The ocean. She is sustenance, the very lifeblood of our planet listen to the voice of her eternal heartbeat.

Part memoir, part treatise on ocean conservation, John Merryfield’s true stories of surfing, and life along the Baja, Mexico coast are infused with the vivid Sea of Cortez’s fauna and flora, the colorful Mexican culture, and the simple healing qualities of water, with the impassioned voice of a poet.

In brief lyrical vignettes, in search of surf and self, at times battered and broken, and filled with insights, missteps, and hope, John asks the question, How do surfing and our connection to the ocean raise our consciousness? When we see ourselves and each other as mini-oceans, wild, robust, salt-water seas – our relationship with the ocean itself changes, placing us directly in the path of wonder, and connecting us to the world around us in a profoundly personal way.

* * * * * * *

A moving, and at times heart-wrenching memoir, John Merryfield describes how surfing for him is more than a way of life. It is a form of spiritual exercise, a method of communion striving to heal the wounds of the world.

Jasmin Singer, author of Always Too Much and Never Enough

Fish Out of Water brings to life a kaleidoscope of watercolors that rests within a vast ocean through his unique experiences. I walked away with a greater appreciation of our ocean covered planet that we are gifted to call home.
Benjamin Allen, author of Out of the Ashes, Healing in the Afterloss.

John is a natural storyteller. This beautifully written memoir is a love letter to the ocean and her inhabitants – and a call for us all to live a kinder life.

Mark Hawthorne, author of A Vegan Ethic: Embracing a Life of Compassion Toward All

Fish out of Water is tender meditation on ecology as an exterior as well as interior landscape. It is a moving response to how the natural world shapes us, and requires our attention and care. The book moves fluidly from richly descriptive scenes to reflections on how our experiences teach us to live our best life.

June Slyvester Saraceno, author of Feral, North Carolina, 1965

If you’ve never surfed next to humpback whales, shared a personal moment with a Triggerfish, or had a bandana-wearing deer for a companion, John Merryfield’s wonderful collection of deeply personal stories will take you there. His ocean world is a place of compassion and self-awareness, and his storytelling is vulnerable and compelling. There are fascinating reasons why he is a fish out of water, and you’ll be delighted to learn them. And the best part is, you just might learn something about yourself in the process.

David Robinson Simon, author of Meatonomics