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In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road
In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his long-time surfing companion, Patrick, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Patrick's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend.
In Search of Captain Zero is, according to Outside magazine, "A subtly affecting tale of friendship and duty. [It] deserves a spot on the microbus dashboard as a hell of a cautionary tale about finding paradise and smoking it away." In Search of Captain A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road is a Booksense 76 Top Ten selection for September/October.
In Search of Captain Zero is, according to Outside magazine, "A subtly affecting tale of friendship and duty. [It] deserves a spot on the microbus dashboard as a hell of a cautionary tale about finding paradise and smoking it away." In Search of Captain A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road is a Booksense 76 Top Ten selection for September/October.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Allan C. Weisbecker
3 books24 followersAllan C. Weisbecker (1947/1948 – October 2023) was an American novelist, screenwriter, memoirist, and surfer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
September 14, 2007
If they decided to hand out prizes for the individual who bought the most copies of this book, I would win, hands down. For many years, I prodded every single one of my friends, relatives, Romans, and countrymen, to read this, and if they didn’t start reading it that very instant, I managed to foist my copy on them, and of course bought another, and the whole cycle started over. Weisbecker captures something so compelling throughout this book, and being broken down in an end of the road Central American town becomes emblematic for so much else- I can’t say enough about it. I've reread it, again. Simply a wonderful book.
June 18, 2022
I have never surfed, and never known a surfer. Watching the movie Point Break comprises the totality of my surfing knowledge. Likewise, I have never sojourned through Mexico and Central America, and I’ve certainly never been an international drug smuggler (though I have been known to inhale).
Mr. Weisbecker's book caught me up and made me feel all these adventures. He vividly and viscerally described surfing to the point that I felt the rush, and almost tasted salt water. His recreation of a sense of place when describing Mexico and Central America called to mind Mark Twain's travel writing. And his outrageous recollections of his adventures in his youthful bandito smuggling days made me cry from laughing.(Even if these tales are exaggerated, as they may be, only someone who knows what he is talking about could exaggerate so effectively.)
Beyond all the surfing, adventuring on the edge, and bandito hilarity, this book has a strong undercurrent of melancholy, a deep sadness. Weisbecker indulges in sharing with us his mid-life crisis. Yet this doesn’t feel at all cliche. Weibecker's genius is in the brutal honesty in which he communicates his own ambiguous emotional turmoil.
In Search of Captain Zero is engrossing, invigorating, hilarious, and sad. It reads swiftly, and I was sorry when it was over. All in all, it is more than the sum of its parts, and I highly recommend it.
Mr. Weisbecker's book caught me up and made me feel all these adventures. He vividly and viscerally described surfing to the point that I felt the rush, and almost tasted salt water. His recreation of a sense of place when describing Mexico and Central America called to mind Mark Twain's travel writing. And his outrageous recollections of his adventures in his youthful bandito smuggling days made me cry from laughing.(Even if these tales are exaggerated, as they may be, only someone who knows what he is talking about could exaggerate so effectively.)
Beyond all the surfing, adventuring on the edge, and bandito hilarity, this book has a strong undercurrent of melancholy, a deep sadness. Weisbecker indulges in sharing with us his mid-life crisis. Yet this doesn’t feel at all cliche. Weibecker's genius is in the brutal honesty in which he communicates his own ambiguous emotional turmoil.
In Search of Captain Zero is engrossing, invigorating, hilarious, and sad. It reads swiftly, and I was sorry when it was over. All in all, it is more than the sum of its parts, and I highly recommend it.
January 9, 2007
Almost every surfer I know has recommended this, so I finally read it. I've never really found a surf book I liked, but this was closest. I'm not sure if the author and I would have been surf buddies (he's 50, a longboarder, picks fights, and used to run drugs), but he's definitely a great story-teller. And his adventures traveling from Mexico to Costa Rica are a trip. He does a great job weaving in stories from his younger days, stories of his pot smuggling days, and stories of his journey to make a very good beach read. I loved hearing the stories of all the people he meets - half the expats down south are 'on the run' - and have great stories :)
Aside from the good storytelling I felt there was depressing undertone to the book, as if the author was never quite satisfied with his life regardless of what happened to him. This makes sense I suppose given he's kinda having a midlife crisis - but it didn't amp me up with enthusiasm for life. But on the positive side, it did gave me a strong thirst to explore central america soon - and to go surfing :)
Aside from the good storytelling I felt there was depressing undertone to the book, as if the author was never quite satisfied with his life regardless of what happened to him. This makes sense I suppose given he's kinda having a midlife crisis - but it didn't amp me up with enthusiasm for life. But on the positive side, it did gave me a strong thirst to explore central america soon - and to go surfing :)
May 5, 2008
As a recent convert to the love of surfing, I practically devoured this book for it's "On the Road" with a surfing twist story. It was a great memoir with great surf descriptions, I could practically feel the waves under me as I read some of his prose. For those who don't surf, it's as close as you can get without actually getting wet and for those that do surf and are as landlocked as I am . . . it's the next best thing.
November 11, 2011
In Search of Captain Zero by Allan Weisbecker is a true story about Allan and his venture of finding his best friend Christopher. Before he leaves he sells his house and takes his dog and his truck with a camper he calls “La Casita” through Mexico and Central America. His story is told from his perspective and uses a lot of surf slang.
