Has modern performance surfing passed it's peak on the current equipment available?
Here's the JJF footage
Maybe too much focus on doing acrobatics in the air instead of drawing different lines on the face , JJ redifined the hack by simply drawing a different line and he did it in competition.
I don't think the best is behind us, but we may be on a performance plateau or a period of slower growth.
JJF's seminal Margs performance was almost 7 years ago, March 2017.
Apart from his sublime Haleiwa freesurf performances I think he's gone backwards. Not due to diminishing skill, but lack of motivation - and maybe imagination? At least on the CT.
There's a physical dimension to JJF's surfing that has been limited by injury.
But I do agree his contest surfing over the last 2 years has lacked motivation (and he has openly admitted that).
JJF doesn't need to prove himself ( like KS ? ) , he can surf by winning contests .
The Duke only ? , won medals for swimming but was the Best ( Set a new bar ) surfer .
JJF is the Best atm imho .
There WILL be another JJF .
People and Sports stars are always "pushing envelopes " eg Going to the Air " .
Saw a few weeks ago the Best Rooster Tail I have EVER seen ( thanks SN ) .
Woman , in Sports , are setting new heights nearly every minute .
I can't wait to see what happen next .
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I have another favourite surfer who Stands so Tall .
Have been following him as think people like him can stop me slouching so much .
Great style and so much Guts . True Grit personified .
I call him King Kong ( he likes it ) .
Check him out .
Wesley Kong ( Brazilian name ?)
A man I look up 2 !
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Surfing is different ( think mountain climbing ) .
U don't get a medal for climbing Everest !
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There will be a board invented that WILL be very different .
Perhaps , a super flexi wild thing made from sustainable carbon neutral super new stuff ( with a soft Foil thingy ) , that will PUSH me around on a wave .
Told Bob to invent a Pop Up spring thing to push ME up to fn stand UP .
We are only just starting imho
He's 31. In most sports that's the retirement age, if they've had a good career, so I'm not sure what you're expecting?
Although to your point, I watched a young Julian Wilson clip this morning and the surfing these days isn't much better, so IMO there does seem to be a performance plateau in the last 20 years. Especially compared to skateboarding which would be the most analogous.
@jueg , moves like this ?
juegasiempre wrote:He's 31. In most sports that's the retirement age, if they've had a good career, so I'm not sure what you're expecting?
Although to your point, I watched a young Julian Wilson clip this morning and the surfing these days isn't much better, so IMO there does seem to be a performance plateau in the last 20 years. Especially compared to skateboarding which would be the most analogous.
Yeah fair point, and good points above too.
To be clear, this is less about John John reaching his peak, he was just the example to use as i believe he's the top of the totum for performance, but more about has surfing gone as far as it can go on a 6ft long single planing piece of fibreglass. Is it possible that John John is at the peak of his powers but can't progress surfing any further due to the restrictions of the equipment. What is there left to do?
Personally i think John John has plenty left to give, but has what is possible on a 6ft thruster/quad reached it's peak?
Cheers all for chipping in. Pretty interesting to here others thoughts.
Agree with all of the above.
Could argue JJF has already successfully done a move like that on a surfboard. @supa
A big reo to fin waft at Haleiwa or somewhere
Speaking of stepping back in time, hows this footage of Tom Curren on a 7ft something MC at big Haleiwa
I think if they ran the Tour in Indo for a year and ran comps in generally awesome reef waves we would see a bigger progression from, say, JJF, Medina and Jack Robinson.
I think wave quality is holding them back on Tour.
Reckon you have a element right there, but thinking things have plateaued more than stopped progressing.
Up until 2000' surfing seemed to move forward in leaps and bounds each decade.
Mid 60's long board up mid 70's shorter boards and twinnies.
Then by mid 80's the thruster and modern surfing started with early airs taking place. Still a bit of a novelty, Christian Fletcher, Matt Archbold, Potts.
Mid 90's Slater and Taylor Steele crew, doing it all, higher faster etc.
Then AI, reckon he still did some of the best surfing I have ever seen 20 years ago.
Since 2010 surfing seems to have slowed in progression, except for big waves which with paddle in and towing slabs.
Anyway raving , but watch a clip from mid 60's to mid 80's and almost a different sport. Mid 90's to now, not a lot of change....
freeride76 wrote:I think if they ran the Tour in Indo for a year and ran comps in generally awesome reef waves we would see a bigger progression from, say, JJF, Medina and Jack Robinson.
I think wave quality is holding them back on Tour.
