Rockaway: Surfing Headlong into a New Life

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.

How does a New York City journalist unmoored by divorce find her footing again?

• A New Beginning: After a failed marriage, Diane Cardwell leaves her high-octane city life behind and buys a tiny bungalow in Rockaway, trading career for the courage to learn something new.
• Learning to Surf: Follow a not-overly-athletic woman's joyful and riveting journey into the surf culture of New York City, learning the rhythms of the waves and finding her balance on and off the board.
• Overcoming Adversity: Just as she finds her footing, Superstorm Sandy hits, testing her resilience and forging an unbreakable bond with the quirky, historic surfing community that rebuilds together.
• An Inspirational Memoir: A stirring, heartfelt story for anyone who has ever dreamed of a complete reset, proving it’s never too late to find the most joyful path through life.