Hoping to encourage his young son and other children to learn to surf, Del Mar resident Udo Wahn has written and self-published a children's book called "Cabo and Coral Go Surfing" (www.Xlibris.com, $26.99).

Wahn, an obstetrician/gynecologist with Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, came up with the idea one day when he and his son, Paolo (nicknamed Cabo), were "hanging around the house and scribbling on paper with crayons," he said. "I wanted to inspire my son to surf while making something an adult would like to read, too." Wanting to include a girl surfer in the story, Wahn decided to name her Coral, a name suggested by Wahn's wife, Aleida.

With a draft manuscript in hand, Wahn approached Carlsbad resident and muralist Jami Lyn, who is a labor and delivery nurse at Kaiser, to illustrate the text. "I wanted fine art rather than cartoons for this book and thought of Lyn's paintings," he said.

Wahn said he gave Lyn the option of being paid hourly for her painting or receiving a portion of the royalties from the book. She chose the latter. The two of them also decided to donate a portion of the proceeds to Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches. In addition, Wahn included two pages at the back of the book about the Foundation and its recommendations for what each of us can do to help the beaches.

Together, the two spent more than three months working together on the text and illustrations, regularly meeting at the Pannikin cafe in Leucadia, conveniently located between their two homes. "Originally, it (the text) was more narrative," said Wahn, "but Jami suggested I use more dialogue. We fine-tuned it together."

For the illustrations, Lyn said she started with 22 canvases, first painting different sky scenes in acrylic on each. "I didn't even see the ocean until I was 7 years old," said Lyn, who grew up in Northern California in a small town called Paradise. "This has been great for me because I experience things through painting," she said.

Lyn, who has a mural-painting business on the side, said she has been creating art her entire life, dabbling with fabric, design and jewelry. "I want kids to know that art doesn't have to look like 'something.'"

She has two sons who surf, but has only surfed a couple of times herself. She said she plans to take lessons this summer. As for Wahn, he surfs every day and has surfed all around the world, from Costa Rica, to Hawaii and Australia, to Baja and southwestern France.

Wahn, who grew up on Long Island, first tried surfing on the Eastern seaboard. "The first time, I cut my thigh from the fin," he said. In 1975, when he moved to Southern California for medical school, he took it up again. "It's a lifestyle that is one of the best things," he said. "After a hard day at work, it just cleanses all the stresses of the day away, and you feel connected to nature."

With this book, Wahn said he wanted to teach children important things like surfing etiquette, water safety, basic tips like how to look at the waves and check with the lifeguard for conditions, and tricks like duck-diving through waves.

"We also wanted to teach them to appreciate the ocean and what lies beneath the surface," said Lyn, pointing to one page where she painted fish, dolphins, coral, jellyfish and sea turtles. "The little ones like to point out things," she said. "I saw a 3-year-old who was mesmerized by that page."

Wahn, whose friend Brian Galt helped with the computer graphics for publication, said he loves the way the book turned out. "This book is a beautiful inspiration for our next generation of surfers," he said, adding that a number of professional surfers such as C.J. Hobgood and Daize Shayne have said they enjoyed it and offered their testimonials for the back of the book.

"If this is as successful as we hope, Cabo and Coral can go snowboarding or sailing or hiking," said Wahn.

The book is available online at Amazon.com and at local surf shops Hansen's and Rusty's Del Mar.

Contact staff writer Ruth Marvin Webster at (760) 740-3527 or rwebster@nctimes.com.

Cabo and Coral Go Surfing!

www.caboandcoralgosurfing.com

Also available at www.Xlibris.com, barnesandnoble.com and borders.com