Surfing
The wake-surf hybrid just turned 21. But how much do you know about tow?
1. Herbie Or Laird
Herbie Fletcher had been whipping surfers into big Pipe on his Kawasaki jetski years before Laird Hamilton, Buzzy Kerbox and Darrick Doerner used an inflatable dinghy to get into big Sunset. But where Herbie's efforts were viewed as a novelty, an oddity, characteristic of the Californian, Laird and friends kickstarted a trend. Photos of the gang being towed into monstrous Peahi, aka Jaws, on Maui while helicopters roared overhead, and all shot by photographer Eric Aeder, opened the door to power-assisted surfing.
2. It Usually Isn't a Jetski
Jetski is the word Kawasaki used to describe their craft; Yamaha chose WaveRunner. For various reasons, the Yamaha became the go-to craft, although we still continue to use as a generic term, jet ski.
3. It's Harder Than It Looks
Operating a jet ski in large waves requires the deftness of a cat and the water knowledge of an open-ocean sea captain. If the jet is ever out of the water you lose power and subsequently all steering. Hit a wave side-on and you'll capsize. Ever tried to right one of these things solo? Or drag one off the beach? Because most big waves break into channels, and you're coming from some kind of boat ramp or port, it's very easy to get into a situation far beyond your abilities.
4. Almost Anyone Can Ride a 30-foot Wave
If you can stand on a surfboard, if you can hold onto a tow rope and if you have even the vaguest ability to steer a surfboard, you can be whipped into one of those 30-foot burgers you see online. Whether or not you survive a clean-up set is another matter, however.
5. It's Terribly Out of Vogue
Every big-wave surfer of any sort of reputation in 2014 will be attempting to paddle the biggest waves, not tow them. The debate over Nazaré and Belharra will simmer quietly while men with 11-foot surfboards attempt what was once deemed not just impossible, but suicidal.