He spends a lot of time surfing while on the way to Costa Rica. But his trip isn’t all smooth sailing though. His truck breaks down multiple times and ends up having to leave it and rely on pubic transportation and other methods of travel. This story shows a different view of our discussion question. Allan wasn’t going on a road trip through Mexico and Central America for vacation, he was going to find his friend. He easily could have just taken a plane to find his friend. Does a road trip always have to be fun?
I thought that the story was really interesting because you don’t really know what is going to happen next, and it’s not to wordy like most books, it’s very straight forward. I enjoyed this book because there are many suspenseful parts and keeps me wondering what will happen next. The beginning was a little slow but once you get a few chapters in it starts getting better. I don’t think this book is for everyone though, I can see some people getting bored with it during the parts when he is talking about surfing because they can’t relate. I would recommend this book to someone who likes adventures books.
He spends a lot of time surfing while on the way to Costa Rica. But his trip isn’t all smooth sailing though. His truck breaks down multiple times and ends up having to leave it and rely on pubic transportation and other methods of travel. This story shows a different view of our discussion question. Allan wasn’t going on a road trip through Mexico and Central America for vacation, he was going to find his friend. He easily could have just taken a plane to find his friend. Does a road trip always have to be fun?
I thought that the story was really interesting because you don’t really know what is going to happen next, and it’s not to wordy like most books, it’s very straight forward. I enjoyed this book because there are many suspenseful parts and keeps me wondering what will happen next. The beginning was a little slow but once you get a few chapters in it starts getting better. I don’t think this book is for everyone though, I can see some people getting bored with it during the parts when he is talking about surfing because they can’t relate. I would recommend this book to someone who likes adventures books.
September 3, 2008
In Search of Captain Zero is Allan C Weisbecker's second novel, and a considerably different work from the first gonzo/physics/pot smuggling affair, Cosmic Banditos.
He used to be an Internet sensation. Back in 1989 (ish) he wrote his first novel - Cosmic Banditos - a riotous tale of quantum physics and marijuana smuggling. It didn’t sell in either the US or the UK and, in a fit of generosity, the author sent all of his copies to the soldiers on active duty in the first Gulf War. Slowly but surely it got read, got passed around and eventually turned into a cult classic. Here in the UK it hit the remainder book shops and got picked up by students and the like who again read it and passed it round, turning it into a cult here as well.
At the same time, as legend had it, he disappeared, apparently disillusioned with the lack of success of his novel, leaving no way to be contacted to discuss reprints when they suddenly became required. This left a whole raft of readers who had read the book once, lent it to someone and never seen it again; desperate to find another copy. So desperate in fact that copies were going for stupid sums on ebay and some people had actually converted the entire text of the novel to HTML. Like The KLF's The Manual or Albert Hoffman's My Problem Child it was easier to get hold of an A4 printout than a real copy of the book.
The story of In Search of Captain Zero is inextricably linked to the mythology that had built up around Weisbecker. It is written as an autobiography, filling in the missing years from the original failure of Cosmic Banditos to his return and the publication of this novel.
It was with a real sense of expectation that I opened Captain Zero. I’d read Cosmic Banditos in 1991, one of the many brief owners of the few copies that circulated, and again upon its republication in 2001 so I was pretty excited to have his new book in my hand….
In fact my enjoyment of Cosmic Banditos tainted my first attempt at reading it. When I first got it I opened it up, read the first chapter and thought “what a bust.” It was nothing like the previous book. All serious and worthy and deep in mid life crisis. No pot smuggling, no physics; even the dog wasn’t funny. So I put it back on the shelf and went on to something else. It was only when a good few years had passed and I was scouring the shelves for something that I hadn’t read that I decided that I should try it again.
So with a fresh mind, not expecting pot smuggling or quantum physics or Mexican gangsters or comedy dogs, I set about reading Captain Zero properly…
It begins as a story of a man in crisis. Written in a wholly believable first person the narrator tells of his failed novel and many failed relationships and pines for his life as a young man in the 60s when surfing was king and he was in on the ground floor. Mid-life crisis has finally hit and for him the sports car and younger woman turns out to be instead a mad quest down the coastline of Mexico in a ramshackle motor home looking for a long lost friend (Christopher Connor, the Captain Zero of the title) last heard of surfing the waves somewhere down South.
As the journey develops so does the narrative - slowly we are introduced to 3 strands that will remain throughout the book. The story of the road trip itself is gloriously detailed, providing a loving travelogue of the surf routes around the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific coast of Central America intertwined with a detective story as he seeks out Christopher. At the same time we are treated to reminiscences of his youth with Christopher, spent living the high life as professional surf dudes and part time pot smugglers. These are wickedly funny stories, laugh out loud tales of stupid boat trips and ridiculous plans hatched in a fug of marijuana smoke. But. These two strands play supporting roles to the real meat of the book. This is really a book about surfing. About loving to surf more than anything else. About how surfing makes you feel. About the long board versus the short board. About Johnny-come-latelies versus the live-to-surfs. About sport versus lifestyle.
I can’t really let you into much of the plot without ruining the story, but suffice to say that there are Mexican gangsters, there is pot smuggling and yes, the dog does turn out to be funny. It surpasses Cosmic Banditos with ease, which is no mean feat.