Very worthwhile point FR. Especially someone like Medina with so much brute strength and variability in his repertoir.
Great points also @andymac. Definitely seemed to accelerate at lightspeed through that early 2000s period.
Watched Barton's Stoked Bloke podcast yesterday.
He and Peter King were talking about this topic specifically to pipeline.
Basically use to be goofys going left, then natural footers going right at backdoor pushing limits, then naturals going left, pig dogging to no hands, to finally now the real progressive stuff is with goofys going right at back door.
Interesting....
Yep the ceiling is reached in pretty much all areas and equipment wise.
There is physical limits on some things.
There will just be more surfers doing things like JJF, Medina of Filipe can do.
Probably the only area that can improve vastly is surfers being able to switch foot at a high level and one day it almost be expected as a skill for a pro surfer, like AFL players kicking on both feet is expected.
"So my question is, is the best of modern day perfromance surfing behind us? Is there someone else i'm missing that is pushing performance levels above what we've seen? My main big question is,....have we reached the absolute peak...maximum peak of what the current modern day equipment allows surfers to do on a wave face??? What else can be done?"
Seems it's been increments since the mid 1990s. "Permanently High Plateau." Agree with andy-mac above. Go have a watch of Slater about 1996 in that Indo(?) quik vid with the beck music.
In terms of boards, I have seen one thing in the last 10 or 15 years that was a paradigm shift forward and faster (and not a foil? Or was it a foil??). It was Curren at Bells when he rode that experimental board. It was so far out there and so fast that the struggle with it was turning and getting judged according to current judging criteria. It mowed distance and I wondered if it could link Centreside to Bowl on a massive set... If someone could take that concept and make it turn, there's your Great Leap Forward.
Me, I'll stick to my rail length and speed lines, they still go faster.
Is there a more beautiful bottom turn than this? No check turn or wiggle, just laying off the bottom is pure style.... Geez 30ish years ago
https://m.
&pp=ygUQdG9tIGN1cnJlbiBqIGJheQ%3D%3D macca
Good work imho
I love it when any surfer doesn't wiggle and focuses .
TC ( and JJF ) only move when they have to ,
It looks more like "Going with the flow " and flying WITH nature imo.
It doesn't even look aggressive .
Thanks to SN , I was reminded , in the last month , of a Hawaiian surfer with a lovely bottom turn that I admired as a boy ( surf mags ) .
Barry Kanaaiaupuni .
Live David ( the sculpture ) , somethings are just as perfect as they can get .
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Sorry goofy , me being goofy , again .
Don't believe what U read on the internet ( fm I checked to see and he was a former surfer and I had a pop wiggle AND fade ) .
Full vee bottoms with full hard rails do those turns. ..And they are fast too because when you straight line it the boards sit up on the vee double concave and accelerate with the water being trapped under the board by the full length hard rails.. Think MC and AM as shapers of those types.
Pop Down wrote:macca
Good work imho
I love it when any surfer doesn't wiggle and focuses .
TC ( and JJF ) only move when they have to ,
It looks more like "Going with the flow " and flying WITH nature imo.
It doesn't even look aggressive .
Thanks to SN , I was reminded , in the last month , of a Hawaiian surfer with a lovely bottom turn that I admired as a boy ( surf mags ) .
Barry Kanaaiaupuni .
Live David ( the sculpture ) , somethings are just as perfect as they can get .
RIP TC .
Rip TC????
@andy-mac & @Pop
The wave is king. That is our whole WSL gripe. They don't get it. You can't commodify nature. And tub comps suck.
Agree with you both, line, positioning, fitness, flow, instinct, local knowledge... dare I say, vibe? Tricks are great (performance surfing?), but they are like skateboarding was prior to Jay Adams and crew. It was a consistent, controllable environment, like the WSL dreams of.
Tricks and consequential commercial-interest help equipment move forward, but at some stage you have to ask 'what is it you WANT to do? WANT to see?'. Different answers for different people, is the healthy answer. But again, the wave is king; geology, conditions, history. And headspace: Camel nonchalantly chilling on epic gnaraloo gifts is utter magic.
What's your idea @southern? Nothing would protect IP more than publishing an original idea here : )
Yep @base
Waves should be main attraction.
Bring back dream tour!
Been enjoying backdoor shootout and their format.
@andy-mac, weird as, huh? WSL seems to be trying to will it to be about personalities, cos they can own them. Then you can market stuff based on a face. Wave... conditions... whatever...
