Hobart’s coastline has long attracted thrill-seekers wishing to experience its wildness, with Marti Paradisis striving to preserve these stories of derring-do in his debut book.

Paradisis, an established big wave surfer, has ingrained himself in the broader community of Hobart filled with like-minded peers. He took it upon himself to ensure their tales can be shared by incorporating them into a hardcover coffee table book.

The book, ‘When The Ocean Awakens’, is an anthology of firsthand accounts from Paradisis himself and many other Tasmanian big-wave surfers, bodyboarders, and photographers.

It tells their most exciting and challenging experiences over the last three decades searching for the biggest craziest waves they could find, pairing their stories with images capturing their exploits.

The 41-year-old surfer revealed that the idea for the book came to him one day as he reflected on what he and his peers have managed to achieve over the years.

“The impact we had on the international surfing scene over the years will never happen again,” he told Neos Kosmos.

“This is history that needs to be passed on for generations to come and I am super proud I was able to produce this book to the level that it is.”

Paradisis highlighted that water is an important part of his life that can be traced to his father, who grew up on the island of Lipsi and worked on fishing on large fishing vessels before moving to Australia at 17 years old.

The firefighter by trade explained that his own passion for the water goes back to the summers his family spent on the coast, which eventually fostered a love of surfing for him and his sister.

“The feeling of being out in the water and the energy from the waves is something I will always remember, and I guess it is that same feeling that keeps me going back to this day.”

He further developed his love for surfing in his teenage years when he and his friends chased big waves across Tasmania.

“I loved the idea of venturing into remote areas of the island, where no one would ever go,” Paradisis said.

“This inspired me and my friends to push ourselves into surfing bigger waves and we fell in love with those challenges and the adrenaline we got from doing so. The next 20 years we devoted our lives to doing just that.”

The Hobart native has cultivated an impressive reputation as a big-wave surfer, notably being the first person to catch a wave out at Pedra Branca and pioneer the break with a group of close friends.

“Pedra is a terrifying wave situated in the middle of the ocean, 30 kilometres off the south coast of Tasmania,” Paradisis said.

“The swells come from deep in the Indian Ocean where they roll out of a depth of 120m to break on a rock shelf only a few metres deep, creating one of the most dangerous waves in the world.”

The effort saw him win an award for the biggest wave ever surfed in Australia, with him considering it to be his most memorable achievement in surfing.

It is stories like these born across Hobart’s wild and beautiful coastline that Paradisis wished to show in his book in which he captures the adventurous spirit of 30 characters, and the island’s unique surf culture.

“The book needed to be a beautiful reminder of this remarkable place, the powerful ocean that defines it and the crew that have devoted their lives to being immersed in it,” he said.

He wrote the book with an eye to make it appealing to all, not just those the surf community.

“Each story is unique to the next and touches on all the different facets of what we do. Each character breaks down the climax of each story into seconds, which takes the reader right there along for the ride, holding onto their seats.

“People will draw strength and inspiration, learn skills of combating fear and overcoming challenges and find motivation to get stuck right into life and go and achieve their dreams.”

Writing a book was a time-consuming challenge, with his initial 12-month plan eventually becoming a three-year project said Paradisis.

“I began this project as a complete novice. I had a goal and a vision and through blood, sweat and tears I was going to succeed,” he said.

“I feel this is just the beginning of a new journey for me and my family,” Paradisis said.

“We have a couple more books we will start on soon, one of them being a kids book that we are super excited about.”