This is an exquisite book. It genuinely put me off reading anything else for a while. It was really that good. It was one of those books that I found myself making time to read - not because of a page turning plot but because the insight into Allan’s character and why of life is so all encompassing, so beautifully written and most importantly so welcoming that I did not want to leave the world that the book created. It’s in turns hilarious, tragic, moving and empowering; yet it’s also completely daft and unreal.
I highly recommend you read this. I also recommend you read Cosmic Banditos, but it might be wise to steer clear of Can't You Get Along With Anyone
He used to be an Internet sensation. Back in 1989 (ish) he wrote his first novel - Cosmic Banditos - a riotous tale of quantum physics and marijuana smuggling. It didn’t sell in either the US or the UK and, in a fit of generosity, the author sent all of his copies to the soldiers on active duty in the first Gulf War. Slowly but surely it got read, got passed around and eventually turned into a cult classic. Here in the UK it hit the remainder book shops and got picked up by students and the like who again read it and passed it round, turning it into a cult here as well.
At the same time, as legend had it, he disappeared, apparently disillusioned with the lack of success of his novel, leaving no way to be contacted to discuss reprints when they suddenly became required. This left a whole raft of readers who had read the book once, lent it to someone and never seen it again; desperate to find another copy. So desperate in fact that copies were going for stupid sums on ebay and some people had actually converted the entire text of the novel to HTML. Like The KLF's The Manual or Albert Hoffman's My Problem Child it was easier to get hold of an A4 printout than a real copy of the book.
The story of In Search of Captain Zero is inextricably linked to the mythology that had built up around Weisbecker. It is written as an autobiography, filling in the missing years from the original failure of Cosmic Banditos to his return and the publication of this novel.
It was with a real sense of expectation that I opened Captain Zero. I’d read Cosmic Banditos in 1991, one of the many brief owners of the few copies that circulated, and again upon its republication in 2001 so I was pretty excited to have his new book in my hand….
In fact my enjoyment of Cosmic Banditos tainted my first attempt at reading it. When I first got it I opened it up, read the first chapter and thought “what a bust.” It was nothing like the previous book. All serious and worthy and deep in mid life crisis. No pot smuggling, no physics; even the dog wasn’t funny. So I put it back on the shelf and went on to something else. It was only when a good few years had passed and I was scouring the shelves for something that I hadn’t read that I decided that I should try it again.
So with a fresh mind, not expecting pot smuggling or quantum physics or Mexican gangsters or comedy dogs, I set about reading Captain Zero properly…
It begins as a story of a man in crisis. Written in a wholly believable first person the narrator tells of his failed novel and many failed relationships and pines for his life as a young man in the 60s when surfing was king and he was in on the ground floor. Mid-life crisis has finally hit and for him the sports car and younger woman turns out to be instead a mad quest down the coastline of Mexico in a ramshackle motor home looking for a long lost friend (Christopher Connor, the Captain Zero of the title) last heard of surfing the waves somewhere down South.
As the journey develops so does the narrative - slowly we are introduced to 3 strands that will remain throughout the book. The story of the road trip itself is gloriously detailed, providing a loving travelogue of the surf routes around the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific coast of Central America intertwined with a detective story as he seeks out Christopher. At the same time we are treated to reminiscences of his youth with Christopher, spent living the high life as professional surf dudes and part time pot smugglers. These are wickedly funny stories, laugh out loud tales of stupid boat trips and ridiculous plans hatched in a fug of marijuana smoke. But. These two strands play supporting roles to the real meat of the book. This is really a book about surfing. About loving to surf more than anything else. About how surfing makes you feel. About the long board versus the short board. About Johnny-come-latelies versus the live-to-surfs. About sport versus lifestyle.
I can’t really let you into much of the plot without ruining the story, but suffice to say that there are Mexican gangsters, there is pot smuggling and yes, the dog does turn out to be funny. It surpasses Cosmic Banditos with ease, which is no mean feat.
This is an exquisite book. It genuinely put me off reading anything else for a while. It was really that good. It was one of those books that I found myself making time to read - not because of a page turning plot but because the insight into Allan’s character and why of life is so all encompassing, so beautifully written and most importantly so welcoming that I did not want to leave the world that the book created. It’s in turns hilarious, tragic, moving and empowering; yet it’s also completely daft and unreal.
I highly recommend you read this. I also recommend you read Cosmic Banditos, but it might be wise to steer clear of Can't You Get Along With Anyone
June 30, 2017
A heartbreaking tale of life lived on the edge with descriptions of waves which, if you're a surfer, may bring you to tears. A must read for any perambulating wave seeker
May 3, 2019
I’ve read this book three times and it’s one of the few books that I find more inspiring with each read.
March 1, 2009
I wish I could review books by genres. I actually wish I could review everything by genre. When someone asks me my favorite burrito place my first question in response is always "what sort of burrito?"
I mean, do you want greasy authentic burrito, or are you talking california style grilled chicken and black beans on a wheat job. I'm not implying one is better than the other, just that they are very different things. Depends on what you are in the mood for.
