"While others were either running hot or cold, these two stylish surfers alone seemed to burn with a cool flame." Photo: Bryce Johnson
I was in Biarritz during Easter along with lots of French, Spanish and German surfers on holiday. We were at a well known longboarding spot that can produce soft 150m peeling rights. It was a holiday weekend and the water quickly became crowded as the tide pushed up and the break started to turn on.
We’d parked for the day, so I sat on the wall between surfs with a coffee and just watched the action for a while. This was a luxury I don’t often have when I’m at home. Usually my time is too tight to allow anything other than a quick exit from the sea before dashing back to the normal demands of everyday life.
I noticed something interesting. Of the more than one hundred or so surfers I watched that day, in my opinion only two had style. That’s right, little more than 1% actually looked good out there. Amongst the constantly changing cast of characters with varying ability on various boards, just two people were pleasing to the eye. A guy and a girl (not together) on single-fin longboards, neither with legropes, were surfing so beautifully and naturally that they made every other single person there look like a kook. Quite an achievement.
Roisin (my better half) also picked up on it when she joined me on the wall and pointed them out straight away. I was pleased that I wasn’t alone in this observation, but it did make me wonder what exactly set those two surfers apart and – equally important – what kept the majority from performing with the same aesthetic? Sure, the two stylists were obviously good, but there were dozens of others equally as competent and maybe even better. So it’s not ability alone that provides the key.
At times the line-up was certainly hectic and confused, yet these two always seemed to find plenty of space and time. Some of the better surfers kept their poker faces on, trying to force a way through by sheer willpower. At the other end of the scale there were a lot of beginners flailing about, hooting and laughing at each other, blissfully unaware they had just dropped in on somebody. Amidst all this our two stylists also looked like they were having fun, yet they were in tune with the place, avoiding party waves, catching the set waves and finishing their rides with neat flick-outs always keeping control of their boards. No swimming to retrieve loose boards for these two.
The lines they drew across the waves were smooth and flowing, while others appeared jerky and angular. They were energised yet relaxed. Their whole act in the water was graceful yet vibrant. Maybe that was the answer – it wasn’t just about style, it was also about energy. While others were either running hot or cold, these two stylish surfers alone seemed to burn with a cool flame.
