Who? What? Why?
PACKMAN SURFS THE WORLD
14 countries down, 168 to go!
Woodrow Pack Landfair - adventurer, author, entrepreneur, and owner of El Porto Surf Shop - is on a quest to surf earth's 182 coastal nations. The people met and philosophies learned along the way are the subject of his new book, Here To Surf Vol. 1
Friends call me Pack. I was born Stanley Wood Landfair, though am known as Woodrow Pack Landfair... or Packman Surfs The World. I am an adventurer, author, and entrepreneur working for myself since 2006.
I'm currently pursuing a personal goal to surf all 182 coastal nations on earth. 14 countries down. 168 to go!
I write adventure columns for HighTides Journal, I am the founder of Live The Land Of The Free Lifestyle Company, and I am the owner of the #1 surf rental shop in mainland USA - the only surf shop in the world open 6:30am - El Porto Surf Shop in El Porto, California (a tiny beach town 10 minutes from Los Angeles International Airport). For a longer bio click here.
Partially inspired by my surf customers traveling and surfing all over the world, I have been embarked on this adventure since purchasing El Porto Surf Shop in 2018.
Riding my first wave, age 11, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
WHY SURF THE WORLD?
Metaphorically, 'surf the world' means to ride the present moment (and all given reality) as a wave - not trying to hang on to it nor make it last, but to enjoy it and enjoy yourself, and to ride life for all it's worth - just for the sake of living it.
Literally, 'surf the world' refers to my quest to surf the 182 coastal nations of planet earth. There are 182 of them currently. The number alters every now and then due to wars. My intention in this adventure is to learn, grow, have fun, see new places, connect with other individuals, to develop and to share my gifts - and to get to explore local surf cultures. I'm also doing this to get to practice yoga, tai chi, and similar ancient wellness and philosophy in other countries, but mainly I'm just doing this because I believe I can and should - and I wanna pick-up and lay-down positive vibes in as many places across earth as I can.
I am writing about these journeys for my own deeper understanding, and in order to share whatever philosophies I learn and attempt to apply through them... if I live through them. This is a 182 nation odyssey afterall, I've only surfed 14 countries so far, and I anticipate this taking roughly 20 years - while life itself is deadly, unpredicatably short, and inherently dangerous.
My newest book, Here To Surf, Vol. 1, due out December 2024, covers the first 19 countries of my surf odyssey so far.
As my grandfather says, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained." So, here goes nothing!
Overlooking the surf break at El Porto Beach, just before the Chevron refinery, where you can watch the planes taking off from LAX and landing from all over the world.
Since 2020, I've visited 46 different states in my surf bus, along with my dog and different girlfriends, on a personal quest to surf every coastline on planet earth.
