It`s the winner’s press conference at the Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach, Australia, Easter 2001. Up on the podium, seated comfortably behind their trophies, are Mick Fanning and Danny Wills, fresh from collecting a combined $50,000 from Bells’s chilly waters, the rewards of the first in a string of ASP WCT pro surfing events for the year, events worth a total of over $2 million in straight-up prizemoney and a hell of a lot more than that in accrued bonuses, contract payments, incentives, and plain gleaming fricken Wave Riding Glory. So in the middle of all these puffball questions – “Danny, how do you feel?” – pouring forth from the surf and daily local press, one gentleman waits his turn, and eventually is offered a chance at these young wave-riding demigods. And he pipes up with this: “When you are training for the world professional circuit, does bodysurfing play any part in your preparation?” There is a silence for a beat or two (what the F–K??) while Mick and Danny kinda … look at each other … and a few people in the audience glance around to check out this character who’s dropped such a, err, wack question into the mix … and eventually Mick, who after all is the winner of the damn contest, sucks in a breath and takes responsibility for it, and says in a puzzled yet quite clear voice, “What’s bodysurfing??”
Read Kelly Slater’s new autobiography. In one chapter he talks about bodysurfing and how it has opened is eyes to other aspects of surfing. good stuff.
I grew up without leashes and, out of nessesity, learned the fine art of bodysurfing. When I am older and greyer, than I already am, and can no longer stand up on a surfboard (bad knees), I will still be able to enjoy the delites of surfing “sans board.” Anyone not familiar with bodysurfing is missing out on one of the best experiences our sport has to offer.