Captain Zero could easily get 5 stars in its genre which is light adventure stories that are easy to read. It's well written, its about topics that interest me (travel and surfing) and it reads really quickly smoothly. Easy book to pick up and stick with until its done, which is exactly what I've done these last 3 days.
Now, if I was going to grade it on a universal literature scale I would have a hard time giving it even 3 stars. I mean I think I gave Fountainhead three stars and its a super classic. Wait, Fountainhead sucked. I should have given it 1 star, bad example......Anyways, you get the point.
In the end I'm saying 4 stars and highly enjoyable. Now maybe I should spend 500 words examining why I feel it necessary to justify reading pop literature to the internet......but I won't. I'm a book snob. There I said it.
I mean, do you want greasy authentic burrito, or are you talking california style grilled chicken and black beans on a wheat job. I'm not implying one is better than the other, just that they are very different things. Depends on what you are in the mood for.
Captain Zero could easily get 5 stars in its genre which is light adventure stories that are easy to read. It's well written, its about topics that interest me (travel and surfing) and it reads really quickly smoothly. Easy book to pick up and stick with until its done, which is exactly what I've done these last 3 days.
Now, if I was going to grade it on a universal literature scale I would have a hard time giving it even 3 stars. I mean I think I gave Fountainhead three stars and its a super classic. Wait, Fountainhead sucked. I should have given it 1 star, bad example......Anyways, you get the point.
In the end I'm saying 4 stars and highly enjoyable. Now maybe I should spend 500 words examining why I feel it necessary to justify reading pop literature to the internet......but I won't. I'm a book snob. There I said it.
September 14, 2018
Good story about one friend tracking down another-not completely predictable which is always a plus.
November 7, 2017
In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road is a bodacious account of Weisbecker's slow-travel South, from Mexico to Costa Rica, in search of a vanished surfing buddy. Comprising a hybrid of the movie Point Break and the book Mr Nice, spliced with a touch of gonzo travelling for good measure, this book proves beyond doubt that the surfing gods truly do exist.
Having had no communication from his best friend Christopher Conner (aka Captain Zero), apart from a postcard received 3 years previously, Weisbecker decides to travel down to Central America to try and find him. Packing his possessions and dog, Shiner, into his house, La Casita Viajera (the little house that travels), which is mounted on the back of an F350 4x4 Ford pick-up, Weisbecker heads down the Baja Peninsula with only one rule - never drive away from good surf.
On his journey down South, Weisbecker's search takes him a long way off the grid to surfing spots accompanying simple fisherman camps and villages with little in the way of electricity and infrastructure. He is able to vividly describe the beauty and simplicity of the places he visits where life can be enjoyed with little more than a good cup of coffee, raging surf, interesting people and listening to the sounds of Chopin. Along with an ex-pat scene consisting of drug runners, brothel owners, spooks, travelling surfers and even the real low lives, real estate agents, it ensures a fascinating journey full of adventure and tension.
However, In Search of Captain Zero is more than just a travelogue and surfing diatribe, as it also doubles up as Weisbecker's memoir. With an extremely colourful past as a screenwriter (including writing some of the early episodes of Miami Vice), ex-commercial fisherman and nihilistic marijuana smuggler, there are plenty of hair raising tales that make this an authentically, amusing tale. Which warrants its own cautionary note. There are plenty of drug references. Wesisbecker really did smuggle drugs, although these are beyond the statute of limitations now, and there is also some low level references to violence and sex.
For anyone who surfs, this is a tsunami of a story written with intensity and large doses of primal surfer philosophy, that is sure to appeal. Having discovered surfing in 1966 at the age of 17 via the documentary movie, The Endless Summer, Weisbecker's lifelong devotion to this calling enables him to write passionately about the allure of surfing and the irresistible urge to seek the perfect moment. However, it is also not in the slightest bit necessary to know the first thing about surfing, as Weisbecker's surfing descriptions of surf lore and law is poetically rendered for us all to enjoy.
In Search of Captain Zero is a book that will sweep you away and one where the writing is of such high quality writing, that each word needs to be tumbled around in your mouth before being cerebrally consumed. This is a funny, bittersweet, mystical and gripping book that can be enjoyed by one and all and which serves as a reminder to lead a life lived to the full.
Having had no communication from his best friend Christopher Conner (aka Captain Zero), apart from a postcard received 3 years previously, Weisbecker decides to travel down to Central America to try and find him. Packing his possessions and dog, Shiner, into his house, La Casita Viajera (the little house that travels), which is mounted on the back of an F350 4x4 Ford pick-up, Weisbecker heads down the Baja Peninsula with only one rule - never drive away from good surf.
On his journey down South, Weisbecker's search takes him a long way off the grid to surfing spots accompanying simple fisherman camps and villages with little in the way of electricity and infrastructure. He is able to vividly describe the beauty and simplicity of the places he visits where life can be enjoyed with little more than a good cup of coffee, raging surf, interesting people and listening to the sounds of Chopin. Along with an ex-pat scene consisting of drug runners, brothel owners, spooks, travelling surfers and even the real low lives, real estate agents, it ensures a fascinating journey full of adventure and tension.
