The Thrills And Spills Of Being Unleashed

Are you a free-spirited surfer who won’t be constrained to the capitalist confinements of the old ankle tether?

The Encyclopedia of Surfing has kindly compiled a handy video of those pre-tether days, highlighting all the thrills, spills and flesh wounds that go with a lineup full of untethered 10-foot spears.

Going against the grain is cool and not tying your fibreglass missile to your person is currently the coolest trend in town.

Once upon a time though, surfers didn’t have the option. If you fell, nosedived or even mowed someone else down, you were left with no other option but a hefty swim to shore. Whilst this meant that the surfers of yesteryear had to be thoroughly ocean-fit, it also meant their boards were on a one way ticket to the sand, rocks or kids playing on the shore – obliterating everything in their way. 

So whilst you may find it restricting to leash up the old hind-leg when trying to master your longboard quick-step, just take a moment to consider how useful the old leg-rope can be. And thank Pat O’Neill for inventing the first ever one, because without it we’d actually have to learn to swim before we could surf. 

On the downside though, how annoying is getting all tangled up in another’s web, or copping the Tom Dosland leash spectacular at Jaws.