200 PAGES 300 PHOTOS HARDCOVER
TESTIMONIALS
“Mike Nelson is the silent workhorse of the New York surfing community. And for such a soft-spoken and down-to-earth guy, he nonetheless created a foundation for so many of us to build on.”
Will Skudin,
professional big-wave surfer from New York, Skudin Surf co-owner/operator, Surf For All co-founder
“Nellie was the provider of surfing for my whole generation, and for me he was the luckiest piece of the puzzle. He’s just the OG of New York surfing. I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere without that dude.”
Balaram Stack,
professional freesurfer from New York, Pipeline specialist
“Mike Nelson is a true legend, a revolutionary pioneer in his field, and his best work is all right here in this wonderful book for us to enjoy — dramatic, blazing, four-color imagery shot on both film stock and digital. Full Nelson. Full stop.”
Dick Meseroll,
legendary surf photographer, Eastern Surf Magazine co-founder/photo editor, East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame inductee
BIO
Photo: Vic Alarcon
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Mike Nelson is a New Yorker. And a surfer. A shop owner and a contest promoter. A mentor and supporter and steward of all things surf in the Empire State. Alongside his longtime business partner Dave Juan, their retail baby, Unsound Surf Shop, is the cornerstone corner store of Long Island surfing; while their annual contest, the Unsound Pro, has gained distinction as one of the most progressive surfing events on the East Coast. Nelson filmed and produced three surf movies — Couch Tour, North of Nowhere and ESM’s Always Right — but his dominant identity is that of a surf photographer who’s documented some of the most exotic waves of Earth but focuses primarily on his own homegrown, hardcore community. Nelson’s career spans three decades, where he served as a senior or contributing photographer for myriad publications highlighted by countless features, portfolios, photo essays, travel stories and cover shots. On the rare occasion that he’s away from the ocean, he shoots real estate, sporting events, weddings and landscapes. He lives in Oceanside, NY, with his wife, daughter and two sons. This is his first book.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Matt Pruett has been one of the East Coast’s most prominent surf journalists since 1998. Best known for his tenure as editor of Eastern Surf Magazine (2001-2009), he also co-authored one book, Wavescape, edited several others, contributed to two anthologies, Stormrider Surf Stories: Indonesia and Lonely Planet’s Epic Surf Breaks of the World, directed the surf movie Always Right, and has been published in nearly every international surfing publication including Surfing, Surfer, Transworld Surf, Stab, The Surfer’s Journal, Japan Surfin’ Life, Surf Europe and Carve. Since 2013, Pruett has exclusively served Surfline.com in a senior writer/ editor capacity. He lives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with his girlfriend Lauren Evans.