Testing The Performance Ceiling Of The Twin Fin
Torren Martyn, Tyler Warren and crystal Cloudbreak.
It was an impromptu strike. A knee-jerk reaction to an off-season swell that appeared on the charts merely days before Torren Martyn and Tyler Warren boarded an aircraft. They touched down in Fiji with a quiver of twin fins, eager to touch the ceiling of their performance capabilities. Not only did the conditions fulfil their promise, but the pair enjoyed seven days of thrilling Cloudbreak with slim to nil competition thanks to annual renovations taking place at the nearby island resorts Namotu and Tavarua.
'Offseason' in the South Pacific. Photo by Rich Hodder
"It progressively grew throughout the day," recounts Torren Martyn. "Some of the guys out there were from Tavarua and they were saying it was an in between size. The ones that you want are on the inside ledge, but then you have those ten footers that hit the next ledge and it wasn’t quite doing it on that ledge. You want it to be like six to eight to hit that inside bit, like proper, then probably like twelve to fifteen to hit that next bit." Photo by Rich Hodder.
Twins have enjoyed a popularity resurgence in recent years. In case you hadn't noticed nearly every shaper has one in their range. What's often misunderstood about the two-finned craft is that modern designs with their pulled-in tails, performance fins and razor sharp rails, are very different to the overly buoyant, soul-orientated twin of the past. As Torren and Tyler prove in the edit above, with the right outline you can swing these boards in and out of critical pockets the same way you can having three fins under your back foot. In fact, the extra speed available can prove beneficial when driving through lightning fast Cloudbreak tubes.
"It was my first time to Fiji and one of the top two beautiful places I’ve ever been," said Tyler Warren. "Super warm water, some intimidating waves and super beautiful waves. Something out of your class drawings." Photo by Tyler's gal Sage Burgess.
You can see more from the trip right here.
"You have epic surfs from time to time, just so stoked out of your brain, but some days you just want one more, a better one, but that’s just like anything in life I guess," laughed Torren.
