Yes, it’s as shallow as it looks. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
A lot of people might think of bodyboarders as little kids riding whitewash on a floppy chunk of foam their parents bought them from the ABC Store on Waikiki’s Kalākaua Avenue. And yes, some bodyboarders are little kids riding whitewash on a floppy chunk of foam their parents bought them from the ABC Store on Waikiki’s Kalākaua Avenue, but some are most definitely not.
Some are people like Lewy Finnegan. Some are like Mike Stewart. Some are like Dave Hubbard and Guilherme Tâmega. High-level bodyboarders are a different breed, and this 12-minute video from WeBodyboard featuring Manua Menard and Nils Aubelle is proof.
Getting barreled is the end-all, be-all of riding waves. Chance are, though, that when you’re surfing in a barrel, you’re not in deep water. If you’re in Tahiti, like Menard and Aubelle are here, a very sharp reef is flying by just inches beneath your belly. But it’s worth it, and the proof is that people keep coming back for more.
