David Litt, the Yale-educated writer with a sensible fear of sharks, and Matt, the daredevil electrician with two motorcycles, had always coexisted from a comfortable distance as brothers-in-law. In 2021, David started taking surfing lessons. Once he got a sense of the ways that fully committing to surfing could change him both in the water and on land, he set his sights riding a big wave at Hawaii's North Shore. To get there, he'd need Matt's help. It's Only Drowning is a blueprint for becoming braver at a time when it takes courage just to read the news and a poignant buddy comedy.