Hey pc, Your surf mat is flying south, shipped yesterday… e.t.a. Friday. Thanks again! (James Sowell flying his Neu at the Wedge, powered by Deets Voit UDT`s – photo courtesy of Ron Romanosky) http://romanosky.wedge.org/ 
Air mattresses surfing the Wedge??? Not!!! Photo by Ron Romansky? More like Photoshop 7.0! Bodysurfers and spongers own that shack. James Soewell represents on sponges not air bags.
Jetty Dog… Yes, thats James Sowell at the Wedge. Hes been surfing there for the past 25 years. Former pro bodyboarder. James is riding a custom Neumatic surf mat that I made for him a few months ago. No digital manipulation… the pic is courtesy of Ron Romanosky, a veteran Wedge kneeboarder, shaper and photographer. http://www.romanoskykneeboards.com/ 
Does anyone here know a photo-history of THE WEDGES wave riding vehicles? Any good websites with this specific info? Thats one radical wave!!!
Got it Dale. Thanks. can’t wait to learn to ride it! Thanks for the inspirational photos.
Huh? What`s to learn on an airmat? Seriously.
Hey Mitch- “I ordered a Neumatic from Dale about a year ago. Although I had no prior mat-surfing experience, I assumed that I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from a surfmat. I was anticipating bodyboard-like performance with a little more floatation. I was completely wrong… the surfmat sucked! My first few sessions consisted of flailing, missed waves and struggling just to stay on top the moving bag of air. Although I initially had my mat at near maximum inflation, it still felt too soft and flexible to be any good for wave riding. A skeptic would have rolled the mat up and written the whole thing off as a scam, but the ashes of my curiosity were still smoldering. Dale, and a few others, seemed genuinely jazzed about inflatable surfing. I decided to stick with it. As time went on I got used to the flexible, almost organic, feel of the surfmat. All of the confusing (cryptic) things that Dale was telling from the beginning were starting to make sense. I figured out how to drop into waves without having the mat fold in half like a book. I learned that wrestling with the mat’s rails and nose won’t make it turn any harder. Oddly enough, the less effort I exerted, the better the mat performed! I also began riding the mat at lower inflation levels. It seemed to go against all logic, but the “dish rag” theory worked! The first time that I felt the surfmat shift into its higher gears was a complete accident. I was instantly hooked! Although it is intensely challenging, I feel like I learn something new about the Neumatic every day. It’s a very rewarding and unique experience. To anyone interested in surfmats, I highly recommend that you contact Dale. He is a great person and an even better friend. Im proud to say that I have become a full-blown surfmat junkie. Just when you thought surfing couldn't be more fun, it is! ...The basic concept of mat surfing is that youre hovering on a bubble of air. You cant get much more minimalist than that! Secondly, the bubble of air doesnt need to be rock-solid in order to ride waves. If you ride a surfmat at maximum inflation it will work fine, but youll notice that as you release some of its air, the mat will run faster and smoother. Less is better. Keep purging air until the mat beings to plane so fast that it feels on the verge of sliding out. At that point, instead of re-inflating, simply squeeze the edges of the mat to firm up the running surface and regain control. Learning when and at what point on the wave to adjust your grip is the key to unlocking ridiculous levels of speed on the surfmat. Thirdly, the "less is more" mindset can be applied to the amount of interaction between surfer and mat. If you try to force a surfmat to accelerate or turn, youll only end up fighting against yourself. I have found the mat works best when allowed to run on its own, with minimal rider input. By calming yourself and focusing on the waves energy, youll find that the surfmat will naturally take you where you want to go, faster than you expected! … A number of people have paddled up to me, asking whats inside the mat that makes it so stiff and fast. Theyre usually shocked when I lift the limp mat to show them that its just a little air. Of course the internal and external structures containing the air are quite complex, but looks can be deceiving! ...My surfmat is very maneuverable. Its capable of long, projected turns as well as quick, pivotal direction changes. While turning, I try to avoid pulling up on the rails or using my elbows