firm grip with your arms around his knees. In this position you are both right side up and it is possible to coast for a considerable distance.

Waves have fascinated onlookers from time immemorial, but this fascination takes on a new interest when one is trying to determine their suitability for riding. Surf waves are always changing, and although most waves may appear nearly alike, after a few weeks of practice at body-surfing, one will start to distinguish the various types of waves.

Do not undertake to classify the waves at a certain beach after only a few day​s’​ visit to that beach, for waves vary greatly on the same stretch of coast. At one hour of the day, they may be mere ripples unsuitable for riding and on the next day, or even within a few hours, they may be rolling in ten feet high. The wave rider’s most common disappointment is in finding the waves too small, for after a little practice the novice soon finds that the larger the waves the more he enjoys the sport.

Size is not necessarily the most important item to take into consideration when judging the waves for their pleasure-giving qualities. Generally, the larger the wave the greater is the thrill when falling on it; however, this does not always hold true. Certain types of waves, which may not be as large as others, are so much more powerful and offer so much more risk, that to ride them offers a far greater thrill. A powerful seven-foot sand-buster will, in all probability, give as much thrill as a fourteen-foot​ wave that breaks at the top and lets you glide down gradually.

A wave that curls over and falls with a crash is the easiest type on which to secure a start, but it is also the hardest type with which to keep going at the most difficult place—just at the end of the fall. On the other hand, a wave that breaks at the top and lets you glide down at quite an angle is the hardest to catch but is the easiest to ride just after reaching the bottom of the fall. This is the type of wave that remains a swell for a long time after it first gives the impression that it is about to break. There is “too much water” in front of it. The very top finally curls over, and after the rider catches this, the rest of the fall, instead of being straight down, is a long glide.

Illustration number 10 shows quite clearly the disadvantage of the crawl stroke when used to catch glide waves. In the first place, the rider can’t turn his head to watch the wave and therefore finds it hard to be in the correct position. In the illustration, the rider is too far inshore to catch the wave before the top breaks on him, and yet if he were at the top of this wave when the picture was taken, the chances are he would not be able to gain enough momentum by swimming the crawl to glide down on the wave. On a wave of this type, the best method is to watch it until it has almost reached you and then instead of taking just one side-stroke, take two. The first is to give you momentum and the second is to shoot you forward and down on the wave. To ride the wave in the illustration, the rider should be at its very crest and ready to take his second strong scissors kick. At the end of the kick he should be riding before a small white bore as shown on the crest of the wave in the background of the picture.

Some waves, instead of dropping the rider in one continuous fall, will lower him in a series of two or three distinct drops giving the effect of gliding down a series of terraces. This same sensation is experienced when a large wave overtakes a smaller one.

Large sand-busters are the most difficult waves to ride. They usually occur in the early morning when the surface of the water is smooth and they gradually lose their power by nine or ten o’clock when the water begins to ripple and becomes choppy, which causes the waves to break at the top instead of falling straight down with a crash. Sand-busters appear smooth and glassy, and when they curl to break, the part that is curling is very thick and falls straight down. They generally entrap considerable air as they break thus causing a loud booming report.

In the early mornings, large sand-busters are sometimes quite difficult to ride because they are so thick and powerful that the mass of water that is curling over and falling is not stopped when it hits the water in front of the breaking wave, and, instead of starting to roll toward shore immediately, it crashes all the way to the sand beneath and then comes up with a greatly agitated splurge of foaming white water. The difficulty in riding large sand-busters is caused by this thick mass of falling water, and it is essential to have your head and at least one-quarter of your body out of water when this part of the wave hits the surface below. In order to be this far out of the water, just before the wave breaks a strong scissor kick is necessary to force you to the very crest of the wave, slightly farther forward than the correct position for the ordinary wave. When in this position at the top of the wave, there is not enough water to hold you up, and so you start to fall slightly before the wave does. Consequently, when you hit the water below, you have fallen just a little ahead of the terrific volume of water that will drive its way straight downward and by the time this water gets down you are already a foot or so in front of where it hits, and your body has sufficient forward momentum to overcome the downward pressure that would otherwise drive you to the bottom. This method is called “breaking the wave down”. The rider is then generally covered with foam for a second or two until his momentum carries him forward ahead of the above-described splurge of white water.

One type of wave that is particularly fascinating is the “sand-crasher” that breaks on the shore at extreme high tide. These are frequently as much as four feet high and break so directly on the sand that it appears impossible to ride them without injuring oneself. However, if the correct for is used, taking a large breath and holding the head up, it is possible to fall and skid up on the sand without the slightest injury, because when you fall with the wave you naturally break it down enough so that there is just a little water in front of you. Be careful, though, not to let your feet be thrown up over your head, and wear a full-length bathing suit instead of trunks.

Swan-gliding on the sand gives a somewhat similar experience and furnishes much entertainment. The beach is best suited for this sport at low tide. Run at full speed along the beach and when a wave starts washing back and leaves water about an inch deep or less, fall forward and slide on the chest and abdomen.

Sometimes at extreme high tide, if the beach slopes very steeply down to the water, a wave will hit the steep bank and rebound. When a large wave flowing backward meets a large incoming wave, the result is a terrific upheaval of water where they meet. Sometimes the impact will be sufficiently strong to literally shoot a man several feet high—another of the many diversions of wave riding.

It would be hard to say which is the most enjoyable type of wave for riding, as many factors must be taken into consideration. Personally, I would choose a happy medium between a sand-buster and a glide wave, for on these you get the thrill of falling several feet, and they are pleasant riding because the head can be kept out of the water all the time.

"THE ART OF WAVE RIDING," BY RON DRUMMOND (1931)

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