In music terms, if you go see a great Ramayana or Mahabharata performance, the players are 'giving voice' to a hundreds-of-years-old, revered gamelan. It's our privilege to witness great, nameless players doing the orchestra justice. Maybe an ancient church organ, where the player feels humbled to be there?
Maybe if WSL headlines were 'best Bells in 10 years - we flew them in!' rather than 'Griffo Torpedo in boring controversy' they'd capture a whole world of interest. More expensive, but fuck, why wouldn't you? It ain't golf or tennis.
Its very whacky @basesix...so much so im not even willing to go into it too deeply as an anonymous poster!!
But the basic philosophy is we currently surf on one planing surface, with two feet. But the potential exists for many planing surfaces off our bodies. For a long time i thought it impossible but ive had a brain flash for the connecting link. Just gotta put it into practice at a...erm...private beach. Gotta create too...may resemble a ninja turtle!!! A drowning one at that.
Fun to think outside the square.
But yeah, completely agree w u lot, more rail length is always the most pleasing surfing to do and to watch.
wow @southern, haha, I knew there was a master creative in you. Wet version of this?
Possibly boards with specific templates allowing skate style flip/grab/air tricks done large and properly, landed clean with speed. Not novelty kickflip/chop shuvits, launched off boog style critical slab sections. Titanium knee implants required.
Fk yeah @basesix. That mixed w a bit of penguin action in surfs up. If you can think it you can do it. They laughed at Simon and his 3fins. Admittedly he could actually shape and understood design concepts.
And @sprout love that line of thinking.
Theres so many untapped tangents to b explored. Maybe not better than what we currently ride, but a different experience.
basesix wrote:wow @southern, haha, I knew there was a master creative in you. Wet version of this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGaOMT677TM
Crikey!!!
andy-mac wrote:basesix wrote:wow @southern, haha, I knew there was a master creative in you. Wet version of this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGaOMT677TMCrikey!!!
Those arm panels are dreamy! ;-)
Flip the turtle thing round to the front, change all the panels to fibreglass and foam....viola! Ninja surfer!
6
I find a contest in a Wavepool so boring as it's too controlled and agree your idea about having contests at good waves so sensible .
It might cost more but I would watch it ( not one foot slop ) .
I get my surfing fill watching the Unofficial Tours .
IF there is Surf anywhere eg huge Cloudbreak , the Unofficial tour surf and films it .
Would not be surprised to hear that WSL is struggling financially after listening here .
So , hear , hear lol
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A contest surfer should be like any surfer .
When taking off , I have NFI what I WILL do .
The wave needs to show ME , what I can do .
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And airs are over rated .
One air a 10 , no fn way .
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Someone could do a perfect quadruple , triple backward somersaulting , no hands , in off shore with a fn Twist Air , land it perfect , and I would give it a fn 5 , for sure .
It's a fn fluke , takes little courage and I don't give points for luck !
No way .
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lol
Not going there 6 .
The Olympics can be in Bali .
Hey @Pop, I still can't get over the great idea someone posted that Olympics should be at a wavepool, rather than 'provide' a small community with a huge influx of provisional potential-capital that compromises them.. It makes soo much sense, given the kinda criteria that style of competition uses.
southernraw wrote:andy-mac wrote:basesix wrote:wow @southern, haha, I knew there was a master creative in you. Wet version of this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGaOMT677TMCrikey!!!
Those arm panels are dreamy! ;-)
Flip the turtle thing round to the front, change all the panels to fibreglass and foam....viola! Ninja surfer!
More annoying than goat boats!!
Get some jet engines on it also... :)
hahahaha!! @andymac
Optimist wrote:Full vee bottoms with full hard rails do those turns. ..And they are fast too because when you straight line it the boards sit up on the vee double concave and accelerate with the water being trapped under the board by the full length hard rails.. Think MC and AM as shapers of those types.
Hi Opti. Good post. You have a good insight on surfboard performance. Cheers.
Interested in your thoughts on this clip of Curren. I have no idea what board he's on but my first thought was there's alot of vee in it? Personally, i thought T.C came into his own about 1990ish, his last world title year. Seems Curren had the ability and style before then but surfed almost a bit cumbersome on those boards. At what point did Currens surfing go from trying to battle the board to that pure unrestrained Curren that we all love. I'm guessing Maurice Coles reverse V was a massive part of the transition?(probably obvious but..)
