Why I ride prone.

General Discussion
1

I have surfed for roughly twenty seven years. I started as a ten year old in Durban, South Africa, riding a five foot Spider Murphy shaped Safari twin-fin. I soon graduated to thrusters, since that was what everyone was riding. We had a 6’6 single-fin pop-out sitting in the garage for years and one day I pulled it out because the surf was small but really clean. It felt like a mal to me, and I loved it. This was the day I realised the joy of playing around with different types of surf equipment.

Fast forward 26 years, I'm living in Australia now. I've been building and riding alaia's almost exclusively for nearly four years, although I still love my big nose rider and my 6'6 Bluebird single-fin. One day I grabbed a 6ft alaia, and a pair of flippers, and waded out into some clean 2ft ankle-snappers. There was a small crowd of local hot-shot shortboarders out, and I could feel the stares of derision as I kicked my way out into the line-up.
I stroked into a small wave, and woosh......I flew along the glassy face! Being prone, the water felt like it was inches from my chin, and the perspective was beautiful. It was like being disembodied, or like a gull gliding above the water. It also felt really.....symmetrical. Instead of standing and moving toward a preferred, or less preferred and awkward SIDE, I was almost flying, stretched out, and FORWARD in the true sense of the word.
I had ridden boogie boards as a kid, but they always felt slow and awkward to me. I couldn't figure out why people would lie down given the option of standing up? But it seemed I had missed something. Prone surfing has swallowed me up completely. I wouldn't say I've retired from standing up, but with the options of ply bellyboards, wooden and fiberglass paipo's, surfmats, handplanes, cubit boards and plain old bodysurfing, I just don't seem to have the urge or time to ride my old boards!
There is also a sense of stepping off the grid once you embrace prone surfing. The decision to choose the less popular and less flashy surf-style is almost instantly rewarded by a plethora of new surf spots too small, too steep or too shallow for a finned stand up board. The amount of time spent in the barrel is multiplied tenfold, and your entire quiver can fit under the seat of your car!
All I can say is.......JOY!!!!!!!!!!!
 
2

Hahah!  I clicked here thinking I would be reading about some tragic industrial accident, or debilitating disease.  Great post!  Stepping off the grid, and outside the box, is at the heart of what surfing really began as.  Who would have thought back then that surfing would become mainstream, with a contest circuit and a huge fashion industry?  To me, surfing has always been about getting out of my rut, and enjoying time away from the rat race.  Good on yer!

3

 

I'm with you Idler!

 I started surfing back in the mid 60's but neck and shoulder problems for several years have prevented me from paddling overarm so my surfing is now limited to prone riding. I certainly don't feel it's a handicap. Like yourself , I have mats, old fashion belly boards, Hawaiian Paipo, home made alaia, hand boards and even a couple boogers.The alaia is getting the most water time these days and it's just amazing how fun a basic little plank can be. For me, the simple fact that we are actually in the wave, makes for a more enjoyable experience. Proud to be Prone.

 

4

Good for you, man, definitely good for you. The intimacy with the wave is so much more, the feel of speed, the fun - it's like a whole other thing, Going from surfboards to 'alternative forms' changed everything about it, and all for the better.

And being off the grid, out of the mainstream, it changes things considerable. It becomes a lot harder to fall for manufacturer's hype when there's not enough of 'em out there for a manufacturer to hype something. You're not trying to keep up with what's hot, you're trying to have more fun and keep up with the wave. No heavy air spinner spray throwing to impress the judges, it's seeing just how late and just how far back you can be. What kind of a rush it is and how to maybe do it even better.

And that's what floats my....well..... paipo or kneeboard or what have ya.

doc....

 

5

There are pros and cons of prone riding - in some types of surfs you are really at the bottom of the pecking order and it is hard to get waves, but in most surfs, you get more waves, can ride just about anything and still have a ton of fun.  Steep takeoffs - a blast. Even planning under waves is fun.

Doc provided a link to Rod Rodger’s paipo site.  The intervews we have been doing reveal a rich and varied surfing experience, with some great interviews to come (74 year old Larry  Goddard still speeding and Paul Lindbergh from Hawaii Paipo designs coming up). These guys have spent years riding big waves, hooked on speed.

An added attraction is that a basic piece of wood, can be readily made into a board that really flies (Doc - the epoxy held just fine, the board is too thick so it’s back to the drawing board)

Bob

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6

Good for you, Bob. And the nice thing about wood is that stripping and reglassing ( after a little judicious work with a block plane) works a lot better than on foam.

Now, you have me thinking of a sheet of balsa-core. Like I need another project.....

doc...

7

Think mat…  Your quiver can fit in your fanny pack.

8

Saw my first “Pneumatic” mat with a young guy paddling one around at my locale yesterday. Only had a chance to say “Never seen one of those before” to which he thought I was referring to mats in general.

He said he’d only just got it and was still trying to figure it out.

After that he caught a wave (his one and only) and went in.

