Surfing and drugs have been linked since the 1950s. The cultural synergy between the two has always been well known, and it’s unsurprising that many surfers have added a, shall we say, “commercial” element to it over the years.
Thai Stick: Surfers, Scammers, and the Untold Story of the Marijuana Trade is just one book that examined how traveling surfers used drugs to finance their search for waves. Others, however, succumbed to addiction, and many high-profile surfers were no exception.
When Michael Tomson, the co-founder of iconic surfwear brand Gotcha, was arrested last month on suspicion of … More
Learning to Breathe is an intriguing documentary that explores the troubled and changing life of professional surfer and legend Anthony Ruffo. Ruffo is a surfer, but he is also an addict, a dealer, a community leader, and at the mercy of a dysfunctional California court system.
Anthony’s surfing past, methamphetamine addiction, criminality, and eventual recovery are displayed candidly in Learning to Breathe. Those surrounding Anthony, including some of the world’s best surfers, discuss Anthony’s rise to fame and spiral into darkness. For the first time, athletes like Pete Mel, Tyler Fox, Darryl Virostko and Christian Fletcher, break the code of silence in the surfing industry and open up about their own addiction issues, discussing the problem of widespread drug use in the professional surfing community.