And is that where we're at now? Has the equipment reached a point where the surfers are above the equipment they're riding? Doe's an unrestrained superpower like JJF need a radical design shift ala the reverse v of MC to take on the face surfing to the next level? Thanks for your insights Opti.
Those Curren boards of the 90's, called a Black Beauty today? Was it the famous 1990 board? Anyway I got my hands on a 6'9 one back then, he was doing radical, modern-to-us surfing with flow and style on them... So the shape really impressed me with just how nicely all the curves blended. From (hazy) memory, low nose rocker, wide point about mid, pin tail, narrowish as per the times, volume up into the nose that evoked a beak, vee in the bottom (tail)? Board had flow and was smooth, no way was I a good enough surfer to do it justice at that time!
My fav boards all have vee in them, sometimes I do single to double concaves through the vee as inspired by old Fitzys. I'll shape the vee in last 1/3rd of board, maybe a little forward with an apex of the vee just in front of the front fin, then the vee fades into flat by the tail. Then a single concave after entry, doubles through the middle and the vee, fading to tail. Probably my fav contour. A vee by itself like this works well too.
If you want to try something different, try to get your hands on one of MC's edged rail boards from the 2000s, right up to when he went into the Pretowlons and I guess it became the Mermaid. The single concave and edge all the way up the lower underside rail gives a much faster response rail-to-rail and the speed they can generate is pretty special.
Wow VJ that's some huge insight. Love it. You really have a feel for the whole board from tip to toe. Well beyond me.
Going by those descriptions, those boards are built for optimum speed/maneuverability? Would be interested in the targeted species of waves that you were looking for with these shapes. Guessing something similar to JJFs Rocky Pt at 6ft plus.....plenty of reefs and beachies around your way that could immitate that kind of wave juice.
Probably the best board i've owned and the board i've surfed worse...actually there's two...was one of Mick Fannings old D.H's that was basically a porcelain slipper. If you didn't know how to surf in the pocket at every opportunity and weren't surfing waves suited to that, you could take a year off your surfing (as i did), and then a Shane Dorian hand me down of a JS. Again, surf in the pocket or be damned. As much as it's discouraged to jump on a pro surfers board, you can learn alot from your mistakes on them.
I spent time early (and in WA) trying to extend the rail length to extend the bottom turn as I came from single fins, my first board being one. Also liked the better float. So I'd put the wide point forward of 1/2 way, meant a nice stable and beefy nose to paddle in, then you slinghot off the bottom turn. Lots of waves down south conducive to this. Also meant the tail was tucked in, the tail width 12" up was similar to the 90's thrusters so it held in on the steep ones. They won't turn as good as a thruster, but project much more for the body weight put into the turn, if that makes sense?
On the Vic waves, many of them are facey and you can make great distances with a highline and a long rail. To get in the pocket and surf the local waves that are more hollow, I'd shape a little 6'0 version with 2 flyers or just jump on a thruster.
I did a deviation on one series of boards and shaped the apex of the rocker back from 1/2 way. Noticed that 1960s longboard foils were like this and was trying to make a back foot board. Didn't work with narrow tail, did work with wide tail. That became my mini-mal rocker. Rides a bit more like a log, trim forward through sections, lean into turn on front foot then turn off back foot and send spray around. They take drops better than they should too when you get pitched, and these ones turn in and around the pocket well. Now I'm trying to optimise fins for what I've made, and get pics of how cool or unco I look riding them.
Yeah I had a very extreme pro style board back in the 90s too, like an F1 and just loved the pocket but way to extreme for me at the time, much paddling angst too. Took a 6'8 version of it out at solid superbank and that's where it shone, that was a fun session, but so many frustrating ones until then :0
Yeah wow! That's sick VJ. Makes sense to have a tonne of rocker up front and a heap of width where it's needed. Fits into my ninja suit theory quite nicely! ;-P So appreciate your insight. You really do have an understanding of surfboard design. Don't know alot about you apart from our convos here, but seems you were in the thick of surboard making!?
