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Chic Chat: Tahiti: Tow-In Surfing
It was the prolonged
feeling of weightlessness that I remember most. First a sensation of
paralyzed time as my body was slowly lifted and then just as smoothly
dropped; a surreal feeling of dream-like awareness. In that moment there was
no fear (although there had been previously and most certainly would be
later), but for that brief fraction of eternity I was aware only of the
simple fact that I had been falling for a very long time. I finally broke
the surface after a lengthy underwater spinning routine, and took that first
breath of salty oxygen, only to see a massive wall of whitewater and at
least several other enormous waves about to break behind it. It was all
heading right towards me and I hadn’t even had time to begin catching my
breath. The fear returned. The rest of my memory from that day is hazy,
clouded by the intense emotions of the experience: expectation, trepidation,
and triumph. One thing, however, I am sure of: it all started with a
jet-ski.
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| Tow-in surfing was pioneered
by a group of Hawaiian big wave riders who watched massive waves break on
outer reefs that were just too big to paddle into, and wondered if they
were surf-able. Jet-skis provided the answer. Using the horsepower of the
ski, a surfer is towed behind the ski, by a tow-rope similar to that used
in wakeboarding or water skiing, and flung into the waves already standing
on the board before the wave even breaks. Tow-in surfing eliminates some
of the major problems inherent in big wave surfing. First, the surfer and
ski driver wait outside of the break and don’t have to worry about being
cleaned up by a big set rolling through the take-off zone. Second,
catching the wave isn’t a problem because of the speed generated from
the jet-ski. Third, and to some, most importantly, a skilled driver can in
most cases pick up a surfer after a wipeout and get them out of the impact
zone quickly. However, even though tow-in surfing reduces the danger, it
is far from eliminating the fear and consequences involved in big wave
surfing. A few years ago, Layne Beachley, aided by her tow partner, Ken Bradshaw became the first female ever to try this new facet of the sport, riding thirty foot waves on Oahu. Next, at a secret Tahitian outer reef, history was made once again as four members of an all-girl surf trip towed into fifteen foot barrels. When open ocean swells are suddenly confronted with a shallow reef, the ocean seems to fold over onto itself, and the result is a hollow tubing wave. A hollow wave reaches the too-big-to-paddle-into threshold earlier than a wave that doesn’t tube because it breaks even more quickly. Most surfers consider a tube ride to be the ultimate surfing experience. Looking out from within the center of a wave, a surfer feels an almost indescribable feeling that many liken to ultimate bliss, but the danger of being swallowed by the wave is omnipresent. So, when Rochelle Ballard, Jodie Nelson, Megan Abubo and I were faced with the challenge of towing into huge tubing waves, something no woman had ever done before, we were concurrently ecstatic and terrified. Rochelle Ballard is a thirty-year-old veteran of big wave surfing and arguably the best female barrel rider in the world. She was eager to be the first to jump out of the boat and behind the jet-ski. After a few successful introductory rides, her eagerness to get a huge tube ride resulted in disaster. The jet-ski whipped her into the biggest wave we had seen all morning. In amazement we watched as the wave stood up and grew in front of her and then hit the reef and started barreling. It was moving faster than she had anticipated and she leaned forward to try to go faster, but there was too much water moving up the face of the wave. She was forced off her board and body surfed down the face for a few horrifying seconds before being sucked back up and over with the lip. The rest of us watching from the boat cringed and held our breaths, waiting to see her head pop up in the foam. She finally did, but had to endure two more enormous waves breaking on top of her before the jet-ski, driven by one of the most experienced Tahitian watermen, Vetea "Poto" David, could get close enough to pull her to safety. She returned to the boat shaken and coughing up salt water, but not defeated. She had been standing in the biggest barrel ever attempted by a woman, she had survived, and wanted to try again. But first, it was my turn. After watching Rochelle, I decided to
wear the recommended life vest so that if I were similarly swallowed up by
the wave, I would pop up much quicker. Knowing that, I was much more
confident and free to enjoy the sensation of incredible speed the like of
which I had never felt on a wave before. With the assistance of the jet
ski, I was already almost flying before the wave had even formed. It was
amazing to be already up and riding with all the speed in the world and
watch the lump of water rise and become a wave as it hit the reef. After
cruising on a few waves I felt even more confident. I took off the life
vest and threw it back into the boat, not wanting to be hindered by the
excess bulkiness any longer. Up until then, I had been riding just in
front of the barrel, content to feel the power of the wave behind me and
simply enjoy the ride. Now I wanted to be inside. I instructed Poto to tow
me deeper and prepared for the ride of my life. I let go of the rope on
the top of the wave and dropped in further back on the reef than
previously. I watched the wave rise in front of me and tried to slow down
as much as possible so as not to outrun the barrel. The crystal clear lip
folded over me perfectly, almost in slow motion. With water all around, I
looked out through the opening at my friends in the boat. Quickly, the
opening got smaller and smaller, and then suddenly disappeared completely
into a curtain of water. Fortunately, I popped right back up and since
there weren’t any waves coming immediately after, I jumped on the ski
and was back out waiting for another wave right away. "I got
barreled, but I want to come out this time," I told Poto excitedly.
He said that in order to stay open, the wave needed to be bigger, so we
waited for the right one. After a few minutes of intense anticipation, he
looked back at me and said, "OK, get ready!" We circled around
to get into position and I saw a huge lump of water, bigger than any I had
ridden all day. I also saw four or five other lumps right behind it. Just
before I let go of the rope, I instructed myself, "whatever you do,
just don’t fall!" Seconds later, I watched, as the ocean seemed to
stand up and start bending in front of me, as if Moses were parting the
sea. I froze and became part of the face of the wave, as I was lifted up
and up and then began falling down. Next came the head over heels tumbling
in the chaotic churning foam. I opened my eyes underwater and saw light
blue all around me but had no idea which way was up. Feeling for my leash,
I pulled myself toward my board and the surface and came up for air. Now I
knew how Rochelle had felt. Those four or five lumps that I had seen
earlier were now breaking in front of me. Poto was yelling from the jet
ski in the channel to take off my leash and dive under the waves. I did as
I was told, and was soon pulled onto the ski shaking with adrenaline and
fear. Two down, two to go. |
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