Most people would consider a step-up. Remi considers the alaia. Photos: YouTube//Screenshot
For a while there, the alaia was almost a thing again. Of course, they were the original thing — the first real “surfboard” — but they are extraordinarily difficult to ride. If you’ve tried one, you know. Now that enough people have realized that without years of commitment, an alaia is not the best board to surf.
There are a handful of people who make it look far easier than it is, and Remi Peterson is one of them. If you were to show up to double overhead Supertubes, are you taking a finless plank of wood out? Probably not. And if you did, you would likely not succeed. Even more impressive is that Peterson tackled it on his backhand.
“While most surfers would think twice about paddling out on a modern thruster in waves this size, Remi opts for one of the most unforgiving craft in surfing,” wrote JBay TV. “No fins. No leash. No rocker. Pure rail control. On an alaia, there’s zero room for lazy technique — every drop, every bottom turn, every line drawn depends on precision, balance and total commitment.”
Riding an alaia on your backhand is very, very hard. So hard that you don’t often see it done, even by those who are comfortable on them.
“It’s almost like reversing a car at full speed,” JBay TV explained. “You don’t have the same open-body leverage, and controlling that finless slide at speed in double overhead surf requires top-shelf adaptability. We’re pretty certain this is the first time footage of backside alaia surfing in waves of this size has been seen online.”
Remi, though, makes it look casual. He was raised in Jeffreys Bay, and he knows the wave about as well as one can know it. That helps, but he’s also a rare breed.
“That deep local knowledge, combined with serious fitness and a rare ability to adapt to different equipment, is what makes this session so remarkable,” JBay TV continued. “He’s not just experimenting — he’s mastering. Beyond being one of JBay’s most respected watermen, Remi runs JBay Surf Retreats, where he’s built a reputation as a surf coach and guide of note — sharing his understanding of Supertubes with surfers from around the world.”
