As in skiing before the days of tows, the hard work is getting out to the take-off point. The surfer must fight his way out through the surf against the winds, waves and currents. A 12-foot board whirling amidst heavy foam, breakers and undertow is no companion for a weak swimmer. The very first step in surfing, getting through the surf with the board, eliminates all but the fittest from this sport, making true surfing a sport for the young and muscular. While some of the experts are in their thirties, the great majority of participants are much younger. One of the risks of surfing is being “wiped out” by the force of the sea at the start, and there is also some danger at the more popular and crowded beaches from the wild boards that other surfers may lose.
The take-off point is out beyond the reef where the combers form. Most surfing is done at high tide. Floating in water, the surfers wait for the break of the second or third
It is truly man against nature in the water sport of riding the combers on a slithering surfboard.
of a set of waves. The proper moment to take off is just ahead of the break, with a turn just before reaching the trough. Then, the idea is to ride away at an angle of about 20 degrees to the face of the wave and about two-thirds of the way down the front “wall” of the wave.
The take-off itself is something like the “push” of a skier on starting a run. The surfer, lying flat or on his knees, slowly paddles inshore, watching the wave over his shoulder. When the wall of water is about 20 or 30 feet away, the board must be driven ahead as fast as possible. The crucial point comes when the wave lifts the board to its crest and hurls it down its face. As soon as the board begins its descent it must be whipped around until it is almost parallel to the face of the wave. The fin at the bottom and rear of the board makes it somewhat easier to maneuver, and the hands and feet can be used as ruddering power.
Once riding the wave, the surfer can rise to his feet for the exciting run that may be for a few hundred yards or even a quarter of a mile. Skilled surfers have some control over their course. It is possible to steer by shifting weight fore and aft or from side to side, or by dropping a foot in the water to serve as a rudder. Because of the shape and conformation of the board, it has a built-in accelerator. To speed up the board, the surfer moves forward. The most ardent speedsters even ride the very front edge of the board. To slow down the speed, he moves to the back of the board.
About the most important single maneuver in surfing is to turn the instant you are in the wave. Unless the turn is made quickly, the surfer will be plunged straight into the trough of the wave a mishap known in the vernacular of the sport as “pearling” or “pearl diving.” The board will have a tendency to head for the bottom, and the breaking wave will throw the surfer head over heels or into a forceful belly flop.
This is one of the danger points in surfing. The board-perhaps with a frayed nose from bottom contact can pop up into the air with dangerous speed. The caution taken by experienced surfers is to stay below the surface until the wave has gone on and the board has settled down in the water. There have been cases of surfers being knocked unconscious by a rising board. Another similar situation exists when a group of surfers meet in a tangle of bodies and boards, known to the surfing fraternity as a “lumber pile” or “log jam.” In any group mishap the safe practice is to stay under water until the boards have gone by. The safe practice when a pile-up seems inevitable is to dive off the board and stay below the surface for a safe interval of time.
On arriving close to the beach, there are different ways in which the ride can be finished. In practice, most surf rides end in a tumble. It is possible to avoid the shore break by moving to the back of the board and slowing down enough to let the wave pass by, or by sitting down on the board. Some prefer to ride in through the “soup,” jumping off the board when it reaches 6 or 8 inches of water, and then running ashore alongside the board and up on the beach, like the similar maneuver in water skiing.
Tags: water sports
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