SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
A new day, a new wave - that was always surfer Dale Webster's goal.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "STEP INTO LIQUID")
DALE WEBSTER: Today was 9,182 consecutive days, a little over 25 years. I'm trying to surf to the year 2004, and by then, I'll be up to 10,407 consecutive days. If I can reach that goal, you can tell that dreams can come true.
DETROW: That is Webster describing the seemingly impossible goal in the 2003 surfing documentary "Step Into Liquid."
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "STEP INTO LIQUID")
WEBSTER: It started out as a streak, went into a quest, and now it's some sort of a mission. I don't really know what the mission is, but the only worthwhile thing in life is to ride it to the end.
DETROW: Dale Webster died recently at the age of 76.
JAKE HOWARD: So Dale starts on September 3, 1975, and he goes all the way to October 5, 2015, without missing one single day of surfing.
DETROW: That is Jake Howard, the editor-in-chief of SURFER magazine. Webster surfed for 14,642 consecutive days. That's 40 years in total. What exactly did a daily surf session mean?
HOWARD: He had to paddle out and catch three waves and ride them to the beach. That was his bare minimum.
DETROW: Now, catching three waves in northern California waters isn't exactly easy.
HOWARD: 'Cause it's cold, it's sharky (ph), it's not hospitable. It's not inviting a lot of the time up there. And he just absolutely loved it.
DETROW: Despite all those challenges, sharky and otherwise, Webster kept pursuing his goal, no matter what.
HOWARD: Going through health issues, going through personal issues - he went and surfed the day that his wife passed away from cancer.
DETROW: In "Step Into Liquid," Webster said surfing sustained him.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "STEP INTO LIQUID")
WEBSTER: Unfortunately, my family knows that this is the best thing for me is to keep doing this as long as I can.
DETROW: That was surfer Dale Webster. He died this month at the age of 76.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
