Give the guy a blanket and tuck him in, because Clay Marzo is way too comfortable in backside barrels. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Clay Marzo is, for my money, the best surfer on the planet. Sure, he’s not proving it in the traditional way by besting his competitors while a panel of judges throws what feels like arbitrary scores out, but he’s proving it by routinely doing things that no other surfer can do. Clay Marzo looks at surfing differently than anyone else. As wave pools get better and better, the level of progression is ramping up exponentially. Clay was already progressing incredibly quickly, so having a place where the waves are predictable and on demand must be a real boon for him to practice things over and over and over again.
Recently, he headed to Spain with a 5’11” VBSM ALBUM surfboard. Now, Clay has a lot of maneuvers tucked in his bag of tricks, but what often stands out the most to me is his method of backside tube riding. It’s the Marzo version of a pig dog, and it’s on full display here as he navigates Wavegarden’s lengthy barrels. It was filmed and edited by his supremely talented partner, Leilani Zerkle, and her combination of close shots and slow motion shows just how incredible Clay’s talent really is.
