Six-time world surfing champion, actor, and US heart-throb Kelly Slater tells of the struggles and triumphs he's experienced throughout his life and how they have helped him to become one of the world's most loved sports figures. 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 revolutionised the sport. Born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, in 1972, he found surfing to be a great way to escape problems at home. When he was 11, his parents divorced. Slater and his brother, Sean, were raised by their suddenly single mother, who struggled to support two young sons. After Slater's surfing career took off, he made the transition into acting and modelling. He spent a season starring on the popular television show Baywatch, where he won the hearts of women young and old, including Pamela Anderson, whom he dated for about a year. He has also been featured in Versace ads. In Pipe Dreams, he shares the stories that have influenced his life and have inspired him to overcome both personal and professional hurdles and achieve his dreams.

Metyko captures an era defining snapshot of one of the most fertile and influential moments in California's surf history. The dramatic action shots and intimate moments follow the rise of young legend-to-be and future three-time world champion Tom Curren and then-unknown surfboard shaper Al Merrick. During a four-year period beginning in 1980 s, Santa Barbara, California, saw an extraordinary mix of innovation, individuals and imagery, combined with a relatively rare meteorological phenomena, that led to one of the most influential periods in modern surf history. The rise of young legend-to-be and future three-time world champion Tom Curren, whose preternatural wave-riding abilities would help establish California at the forefront of contemporary surfing; the emergence of then-unknown board builder Al Merrick of Channel Island Surfboards, who would go on to standardize modern board design, by doing so becoming the sport s premier board-builder; the monster El Nino event of 82-83, a once-in-a-generation series of North Pacific storm systems which provided a record-breaking run of exceptional surf conditions - photographer Jimmy Metyko was there to capture it all. With a compelling blend of dramatic action, intimate moments and epic waves, Metyko s imagery and personal perspectives articulate a remarkable waypoint on the sport s cultural timeline, as well as a better understanding, and appreciation, of where surfing is today.