Clay Marzo doesn’t even stall like anyone else. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Clay Marzo can do pretty much anything he wants on a wave. It’s weird to watch, especially in person. I spent a wonderful few days riding around Portugal with him and a few others for the Capitulo Perfeito (tune into this year’s event, please), and when he did some kind of Clay-ish maneuver in the water, it made me feel disconnected with reality. Like I was watching what my eyes were seeing through a screen, if that makes sense.
Anyway, Marzo, for my money, is the best surfer in the world. He does things no one else can do, and he does them whether anyone is watching or not. He excels in all types of waves, but especially in hollow ones atop super shallow reef, like the ones you see here.
Sharp reef isn’t just hard on skin, though. It’s particularly bad for fiberglass, which is unfortunate given fiberglass’s importance to a surfboard. But here, Marzo is riding Catch Surf’s Odysea LOG and 54 Special, both of which are a little more forgiving when it comes to reef encounters. And just more proof that Marzo is a once-in-a-generation surfer.
