CHRIS Bertish, a man who rides waves the size of four-story buildings for fun, believes that ‘nothing is impossible, unless you believe it to be’.

His philosophy and adventurous spirit comes across in every line of his autobiography, Stoked!, published by Zebra Press.

In its pages readers learn how ‘a skinny little kid’ from Kenilworth in Cape Town managed to travel halfway around the world without sponsorship, and then outwit, outsmart and outperform the world’s best-paid professional athletes in the sport of big-wave surfing.

Bertish made headlines when he won the 2010 Mavericks Big Wave International surfing event, during which he rode the biggest waves ever recorded in the history of the sport.

He also holds the South African Open Ocean SUP [stand up paddle boarding] 24-hour Distance World Record; and he has his sights set on paddling across the Atlantic Ocean, alone, on a custom-built SUP.

Speaking about his book, Bertish, who also does motivational speaking, said: “I’ve been working on this for a long time … a lot of my friends said I should write a book, but I’m not a writer so I initially thought I would make a movie instead.

“When I finished filming, however, I decided that I would put pen to paper. My idea was to tell my journey, story by story, chapter by chapter. I thought that if I could write 10 little stories then I would be able to write a book.”

It wasn’t, however, easy and he admits encountering many stumbling blocks along the way.

“I was turned down by the first publisher. A second publisher accepted the book but then decided not to go ahead because of restructuring in the company. Random House Struik [through its Zebra Press imprint] eventually took the book on,” Bertish said.

Even with a publisher on board, things weren’t easy. “Ten pages before the end my Mac crashed and the file was so corrupted that I couldn’t open it. I ended up writing the whole book again!,” he said.

“I think that was probably the most difficult thing that I have ever experienced in my life … but it proved that you should never give up.”

That gutsy determination underpins the messages he gives those who attend his talks and for those who choose to read Stoked!. There’s an authenticity to the material which comes from Bertish himself.

“I’m not a full-time professional athlete, I’m just a regular working guy, which means I have had to balance surfing the big waves with working to pay the rent,” he says.

Asked what he loved most about stand up paddling, Bertish says: “It lets you explore a lot of places what you would not see on a surfboard.

“In surfing you just go where the waves are and then go home; but on an SUP you can pack gear and go anywhere you like for an adventure. I have seen the most incredible things all over the world because of SUP.”

Bertish has ridden his paddle board up rivers, in dams, inside caves, between islands and on the ocean itself. “It’s amazing because you get the chance to find a lot of hidden gems in nature,” he adds.

His talent on a paddle board also saw him set a new Open Ocean Guinness World Record. Last year he spent 12 hours and 130.10km on an SUP.

He also holds the 24-hour all African Record for riding his SUP in the Mozambique archepelago.

“I had three attempts at it,” Bertish said. “A hell of a lot of training goes into it, but I think when I went for the record it was more important to have mental strength.”

As for whether he is ever worried about having a close encounter with sharks, Bertish, who has shared his patch of sea with bull sharks, reef sharks and black tips, is unfazed.

“The more time you spend in the ocean, you more you see them. Most of the time they are just inquisitive and come up to check you out,” he said, adding that he would love the chance to paddle with a Great White Shark.

It may not be everyone’s dream to spend time with an ocean predator, but Bertish hopes that his story will encourage readers to live out their own dreams.

“There are so many people out there who are not living… they are just doing the same thing day in and day out because they fear the unknown,” he said.

“But I think there are a lot of people who want to change that and I hope Stoked! will encourage them to do just that.”