Rockaway : Surfing Headlong into a New Life

Theinspirational story of one woman learning to surf andcreating a new lifein gritty, eccentric Rockaway Beach

Unmoored by a failed marriage and disconnected from her high-octane life in the city, Diane Cardwellfinds herself staringat a small group of surferscoasting through mellow wavestoward shoreandsenses something shift.Rockaway is theriveting, joyful story of one woman's reinventionbeginning withCardwelltakingthe A Train to Rockaway, a neglected spit of land dangling off New York City intothe Atlantic Ocean. She finds a teacher, buys a tiny bungalow, andthrows her not-overly-athletic selfheadlong into learningthe inner workings and rhythms ofwaves andthemuscle development and coordinationneeded to ride them.

AsCardwell begins to find her balancein the water and out,superstorm Sandyhits, sendingherinto the maelstrom in search of safer ground.In the aftermath,the community comes together and rebuilds, rekindling its bacchanalian spiritas ahistoricsurfing community,onewithits ownquirkycodes andsurf culture. AndCardwell's surfing takes off as she finds a true home among her fellow passionate longboarders at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club,living out';themost joyful path through life.'

Rockaway is a stirringstory ofinner salvation sought through a challenging physical pursuitandof learning to accept the idea of a complete reset, no matter when in life it comes.

The inspirational story of one woman learning to surf and creating a new life in gritty, eccentric Rockaway Beach

Unmoored by a failed marriage and disconnected from her high-octane life in the city, Diane Cardwell finds herself staring at a small group of surfers coasting through mellow waves toward shore—and senses something shift. Rockaway is the riveting, joyful story of one woman’s reinvention—beginning with Cardwell taking the A Train to Rockaway, a neglected spit of land dangling off New York City into the Atlantic Ocean. She finds a teacher, buys a tiny bungalow, and throws her not-overly-athletic self headlong into learning the inner workings and rhythms of waves and the muscle development and coordination needed to ride them.

As Cardwell begins to find her balance in the water and out, superstorm Sandy hits, sending her into the maelstrom in search of safer ground. In the aftermath, the community comes together and rebuilds, rekindling its bacchanalian spirit as a historic surfing community, one with its own quirky codes and surf culture. And Cardwell’s surfing takes off as she finds a true home among her fellow passionate longboarders at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club, living out “the most joyful path through life.”

Rockaway is a stirring story of inner salvation sought through a challenging physical pursuit—and of learning to accept the idea of a complete reset, no matter when in life it comes.