as leverage. These techniques seem to disrupt the mats bottom surface, killing speed and directional momentum. There are no fins. Control comes from your grip and body position. A more successful approach is to keep your head and torso low to the mat. When you begin to bank a turn, squeeze the edge of the mat and roll your body in the direction of the turn. Sometimes youll swear the surfmat is up and running on a razor sharp edge. You can draw out your turn or tighten the arc into a full carving roundhouse. Releasing your grip while you exit a turn will flatten the planning surface and send you flying. Try to imagine the speed you could build by linking a few of these turns together!” (Tony Lum of Hawaii) ------ (photo of James Sowell at the Wedge – courtesy Ron Romanosky Photography) ------ A video trailer for Brian Taylor`s upcoming film, “State of S”: http://www.12milesout.com/client/eternal.php http://groups.msn.com/InflateAbleDreamSpeed/_whatsnew.msnw 
Huh? What`s to learn on an airmat? Seriously. For me it’s been “unlearning”, probably a term Dale gave me. Unlearning about 34 years of hardboard, standup surfing reflexes and conditioning…another way of looking at that conditioning and those reflexes might be as excess baggage. I hardly knew I had it. These days anybody with some spare change can easily and fairly quickly learn how to standup surf. The experience has been devalued somewhat since the caveman days - still an ultimate buzz but so much more accessable. I’m thinking the reason so many people with decades of surfing experience get interested in mats is partly the thrill of starting out “fresh”, and partly the quiet, gentle relief which comes from scraping the hull clean, giving new life to the experience.
I second AJL’s comments…a couple of other hints which, looking back, would have made my initial mat runs more fun than frustrating: Don’t confine your initial go-outs to crappy, close-outs to avoid crowds. Go out at a spot with a shoulder and maybe a steep section or two. Don’t give up…just getting yourself centered on the bag is a humbling experience. Try a short body surfing session prior to the bag to kinda get in the proper frame of reference. Micky Munoz used to teach people how to surf and started by making them lie in the sand at the water’s edge. They let the white water swash them around and slowly pull them into deeper water. Two things happened: 1. Lolling around in two inch deep water with sand in their suits tended to wash away the walls adults build around themselves. It made them more like kids; open to learning. 2. It got them in tune to the ocean’s rhythm and a much closer personal relationship with the water. Micky said the people that started this way learned 10 times as quickly as those who didn’t. I mention this because riding a mat does the same thing…You’ll find that your surfing on any vehicle will improve immensly as will the fun you have riding it.
Been riding one of Dale’s matts since June, including Hawaii and the SA campout at Big Sur. Ambrose, Dirk and I had a good time mat surfing amongst the rest of the crew on Friday. I’m just beginning to feel like I have control. I’ve gotten much better at it but “what’s to learn?”, Alot! It’s riding a bubble which can generate surprising burst of speed at which time you have to try and figure out how to handle it! And let me tell you about the workout you’ll get trying to punch out through sizable surf. Some guys, myself include, will swim out with the matt deflated because of the bouyancy, and inflate outside the surf line. This thing in a blast. VERY challenging but fun.
Hi Gary, In reference to punching a mat through sizable surf, swimming out with it deflated, and inflating outside the surf line: Martin Headman, who lives up the cliff at PP, will be testing a specialized mat pack made for accessing some of SCs heavier waves this winter. Designed to not interfere with the users movements while swimming or surfing. Worn around the waist, or diagonally across the chest. Thanks for the kind words! 
Hi Dale, That’s a terrific idea. I’ve tucked my deflated matt in the back of my trucks in the tropics but with wetsuit on around here there’s just no place to put it. Please keep me posted on Martin’s progress with this. Thanks, Gary P.S- I’ll keep an eye out for him at the Point.
Somebody wearing a helmet surfs PP riding a mat. Last winter a friend spied out whoever it was riding 10+ waves almost the length of PP! Connecting a mile? moving real fast. At first he wasn`t sure what he was looking at! Weird to see.