No fins, no problems. Photo: Nobody Surf//Screenshot
Cam Scott is one of the few surfers on Earth who excels on a finless surfboard. If you’ve spent any time at all doing it, you know just how difficult it is, but he cut his teeth on a bodyboard so the feeling of fins-free surfing wasn’t unfamiliar. A recently released film called NoFINDO is testament to just how good at it he is, especially on a 6’6″ and a 7’6″ Test tube by Softlite Surfboards.
“Because it looked that fun!” he laughed when I asked him why he started riding surfboards without fins. “Also, I spent more than a decade bodyboarding so it was really satisfying to translate that rail-only approach from prone to standing up.”
For Scott, there’s much to be said about connecting with surfing’s roots. Fins weren’t a thing when people first started sliding around on waves for fun, and that means a lot to people like Scott.
“Doing it the same way as the very first surfers feels pretty awesome,” he said. “Like you’re a part of some kind of surfing renaissance rediscovering ancient texts.”
Surfing, no matter your craft of choice, is almost as much about exploring as it is about riding waves. And on a finless surfboard, it’s not just new waves and places that are waiting to be unlocked — it’s new feelings.
“It’s exploring uncharted territory,” Scott continued. “Whether it’s through big waves, new combos, untested spots or finless tubes, it’s a special kind of fizz that comes from kicking out and wondering if anyone’s ever done it like that before.”
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