However, In Search of Captain Zero is more than just a travelogue and surfing diatribe, as it also doubles up as Weisbecker's memoir. With an extremely colourful past as a screenwriter (including writing some of the early episodes of Miami Vice), ex-commercial fisherman and nihilistic marijuana smuggler, there are plenty of hair raising tales that make this an authentically, amusing tale. Which warrants its own cautionary note. There are plenty of drug references. Wesisbecker really did smuggle drugs, although these are beyond the statute of limitations now, and there is also some low level references to violence and sex.
For anyone who surfs, this is a tsunami of a story written with intensity and large doses of primal surfer philosophy, that is sure to appeal. Having discovered surfing in 1966 at the age of 17 via the documentary movie, The Endless Summer, Weisbecker's lifelong devotion to this calling enables him to write passionately about the allure of surfing and the irresistible urge to seek the perfect moment. However, it is also not in the slightest bit necessary to know the first thing about surfing, as Weisbecker's surfing descriptions of surf lore and law is poetically rendered for us all to enjoy.
In Search of Captain Zero is a book that will sweep you away and one where the writing is of such high quality writing, that each word needs to be tumbled around in your mouth before being cerebrally consumed. This is a funny, bittersweet, mystical and gripping book that can be enjoyed by one and all and which serves as a reminder to lead a life lived to the full.
December 18, 2020
A cousin recommended this book to me a few years back. He is a surfer from Long Island who frequently vacations in Costa Rica. He had said that it was the best book he ever read. No disrespect to my beloved cousin, but I couldn't imagine that he had read very many books. I took his recommendation seriously, but felt no urgency. A few weeks ago Costa Rica as a vacation destination came up with an English teacher friend with whom I coach - he recommended the same book. I figured it was time to read In Search of Captain Zero - and I am very happy I did.
The story is a biographical narrative as the author takes a road trip south into Mexico, Central America and ultimately Costa Rica. As he travels in search of an old friend, he reflects on his life as a drug smuggler, surfer and writer. So, while the book is a series of fun, funny, exciting vignettes, it holds together as one big adventure mixed with existential philosophy and surfing.
My first thought when my cousin mentioned this as the best surfing book ever was lots of surfer dude slang and stories about big waves. What Weisbecker reflects on is being one with the force of nature that is the ocean. His pursuit is Faustian and his prose when expounding on the art and experience of long boarding would make Goethe proud. He is also clever and careful with the underlying surf story. As the author adventures and reflects, he never stops looking for and stopping to commune with "The Wave". Thus surfing is the spine of the book while in no way an overbearing theme. Allan is in search of his old friend Chris and the tale of the comet that is his journey is the history and passion he brings with him.
So, no bogus surfer slang, lots of terrific side stories, a cohesive over arching adventure, love lost, lots of self actualization and realization found along with a philosophy of surf that reminds me of Krakauer writing about mountain climbing, Hillenbrand on horses or Goethe on existence. The desire to be one with the universe through physical challenge, grace and beauty - even if only for a second... Beautiful book. Cousin Rick was right - well worth a read!
The story is a biographical narrative as the author takes a road trip south into Mexico, Central America and ultimately Costa Rica. As he travels in search of an old friend, he reflects on his life as a drug smuggler, surfer and writer. So, while the book is a series of fun, funny, exciting vignettes, it holds together as one big adventure mixed with existential philosophy and surfing.
My first thought when my cousin mentioned this as the best surfing book ever was lots of surfer dude slang and stories about big waves. What Weisbecker reflects on is being one with the force of nature that is the ocean. His pursuit is Faustian and his prose when expounding on the art and experience of long boarding would make Goethe proud. He is also clever and careful with the underlying surf story. As the author adventures and reflects, he never stops looking for and stopping to commune with "The Wave". Thus surfing is the spine of the book while in no way an overbearing theme. Allan is in search of his old friend Chris and the tale of the comet that is his journey is the history and passion he brings with him.
So, no bogus surfer slang, lots of terrific side stories, a cohesive over arching adventure, love lost, lots of self actualization and realization found along with a philosophy of surf that reminds me of Krakauer writing about mountain climbing, Hillenbrand on horses or Goethe on existence. The desire to be one with the universe through physical challenge, grace and beauty - even if only for a second... Beautiful book. Cousin Rick was right - well worth a read!
November 10, 2011
In Search of Captain Zero by Allan Weisbecker is a very suspenseful book that has problems and fun in every chapter. Written in parts, Weisbecker writes about his journey to Central America in search of Captain Zero, his best friend. Thinking that his journey was going to be a quick and safe one, he didn't expect the many twist and turns that confronted him. From there, Weisbecker was forced to fight for his own safety and quickly find his best friend.
The one and only character in this book that connected with me in some way was Weisbecker. His brave and cunning personality perfectly fit mines and if you're a brave and outgoing person then Weisbecker will connect with you perfectly. My connection with Weisbecker helped me understood the book more and made the reading more smoothing. As Weisbecker lost his only transportation, a trailer called La Casita, Weisbecker had to use his brain and calm self to get himself out of trouble. Weisbecker just connects with me in so many ways. I am a type of person that never panics when in a weird situation, very much like Weisbecker. No matter what, you read this book, you WILL connect with Weisbecker in one way or another.
The thing that made the reading easy was, like I said, my connection with the main character. Connecting with him helped me picture myself in every situation he was in. Another thing that made it easy to read was the book being written in parts. Each part represented another part of North America. So whenever I was confused with what the setting was, I remembered that for example, this part was set in Central America. Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone who likes to read about adventure and roadtrips. Nonetheless, I believe that anyone would like this book.
