(Self-portrait by and of Mark Mathews)

In The Fear Project, I profile a handful of the most of the most accomplished action adventure athletes alive: skydivers, cave-divers, big-wave surfers, skiers, and a UFC fighters. I wanted to know the science behind what made these people tick, but I couldn't help getting enthralled in their personal stories. One theme that emerged over and again is that the risks these athletes take help them find confidence and stability in...

It was an honor to have my article about Mavericks and the neurobiology of fear and courage published in last month's issue of Surfer Magazine. There will be much more to come on this topic. Here's the intro to the article.

A few winters ago, I got all amped on surfing Mavericks. I’d never been all that keen on waves that might end my life, but my girlfriend had dumped me and I was looking for something to re-inflate my ego. Nothing like bombing down a 20-footer...

I love the way stories spread in this era. A couple of years ago, I flew to Bangladesh and reported a story for AFAR Magazine about a homeless girl, Nassima Atker, who'd miraculously become one of the country's best surfers. (Yes, there is surfing in Bangladesh and with 80 miles of uncrowded beach break, you can find some gems.) Despite having to beg for survival, despite being constantly teased and taunted by men who say surfing is inappropriate for girls, despite...

Today we leave sunny, hot! Lisbon, and hit the road to find some Portuguese waves. It's a different kind of road trip than the ones I took in my teens and 20s. I have a 5 month-old, a lovely wife, and my mom is with us. But it feels more magical and rad than ever.

Yesterday, we hit Sintra, a town spackled with ancient castles, and found out that the Portugues god of the sea is a gnarly local. 

And you can see why with all the secret spots he probably has to...

While researching  The Fear Project, a lot of people have asked me why I chose fear.  My answer never seems to come out right so I thought I would answer in a different way. This is a chapter from Saltwater Buddha, a story about fear and its relationship to magic.  If you like it, check out how Saltwater Buddha is being turned into a film.

 

 

Wizards and Water Walking

1.

Water is full of magic. Shapeless but incompressible, it is the only...

Reis Paluso at KorduroyTV recently asked me what the challenges were in bringing Saltwater Buddha, the film, to life. Though there were many, the biggest was probably fixing my own head.

When Nohoch Productions asked me back in 2009 if they could turn Saltwater Buddha, the book, into a film, I felt similar to when my high school crush – a terrifying full grade ahead of me – asked me to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Excited,  but the overwhelming feeling...

Your body is made of about 60 percent water. The blood in your veins is close to the consistency of seawater. Even the human brain is more than two-thirds water. Keeping this in mind, try to feel that original part of yourself. Imagine those elbows and knees, bits of tooth and jaw and skull, dissolving into an aqueous state. You're a puddle on the floor now, tension gone.

No, larger than a puddle. You're an ocean.

A light wind kicks up, a breeze that forms ripples...