My own very primitive reflections of surfboards.....i moved from SA to E coast to WA. In that period i went from 6'4ish's to 5'11'ishs to 6'6ishs. But a huge part of what's kept me in the water on most days on medium to solid days i rail length. There's days i wouldn't surf but i'll jump on my 7'8" that i know will paddle throught the mayhem and get me in early through all the chop and allow me a clean long bottom turn to clear a section. Then there's the 8ft softboard Oand E . Probably the most pivotal board in my life. Those solid 3-4foot plus stormy arvos where the waves are mayhemic, theres side chop, glare, power, potential marine predation, but the ol 8'0 foamy will just power me well out beyond the break....i can lineup a good one, get in early,...do a little straightline jive but more importantly, get a decent little drop and if possible, jam a tight little turn in the pocked...btw i'm missing a middle fin that i couldn't b farked replacing...so it's my 8ft twinnnie (you honestly can barely tell the difference). If i could give one profound piece of advice to every surfer on the planet, it would be...get yourself an 8ft Ocean and Earth Softboard. EVery wave becomes surfable and every 2ft wave becomes a challenge. Best thing i ever did for my surfing. Throw away the ego. Embrace the love. Yew!
edit: btw i should mention my shortest short board is 24L also,...which i find no problems to surf in any conditions with a bit of punch. So no bias to big or small volume. Just gotta be out there on your feet loving life.
Something to add re. the 8ft softy. It's more about the fitness than the waveriding. If you go out on a solid 3-4foot beachie on a softy, in howling onshores. you're going to spend most of your time getting battered by waves. You'll either accept it and push through or wimper back to the beach...too hard. You can't duckdive it! haha. For those that persevere, there's your training for the 8ft plus days. Copping waves smacking you about is the best conditioning for proper surf you can get. You just won't know it at the time. Get on the 8ft train crew. Nothing shorter. If you can duckdive it, it's a waste of your time. May as well be on your shorty. Yew!
It looks like Curren was riding a 6’3” black beauty with comp weight glass in that clip. It was a new model then. Difficult to turn like that on one on small waves but Tom is Tom . They make an amazing down the line gun on big long walls.
One of the best ever actually. For good surfers only. No pump just flow and speed.
Ahh...cheers Opti. Yeah looks like it went well and fast in straight lines but maybe lost a bit of speed through turns. Definitely didn't look very dynamic off the lip or through carves.
Good morning SR, yes you're on the money with the 8'0...
I would think the suit idea is a bit dolphinesque - they will surf incredibly as their bodies are the board, and they just think of a change in flex and rocker and get it all (underwater - dolphin body surfing is fun!) instantly! Hence the TMNT theme... One way you could experiment with flex is to make up a wooden paulownia paipo or alaia and belly ride it for little tubes, and physically bend the wood as you go to slow/speed. Dolphins also get to do underwater orgies, my mate took his fiance for a dolphin diving day and got caught in the middle of one lol
With that mini mal rocker, it actually drops the nose rocker so really flat entry (like a mal) compressed into a much shorter board. Very easy entry, like your 8'0. I found 7'3 to 7'4 was ideal as it fit in the car. The first blank was a hand me down half shaped Yahoo blank I got for free (can't even remember where) and it dictated a kind of flyer in the planshape narrowing the tail, to my great surprise this worked well in juice and the board can happily surf 6' waves here (!). As well as paddle into 1/2ft. And I shaped it floaty so mates who are 100kg or so can get waves on it when they coming back after time out, and beginners to intermediates love them. I've refined all the curves and about to shape new 7'0, 7'4 floaty one and a 7'8 gunny one for as big as I would want to surf these days. You can see pics of early ones that Craig has posted for me early on in the midlengths thread, try to get a feel for that kind of low nose, hi tail rocker.
Yep Opti that's the black beauty, what a board it is. If anyone can dig up the Curren/Occy (?) heat where Curren rides the experimental board that would be great, can't remember what year it was - he swapped back to the black beauty for the next heat I think?? I'm not a twinny guy by any means but would like to try a free scrubber, just heard it's a bit narrow in the nose - again, Curren makes it look amazing.
Hey VJ. Thoroughly enjoyed reading that. I just scrolled through the midlengths thread and i think i found the pics you mentioned..measuring up the tail rocker. Love that tail rocker in a board like that for sure. Something that still fits in the waves curve and can turn but lots of foam up front and low rocker further forward. Makes sense. The softy has none of that. It's a foam plank, but the joy is taking off on a 3ft wave and it feels like you're on a runaway truck..just trying to hold on and successfully ride it is an accomplishment. Plus you can ride the wave to its death.
Love the sound of that 7'8" too btw.
Re. dolphins, the things they can do. I've got some grainy footage somewhere of one doing a nose pick 360 where he actually launched out of the wave face on an angle, picked his nose into the face and spun it into a 360. Wild stuff. Agree, there's alot to be learnt from marine creatures and their approach to waves. When you think of it, as marine creatures ourselves, we're just in the infancy of what we can discover we can do on a wave. There might come a time when instead of going up and hitting the lip with your surfboard, you go up and do a handstand on it and flip back down onto your feet. hehe.
