Throwback: Anthony Bourdain Attempts to Surf in Liberia (Video)

Anthony Bourdain was a cult personality, a sardonic wordsmith, and a beloved chef turned author turned television host in which he explored the cultures, and foods, of the world.

But beneath his affable, yet crabby, on-screen persona, there was a darkness. And when he died at his own hands in 2018, the world mourned. He left behind a family, a young daughter, and a legacy. I often go back and watch old episodes of Parts Unknown and No Reservations – they still hit, infused with Tony’s signature wit, all these years later.

One episode recently reappeared on my feed: Tony’s trip to Liberia where, during his time exploring the West African nation, he had a surf lesson from the country’s first-ever surfer, Alfred Lomax, a force in forging the country’s blossoming wave-riding community.

At the time, Tony, admittedly, was not in the best shape of his life. This was before he found jiu jitsu, and took a turn with his fitness. And so, the surf session was physically taxing for the lifelong New Yorker. But he gave it a shot, regardless, and narrated his futile attempt at catching a wave in his classic self-deprecating nature.

“This, of course, was a very, very bad idea,” Tony narrates as he paddles out. “I can’t even summon the strength needed to paddle out. I’m dead on my board. You may as well have strapped Jimmy Hoffa to this thing; he’d be far more animated and graceful. As I see it, the fact that I didn’t cough yellow bile onto my board was a big win.”

Tony attempted to catch, what looked like, just about one wave before calling it quits. His position was off; he paddled breath stroke as the wave crashed behind him, sending him floundering in the whitewater. But that was Tony: always game, down for whatever.

Rest in peace, Tony. We miss you.

Check out the full clip of the surf session below.