The one and only character in this book that connected with me in some way was Weisbecker. His brave and cunning personality perfectly fit mines and if you're a brave and outgoing person then Weisbecker will connect with you perfectly. My connection with Weisbecker helped me understood the book more and made the reading more smoothing. As Weisbecker lost his only transportation, a trailer called La Casita, Weisbecker had to use his brain and calm self to get himself out of trouble. Weisbecker just connects with me in so many ways. I am a type of person that never panics when in a weird situation, very much like Weisbecker. No matter what, you read this book, you WILL connect with Weisbecker in one way or another.
The thing that made the reading easy was, like I said, my connection with the main character. Connecting with him helped me picture myself in every situation he was in. Another thing that made it easy to read was the book being written in parts. Each part represented another part of North America. So whenever I was confused with what the setting was, I remembered that for example, this part was set in Central America. Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone who likes to read about adventure and roadtrips. Nonetheless, I believe that anyone would like this book.
April 1, 2009
This was the perfect book for me at this point in my life.
Having been thrust into a world of no responsibilities, I found myself somewhat lost and confused as to what I should do. Luckily, the world is what it is and I embraced it. Learning to surf and to take life as what is in front of me, right now, has opened my eyes to the miracle of everything and anything.
Life is an adventure.
This book only reaffirmed that notion. "The only constant is change"; "anything can happen"; "you never no whats around the next corner"; all those cliches are there. But that is life, real life. Being born 10 years after 1970, I can only imagine the golden age of surfing and drugs, but my dad was there and his stories sound so similar to this book.
It takes someone who surfs to truly understand the concept of waveriding mechanics and physics that are put forth in the book, but they are explained enough and with an almost mysterious air that the non-surfer reading can still understand and take joy along with the writer.
This is Weisbecker's story. If it inspires you or not, go and find your own adventure
Having been thrust into a world of no responsibilities, I found myself somewhat lost and confused as to what I should do. Luckily, the world is what it is and I embraced it. Learning to surf and to take life as what is in front of me, right now, has opened my eyes to the miracle of everything and anything.
Life is an adventure.
This book only reaffirmed that notion. "The only constant is change"; "anything can happen"; "you never no whats around the next corner"; all those cliches are there. But that is life, real life. Being born 10 years after 1970, I can only imagine the golden age of surfing and drugs, but my dad was there and his stories sound so similar to this book.
It takes someone who surfs to truly understand the concept of waveriding mechanics and physics that are put forth in the book, but they are explained enough and with an almost mysterious air that the non-surfer reading can still understand and take joy along with the writer.
This is Weisbecker's story. If it inspires you or not, go and find your own adventure
August 11, 2023
A deep, and deeply self-indulgent, account of a good ol’ self-reverential surfer-dude’s trek to find a surfin’ drug-brother. I would have DNFd early on except for the amazingly fresh and original writing that opened the account. Unfortunately the whole shebang degenerated into a misogynistic diatribe about drugs and surfing and drugs and drinking and drugs and other people’s women and his own harem of exes and it was probably a lucky escape for them. I quit when I got tired of the slut-shaming and skipped to the end, which was more of a trailing off with an epilogue added on. I’m going to give this 3 stars - 5 for the great, original writing at the beginning, averaged with 1 for everything else.
June 28, 2023
I bravely finished this book. Imagine the most narcissistic, out-of-touch, braggy old surfer dude you can, and that's this book's protagonist and author, sorry king. It was cringy to read for the most part, and like visually descriptive I'll give it that but I didn't like this book. It made me say "meh yucky" when I was finally done. I agree with my pal's statement: "oh that's the book I want to burn".
September 17, 2018
Surf Adventure / Surf Epic / Surf Saga /
Mix of just the right amount of back story expertly woven into the current adventure. Well done. Think Travels with Charlie (complete with dog) but with a surf board and through Central America instead of the US west. Turns out this book easily overcomes a bit too much descriptive wording in just a few spots to go to the top of the SURF QUEST list!
Mix of just the right amount of back story expertly woven into the current adventure. Well done. Think Travels with Charlie (complete with dog) but with a surf board and through Central America instead of the US west. Turns out this book easily overcomes a bit too much descriptive wording in just a few spots to go to the top of the SURF QUEST list!
October 17, 2023
I was not familiar with Allan Weisbecker until I read his obituary. I was more interested in his fictional tale "Cosmic Banditos", but this memoir is the book that was available at the library. I'm glad it worked out that way because "In Search of Captain Zero" is a great read. Imagine a combination of the movies "Endless Summer" and "Blow" and you're on the right track. My one quibble is that there is a bit too much description of waves and how they form, but that's like saying there's too much about whales and whaling in "Moby Dick." You either get into it or you skim through to get back to the story.
The story here is about the author's trip from California to the southernmost tip of Costa Rica. He is in search of his friend Christopher who seems to have disappeared "down South". On the way he stops and surfs every available wave and recounts his past drug smuggling exploits with Christopher. I couldn't put it down and I won't spoil the ending except to say that he does find out what happened to his friend.
