The Fwd: What’s The Most Questionable Surfboard Trend You’ve Followed?

Surfboards, surfboards. 

They are wonderful devices, and you can never have enough. Though I do think they’re as susceptible to trends as any other piece of surfing paraphernalia. 

At one point, I remember feeling as though a travel kit was deficient if it did not include a pointy 6’1”, 6’3”, and 6’6” respectively. Then, do you remember that whole one-board-quiver push? Or when grovelers had noses like daggers? Or when retro boards were still viewed retrospectively? 

If you consider all the boards you’ve owned, I’d bet you’ll see some ideologies that have straight-up vanished. I sure as hell do. 

I think the search for a magic board is foolish, just like the pursuit of “surfing better.” 

Surfing different is a much more realistic and quantifiable goal, and one that surfboards can play a massive role in. You can easily experience new sensations by mixing it up — but some boards will change the way you think about surfing. Which is to say that they teach you something. 

This is the first piece of a brief and erratic series about surfboards I’ve learned from. 

First up is an Akila Aipa twin fin from Oahu’s Craigslist, which I mentioned I few emails back. It’s 6’8 x 19 ½ x 2 11/16. 

This board taught me to slow down which, in turn, taught me about style. 

Style is something I think is commonly misunderstood. Craig Anderson has a style. Ozzie Wright has a style. Does one of them have more style than the other? No — as long as both of their styles are truly their own. Manufactured hand placements or knee tucks have a lot more to do with vanity than anything else. 

What it’s really all about is being true to where you want to go and what you want to feel. That can be an issue —  you might try to force things. What the Aipa taught me was to slow down, to see the wave more. 

Now, how does that influence style? 

Slow down a little bit and you tell me. 

A Long Read: A Firsthand Account From The Mav’s Lineup

Do you like words? Good, because this has a lot of them. Taylor Paul, who once sliced his foot open on the streets of New York in some condom-related incident, details a weekend at Maverick’s that included drama, helicopters, green faces and 70-foot waves. A highly enjoyable read. 

Knowledge Is Power: Mark Mathews’ 12 Tips To Push Your Big-Wave Limits

And did that last piece ignite within you a raging fire that can only be extinguished by putting yourself in front of a 70-footer, corking it and going? If so, then who better to take advice from than big wave surfer and keynote speaker Mark Mathews? This is part two of a three-part series for people who pay our bills.

What Did Kelly Slater Do Today? Oh, Just Golfed With Former US President Barack Obama!

You have to have rules in your life—guardrails, guidelines, a pre-determined set of ethics that illuminate the path forward for you. One thing that I live by is sharing this video of Andy Irons golfing at Turtle Bay as frequently as possible, which is the main reason I’m sharing this story. Please enjoy.

An Inside Take From The Rescue In Santa Cruz

This didn’t get quite as much mainstream media attention as Mikey Wright’s recent effort, but is still worth plenty of applause. Here’s the inside scoop on a hectic scene.

The Pick-Up: Surfing, Science, and Skateparks

Let’s end on a 30-minute video you can, and should, watch for free. This is what’s been going down on the North Shore of late. The section of Steph Gilmore and Dane Gudauskas at Sunset won’t fully heal the wounds left behind after the contest’s cancellation, but it for sure helps. 

One last thing: 

I have no intention of ever changing the wax job on that Aipa.