Oh The Places You Can Put A Twin Fin In 2019

Working at surf publication, it takes a lot to excite us when it comes to on-wave performance. 

We get videos every day of the same guys doing the same, albeit radical, surfing, and despite how objectively impressive their performance might be, after a while, it all looks like gymnasts on a pommel horse. 

Like, how many times can you watch Filipe Toledo spin a seamless pirouette? And Chippa’s backside shove? Even John John’s barrel-riding looks easy if you watch it enough times. 

So when this little number landed in our inbox, featuring the dual-fin needling of some nameless Kiwi, suffice to say it piqued our interest. 

The lines that Jonas Tawharu takes on his R-dot fish are both aggressive and stylish; his tube-riding is sublime.

In an effort to understand Jonas and his surfing better, we asked him a few questions.

Stab: Tell us about this surfboard.
Jonas Tawharu: The board is a custom twin fin that Rusty shaped me. Its an early version of the 419 Fish which they are going to release this summer.

Mine is 5’3 x 20 3/4 x 2 5/16.

Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m 20 and I grew up in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. I’m currently living in Dunedin where I’m studying film, marketing, and science communication. 

Do you always ride twinnies, or is this just for fun?
I don’t always ride twinnies, my friends and I seemed to be a little more excited on my surfing when I was on the fish. 

I like it because it’s fast and It feels good. 

One of my lecturers from San Diego told me they were originally for kneeboarders and slabs, so they are built for heavy waves. The fins are set really far back as well, so they don’t have to be reserved for small waves.

I wanna go full time. It’s fun and it works for me.