The story here is about the author's trip from California to the southernmost tip of Costa Rica. He is in search of his friend Christopher who seems to have disappeared "down South". On the way he stops and surfs every available wave and recounts his past drug smuggling exploits with Christopher. I couldn't put it down and I won't spoil the ending except to say that he does find out what happened to his friend.
April 9, 2012
In the book "In Search of Captain Zero",Weisbecker uses characterization, alliteration and setting to turn this book into a page turner. The story is about Weisbecker's search for lost friend who he believes is in Mexico surfing. The whole story is about his journey to look for his friend and the surf, drug trafficking and other exciting events they shared together.
His use of characterization is really important to this story's development because it gives the read an idea of what the people look like and act. For example on page 73 he describes his friend Julio as "...swarthy complexion sunburnt to fervid red-black, unkempt sholder-lenght hair and feral gleam, he veritably exudes insolence and intimidation." This quote is describing Julio as a intimidating person which foreshadows the probability that the author will encounter and intimidating event with Julio which entices the reader to read on.
Also, his use of alliteration creates a smooth, rhythmical feel to his writing which helps the reader to keep reading. For example on page 88 he says "With the ghostly gloaming of first light..." This style of writing is very effective because it appeals to the readers sense of rhythm and poetry affection which some people may like and some others may not.
Lastly, the use as Mexico as the setting creates an outlaw feeling to the story because if you know about Mexico, it's home to a lot of drug and gang violence. For example, throughout the book he mentions the "banditos" in the southern parts of Mexico and describes their horrible ways of kidnapping people. This creates suspense through-out the book because there is always the knowing that things can go bad at any moment.
This story was a page turner for me, his use of all these devices creates a really good story. However if you are not a surfer or have a relation with the ocean, this book could be very boring to you. The reason for this is because there is a lot of surf talk and references throughout the book which some people might not understand thus not having the same effect on the reader.
His use of characterization is really important to this story's development because it gives the read an idea of what the people look like and act. For example on page 73 he describes his friend Julio as "...swarthy complexion sunburnt to fervid red-black, unkempt sholder-lenght hair and feral gleam, he veritably exudes insolence and intimidation." This quote is describing Julio as a intimidating person which foreshadows the probability that the author will encounter and intimidating event with Julio which entices the reader to read on.
Also, his use of alliteration creates a smooth, rhythmical feel to his writing which helps the reader to keep reading. For example on page 88 he says "With the ghostly gloaming of first light..." This style of writing is very effective because it appeals to the readers sense of rhythm and poetry affection which some people may like and some others may not.
Lastly, the use as Mexico as the setting creates an outlaw feeling to the story because if you know about Mexico, it's home to a lot of drug and gang violence. For example, throughout the book he mentions the "banditos" in the southern parts of Mexico and describes their horrible ways of kidnapping people. This creates suspense through-out the book because there is always the knowing that things can go bad at any moment.
This story was a page turner for me, his use of all these devices creates a really good story. However if you are not a surfer or have a relation with the ocean, this book could be very boring to you. The reason for this is because there is a lot of surf talk and references throughout the book which some people might not understand thus not having the same effect on the reader.
May 27, 2010
Allan C. Weisbecker’s memoir In Search Of Captain Zero is the latest addition to my surfer’s library. For reasons that didn’t become clear to me until the very end of the book, Weisbecker is keen, almost desperate, to relocate an old friend and former drug-running partner who’s disappeared in South America. Weisbecker throws his surfboards into a camper, calls his dog and drives down the west coast right into Costa Rica looking for his friend, catching more than a few bitchin' waves en route.
The bald facts of the journey make for compelling reading, but while Weisbecker’s capital-A “Alpha” male bona fides provide the impetus for the trip (and the book), they too frequently conjure a seriously blinkered point of view. Any noob who spends a little time among drunks, druggies, religious fanatics and/or surfers will come away telling you the conversation cycles back to the arcane again and again, and that any insight discernible to outsiders is gleaned with great difficulty. Weisbecker does get to the insight, but for this reader, who has neither surfed nor run drugs, there was a fair bit of arcana to wade through. I rank Captain Zero well above Daniel Duane’s Caught Inside, but decidedly below Thad Ziolkowski's On A Wave, which is, for me, the star to shoot for.
The bald facts of the journey make for compelling reading, but while Weisbecker’s capital-A “Alpha” male bona fides provide the impetus for the trip (and the book), they too frequently conjure a seriously blinkered point of view. Any noob who spends a little time among drunks, druggies, religious fanatics and/or surfers will come away telling you the conversation cycles back to the arcane again and again, and that any insight discernible to outsiders is gleaned with great difficulty. Weisbecker does get to the insight, but for this reader, who has neither surfed nor run drugs, there was a fair bit of arcana to wade through. I rank Captain Zero well above Daniel Duane’s Caught Inside, but decidedly below Thad Ziolkowski's On A Wave, which is, for me, the star to shoot for.
March 28, 2017
I was given this book by a friend, a historical legendary surfer of Pipeline, North Shore Oahu. I am in no way a pro surfer or world traveler, but I spent many years traveling from San Diego down to Mexico to surf before it got deemed "dangerous." I believe that is why I found this book so pleasant and engaging, beyond the fact that Allan writes very expressively and well. He can keep a story moving forward nicely.
