Riding a perfect wave at Noosa feels like winning the surf lottery, even if it is the most crowded week of the year. I went to Oz during the 24th annual Noosa Festival, which is the largest surf festival in the world. I quickly realized that I had put myself in the most crowded, most talented longboard lineup in the universe—crowded for good reason, though. It was absolutely amazing.
Changing from my Hawaiian winter quiver to a big heavy log I had to relearn how to noseride all over again. It reminded me of the technicality and strength required to peacefully hold those ten little piggies over the nose. It didn’t come easily and it required a lot of focus, as well as an internal dialogue of complete encouragement. It’s my goal to get to that natural ease—the mindless state of ultimate flow. Hanging ten utilizes muscles in the legs, core, feet and toes. And one’s style is greatly determined by the placement of their hands. As a ballerina would do, the study to bring hyper-awareness to body positioning while moving with a wave feels like it has just begun, but I still have an everlasting song to dance to. Harmony never felt so good.
Huge thanks to Greg Huglin for his expertise in operating his long lens camera. Having RED footage at 200fps doesn’t hurt the dance and the improvement process. The footage is quite the superhuman magnificent mirroring tool. Every day is a day to study life.
Catwalk: Leah Dawson in The Zuma Surf Suit from The Seea on Vimeo.