I remember Curren surfing a board in the masters event in the Azores that was pretty out there. Might be the same board you're talking of? He had foam strapped to it to give it some paddle thickness but otherwise it was super low volume. Of course he could surf it!
Oops.
Not supposed to be on SN at all, but @Pops told me last night how he somehow killed off Tom Curren on this thread and I was watching some old Curren footage today which reminded me so dropped in here to check it out. Don't worry about old Pop, he confuses himself a bit at times, let alone others. Pretty funny.
Anyway, great little thread this, enjoyed the read, (even Opti's takes for a change.)
@Southern, couldn't agree more about that model softie, swapped in the water with a guy riding one on a mushy, but solid day at a local beachie last summer and had a blast, he couldn't get it back off me! Wanted one straight away, so much fun and such a different feel. Aah, so many boards, so little time.
@VJ, wasn't that weird Curren thing a skim board he'd stuck s-wings on and foam stuck to the deck so it would paddle? That's my memory. Actually bought myself a skim board a couple of years back after watching videos of skim kings, 58 years old at the time, jeez the local old boys laughed and laughed when I pulled it out of the car to show 'em one day. Still give me shit about it. Tested it a few times at a local set up that I think skim guys call a "liner" type set up. Let's just say it was mission extremely unsuccessful, definitely a young man's sport that one. An old man's bone breaker that's for sure.
And your take on our facey Vic waves, spot on. Rail length makes a lot of difference to how a surfer looks down here. So many waves get "ruined" by short rail pissy triple pump off the bottom looking lines IMO.
Going now, that's it for my SN perusal today.
Edit. @ Southern, looks like Monday is going to be the day for my little girl. Melancholy (me) atm, she's ready, me not so much. We'll be ok. Will post and let you and a few others here know if so.
Love this thread though, hate that other one with a passion.
Curren was surfing a skim board one time in 00's at Uluwatu... Made it look to easy...
Great stuff @adam12. haha the skimboard story was a crackup. I still haven't tried one or a finless! And bloody oath. If it wasn't for softie i probably wouldn't even surf.
Ahhhh ok. Monday. Sounds like you're pretty tuned in instinctively with things. Keep going with that.
Sending heaps of good vibes your way. Give Jessie a pat from over here in the West.
Oh and yes, rail length in vicco 100percent.... remember Shaun Brooko on those Gash's? Damn he made them look good. Great surfer he was.
udo wrote:
This was beautiful. Thanks so much Udo. Hadn't seen this before.
Was that Brock Little in the red boardies?? Imagine walking along the beach and seeing Brock and Tom walking towards you. Far out.
Funnest waves. Made my day. Cheers!
Have been thinking about performance over the last few days...and there's different levels.,but i reckon Ethan took on the face carves in small surf to a new level at Trestles last year. I don't remember seeing anything like that before. So the envelope is still being pushed.
Was watching some footage of John John Florence at Rocky Point last night and it got me thinking...(link below)
It was good sized Rockys....6ft plus, barreling, plenty of power, pretty much the perfect canvas for peak surfing..with a fully fit JJF at the peak of his powers. Yet, despite me still oooohing and ahhing over his huge gouges on the face (how can you not), it struck me...i'm not seeing anything different. Fark yeah, JJF blows my mind, and in my opinion is the best surfer on the planet by far....but i'm not seeing the envelope being pushed any further. And i think he's the best on the planet. So who's surfing better than him?
To cast our minds back, it was Margs a few years back that JJF brought those huge open faced carves to a level never seen before. And it blew us all away. But what's followed since? It seems that if JJF is the pinnacle of surfing, then, not much has risen above him in the way of performance since what's been displayed over the last 4 years.
So my question is, is the best of modern day perfromance surfing behind us? Is there someone else i'm missing that is pushing performance levels above what we've seen? My main big question is,....have we reached the absolute peak...maximum peak of what the current modern day equipment allows surfers to do on a wave face??? What else can be done?
It's a sobering thought.
And if that's the case..where to next for surfboards/surf equipment?
Time to think outside the box?
I actually had the best idea came to me tonight....after years of dwelling on the idea.....i have seen a possibility to make it happen.
Need to work on it though with a few crew and see if it's possible. But it's very different and outside the box....but could completely transform surfing. hehe. Or not. Just an idea.
Anyway....interested in all thoughts. And ideas if you have some!
Crazier the better in my opinion.