I just published this on my blog, but I thought you might like it for Surfmatters. I'm falling more in love with my Fatty every time I ride it! Thank you you so much for keeping mat surfing available with good quality equipment!
Cheers,
BJ.
Why I surf Prone
I have surfed for roughly twenty seven years. I started as a ten year old in Durban, South Africa, riding a five foot Spider Murphy shaped Safari twin-fin. I soon graduated to thrusters, since that was what everyone was riding. We had a 6'6 sinlge-fin pop-out sitting in the garage for years and one day I pulled it out because the surf was small but really clean. It felt like a mal to me, and I loved it. This was the day I realised the joy of playing around with different types of surf equipment.
Fast forward 26 years, I'm living in Australia now. I've been building and riding alaia's almost exclusively for nearly four years, although I still love my big nose rider and my 6'6 Bluebird single-fin. One day I grabbed a 6ft alaia, and a pair of flippers, and waded out into some clean 2ft ankle-snappers. There was a small crowd of local hot-shot shortboarders out, and I could feel the stares of derision as I kicked my way out into the line-up.
I stroked into a small wave, and woosh......I flew along the glassy face! Being prone, the water felt like it was inches from my chin, and the perspective was beautiful. It was like being disembodied, or like a gull gliding above the water. It also felt really.....symmetrical. Instead of standing and moving toward a preferred, or less preferred and awkward SIDE, I was almost flying, stretched out, and FORWARD in the true sense of the word.
I had ridden boogie boards as a kid, but they always felt slow and awkward to me. I couldn't figure out why people would lie down given the option of standing up? But it seemed I had missed something. Prone surfing has swallowed me up completely. I wouldn't say I've retired from standing up, but with the options of ply bellyboards, wooden and fiberglass paipo's, sufmats, handplanes, cubit boards and just plain bodysurfing, I just don't seem to have the urge or time to ride my old boards!
There is also a sense of stepping off the grid once you embrace prone surfing. The humility it takes to choose the less popular and less flashy surf-style is almost instantly rewarded by a plethora of new surf spots too small, too steep or too shallow for a finned stand up board. The amount of time spent in the barrel is multiplied tenfold, and your entire quiver can fit under the seat of your car!
All I can say is.......JOY!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers,
BJ.
Why I surf Prone
I have surfed for roughly twenty seven years. I started as a ten year old in Durban, South Africa, riding a five foot Spider Murphy shaped Safari twin-fin. I soon graduated to thrusters, since that was what everyone was riding. We had a 6'6 sinlge-fin pop-out sitting in the garage for years and one day I pulled it out because the surf was small but really clean. It felt like a mal to me, and I loved it. This was the day I realised the joy of playing around with different types of surf equipment.
Fast forward 26 years, I'm living in Australia now. I've been building and riding alaia's almost exclusively for nearly four years, although I still love my big nose rider and my 6'6 Bluebird single-fin. One day I grabbed a 6ft alaia, and a pair of flippers, and waded out into some clean 2ft ankle-snappers. There was a small crowd of local hot-shot shortboarders out, and I could feel the stares of derision as I kicked my way out into the line-up.
I stroked into a small wave, and woosh......I flew along the glassy face! Being prone, the water felt like it was inches from my chin, and the perspective was beautiful. It was like being disembodied, or like a gull gliding above the water. It also felt really.....symmetrical. Instead of standing and moving toward a preferred, or less preferred and awkward SIDE, I was almost flying, stretched out, and FORWARD in the true sense of the word.
I had ridden boogie boards as a kid, but they always felt slow and awkward to me. I couldn't figure out why people would lie down given the option of standing up? But it seemed I had missed something. Prone surfing has swallowed me up completely. I wouldn't say I've retired from standing up, but with the options of ply bellyboards, wooden and fiberglass paipo's, sufmats, handplanes, cubit boards and just plain bodysurfing, I just don't seem to have the urge or time to ride my old boards!
There is also a sense of stepping off the grid once you embrace prone surfing. The humility it takes to choose the less popular and less flashy surf-style is almost instantly rewarded by a plethora of new surf spots too small, too steep or too shallow for a finned stand up board. The amount of time spent in the barrel is multiplied tenfold, and your entire quiver can fit under the seat of your car!
All I can say is.......JOY!!!!!!!!!!!
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