Bodyboarding pushes the
evolution of what people can do on a wave. I know some standup surfers may bite their thumbs at this comment, but it’s true. While standup surfing is pushing
the limits of the size of a wave that can be ridden, bodyboarders go deeper and
higher than any standup surfer could ever hope to achieve, and it’s to do with
equipment, approach and physics. It’s not about ego, and you just need to see
the picture below if you need evidence as to what I say.
To boot, when it comes to
exploring, bodyboarding also reigns supreme. Bodyboarders from all over the world
consistently explore and chuck themselves into waves people don’t know if they
can be ridden... and they do it paddling. With the advent of tow in surfing,
standup surfers have gotten an additional ego boost by being able to be pulled
into waves of consequence. Spots like Shipstern’s Bluff suddenly become
accessible to standup riders having themselves pulled into huge slabs of water
breaking over precarious reefs... Bodyboarders had been paddling into
Shipstern’s for years.
This weekend will have the ASP
carrying out a competition in Teahupoo in Tahiti. Their claim to fame is to tame
one of the most picturesque waves in the planet... a wave discovered by
bodyboarders and also kept a secret for years.
For decades, surf culture has
celebrated life on the water, although today’s stand up surfing world is far
removed from the soul-searching experience it used to be. In today’s world,
being a stand-up surfer can actually be a career if you’re good enough. There
have been contests with up to $1,000,000.00 prize money for first place. With
that much money, of course there’s incentive to push the limits.
Bodyboarders are not driven by
money. Sure, every rider wants to make a living doing what they love, although
it’s far from an easy thing because prize money is meager in comparison to what
stand-up surfing generates, yet every single day, I see bodyboarders pushing
the limits of what can be done with the human body and see stand-up surfers
riding incredibly, though not pushing half as hard. Bodyboarders are obsessed
with riding, pushing for higher airs, deeper barrels, more complex maneuvers
and still, it has a hard time getting to mass media. I’m not going to say
there’s an agenda from surf companies to shut down bodyboarding, although I
will accept that they haven’t helped.
Still, bodyboarding nowadays is
the epitome of commitment, skill and competition. Every single heat is stacked
and anyone from anywhere can win because it’s such a parallel playing field. Truly,
if you want to see a heated competition, you should definitely see any of the
events on the APB world tour... and it so happens you’re in luck.
Today starts the waiting period
for the Arica Chilean Challenge, a competition at a wave where standup surfers
competed some years ago and aren’t too keen to go back. El Gringo is a
coldwater wave that breaks over shallow pummeling reef... it’s a mean wave. In
competition, it’s the spot that has injured the most people. When it’s
cranking, riders get afraid... for good reason. And it’s one of the favorite
spots of the APB tour because it always delivers.
From psycho rolls onto dry reef
to heaving 12 foot barrels, to one of the hugest air attempts in bodyboarding (pictured below), I’ve seen it all at El Gringo and you can too. So
by all means, if you want to see what makes bodyboarding special, don’t miss
out this event which is live right now.
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