I think this book is fantastic. The Author is well spoken, he has a really good vocabulary. It is obvious he is smart and has an attention for detail. He observes people and nature in a very insightful, sensitive way.
This book brought back so many of my own memories of crossing the border, driving at night and heading to some beautiful, remote spots in Mexico, though I never made it as far South as Allan did.
I got really hooked very shortly into the book. I really wanted him to find his friend.
It took a bit of a heart rendering turn in the middle and I found myself reading many chapters in one sitting, unable to put it down.
I feel compelled to find the perfect person to give this book too. Somebody that is a free spirit, that loves surfing, traveling, and that will enjoy and escape with this book as much as I did.
Aloha
I think this book is fantastic. The Author is well spoken, he has a really good vocabulary. It is obvious he is smart and has an attention for detail. He observes people and nature in a very insightful, sensitive way.
This book brought back so many of my own memories of crossing the border, driving at night and heading to some beautiful, remote spots in Mexico, though I never made it as far South as Allan did.
I got really hooked very shortly into the book. I really wanted him to find his friend.
It took a bit of a heart rendering turn in the middle and I found myself reading many chapters in one sitting, unable to put it down.
I feel compelled to find the perfect person to give this book too. Somebody that is a free spirit, that loves surfing, traveling, and that will enjoy and escape with this book as much as I did.
Aloha
May 14, 2020
This is my second time reading this book in the past 10 years. I had kept my hard cover copy which like many of my books was purchased on a whim and a glance at the back cover, and I am so glad I did. It will now be put back on my book case to be read again in 10 years.
I had forgotten how much of a fun read this is. There were things I'd remembered and things I'd forgotten, but all in all the second time through was as fun as the first. Allan has a great way of describing vistas and situations and his storytelling and the way he weaves his past into the present narrative he is writing is wonderful. The adventure, the attempt to reconnect with an old friend, the descriptions of the towns, the palpable fear felt at times, all make for a great book.
I love a good adventure story and as a dreamer I like to live vicariously through those that are willing to "chuck it" and go about doing something completely different with their lives even if only for a period, and the author and this book definitely fit that bill.
Enjoy this one - I did.
I had forgotten how much of a fun read this is. There were things I'd remembered and things I'd forgotten, but all in all the second time through was as fun as the first. Allan has a great way of describing vistas and situations and his storytelling and the way he weaves his past into the present narrative he is writing is wonderful. The adventure, the attempt to reconnect with an old friend, the descriptions of the towns, the palpable fear felt at times, all make for a great book.
I love a good adventure story and as a dreamer I like to live vicariously through those that are willing to "chuck it" and go about doing something completely different with their lives even if only for a period, and the author and this book definitely fit that bill.
Enjoy this one - I did.
July 19, 2016
I actually spent a week listening to this audio book. It was quite the road trip. I enjoyed the scenery, the places the author visited, and the people he met along the way. I didn't understand some of what happened to his friend. I liked the information on surfing and the beach life. I always wondered how it felt to "hang ten".
I had a good time listening to the story, narrated by Joe Barrett. If I had not been looking for books narrated by Joe, I would probably never have come across this book.
I had a good time listening to the story, narrated by Joe Barrett. If I had not been looking for books narrated by Joe, I would probably never have come across this book.
March 5, 2017
I love the search ...
June 11, 2018
Excellent book, great storyteller, very vivid.
May 7, 2019
A fun wild ride!
April 30, 2023
I didn't want this to end...
I found myself, two-thirds in, really slowing down. Because I could sense the end and I just didn't want to face it, didn't want to come to the end of this journey.
Weisbecker has done a fantastic job of melding his lyrical, languid road-trip-slash-surf-quest down through Baja and Central America in search of his surf-brother, former partner and friend, Christopher with his hysterical, wry recollections of the antics they got up to decades previous as some of the chillest, laid back and luckiest drug runners of the 70s.
The quest for the ultimate wave, and the errant Christopher, instilled in me the love of a sport and a way of life I've never experienced, and I fell right in with Weisbecker's nostalgia, regret and heartbreak.
This is a top-notch road novel and memoir that leaves you drifting on that Big Blue, remembering what was and what could have been...
I found myself, two-thirds in, really slowing down. Because I could sense the end and I just didn't want to face it, didn't want to come to the end of this journey.
Weisbecker has done a fantastic job of melding his lyrical, languid road-trip-slash-surf-quest down through Baja and Central America in search of his surf-brother, former partner and friend, Christopher with his hysterical, wry recollections of the antics they got up to decades previous as some of the chillest, laid back and luckiest drug runners of the 70s.
The quest for the ultimate wave, and the errant Christopher, instilled in me the love of a sport and a way of life I've never experienced, and I fell right in with Weisbecker's nostalgia, regret and heartbreak.
This is a top-notch road novel and memoir that leaves you drifting on that Big Blue, remembering what was and what could have been...
December 20, 2023
One of the best surfing books I’ve read.
May 17, 2023
A surfer's memoir somewhat about surfing more about connections to the people met along the road and the places we come back to. Loved it.
July 11, 2024
What starts off with a somewhat unlikeable main character turns into a fun, heartening, and soul enriching travel story with some great interstitial tales along the way. I would recommend to anyone who has an interest central American travel, surfing, or even crime.
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