Still like to know if anyone in Qld is building fibreglass Paipos?

9

Cuttlefish,

 

There is as far as I know no one who makes fibreglass paipo in Queensland. Jason Oliver made a bisectable replica of one of John Galera’s nofin paipos for me. If you had a design he would probably make you one - he likes a challenge. he may be at the upcoming alley Fish Fry.

http://www.jasonoliverwoodensurfboards.com.au/

 

Uncle G posted this on the paipo forum - they are based at Byron - I have never seen one in action nor know anyone who has ridden one: http://www.seasurfboards.com/news_oldest.php 

I emailed for some details and cost.

 

Then there is Dick Ash at Byron - he might make one -

http://mypaipoboards.org/interviews/Paipo_Interviews.shtml#Dick_Ash

 

Surffoils is sometimes in Queensland.

http://mypaipoboards.org/interviews/BrettCurtis/Brett_Curtis_2010-0129.shtml

 

Bob

10

Idler said it all…I would only add …consider that all of the benefits of prone surfing are available on long boards. In my experience the best feelings are produced on low rockered round bottom hulls…of course good point waves enhance the experience…but I love small beach break as well. 

No swim fins required!

Long live the gut glide!

rogelio

11

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys! It’s awesome to have a thread like this on Sways without the usual string of insults or derogatory comments!

Cheers, and prone on!

BJ.

12

Trying to fit in!

pic by Brittany

13

Nice pic! That sums up my whole statement, only quicker and more accurately!

14

Although I’m usually a stand up surfer, prone riding has given me a new perspective on wave riding plus an appreciation for blackball. great post!

15

I had to register to reply to this post to share my story. I started surfing just under a year ago. Today, I just discovered the word “prone” as a surfing term and this post came up in my search.

I’m a “self-taught” (if not internet-taught) surfer. When trying to learn something, I tend to try to work out the harder parts first. I percieved the actual difficulty of surfing as catching the wave and getting proper position; paddling. So that’s what I worked on first-- building my paddling stength and learning to get position. As a result, I didn’t stand up much when I started, nor did I care to.

I got quite a bit of derision for this. “Having a hard time standing up?”

“Nope,” I’d reply. “I’m not trying to.” (I wish I could have said “it’s called riding prone, brah”)

One friend I’d surf with who’d been suring for probably 40 years would also tease me and one said “you need to stand up because you can go farther on waves when you do”, but he sure couldn’t keep up with me in the ankle biters going back to shore.

I also didn’t really stand up to start, because I was dealing with a massive kidney stone that reduced me to an old man with a few second stand-up rate (I’m 28 at time of writing), which doesn’t lend well to standing up in the fractional second you need to.

You guys make me feel like my approach wasn’t so unreasonable.

(from my experience:)

Prone Pros:

  • Easier when learning to surf.
  • I haven't noticed a huge disadvantage in terms of being able to ride a wave (although I'm now learning to "pump" along the wave, which I'm not sure how I could pump riding prone)
  • Wave intimacy. I've also felt this as others described, the feeling of being "inside the wave". It's a little difficult to describe, but I don't really feel this when standing up, even in 6 ft waves.
  • Easier to ride small waves.
**Prone Cons**:
  • Inability to turn. I haven't really been able to perform a cutback (a common surfer's goal-- the cutback count). Perhaps some of you may be able to advise on this.
  • You look funny. I'm also looking into a helmet which also holds similar social stigma.
  • Reduced leg exercise. I don't feel like I get a good leg workout when I stand up anyways, so this point is weak.
  • Pumping? I don't know how you'd pump to get speed on the wave while riding prone. You might not want or need to, though. You're probably not likely to be performing ariels riding prone anyways (by the way, ariels are my number one aspiration at the moment. I also plan to learn to kick flip my board!).
16

question for the proners.

what is the best piece of equipment for getting barrelled in heavy waves with steep take offs?

17

From what I have seen at Pipe…a body board would be best!

 

 

 

 

18

With fibreglass paipos how do you avoid getting injured by the board in wipeouts?

19

Cuttlefish,

I;ve been  hit in the head a couple of times by fibreglass paipo - more so when learning. Also, I learnt the hard way - angle in small shallow shore dumps rather than try the bottom turn and have the nose dig in.

 

I found that once I had a better sense of where I was in the wave I have far fewer wipeouts. 

Paipo also can ride much higher in the waves - the bottom section of the wave often is where you have least speed and am most vulnerable to get hit by a lip or buried by whitewater. The other thing is that paipo like bieng launched by a peak or section - if you don't have that down the line speed it is easy to get caught taking off..

There's  a guy in Noosa who has just had a fibregalss paipo made in the US. When I get back fro overseas maybe we could organise a get together.

Bob  .

 

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20

In todayʻs competitive surf world you have to really want to ride prone and stick to it cause as mentioned before the pecking order at most crowded breaks holds prone riders at the bottom and its easy to get discouraged and quit after getting dropped in on, snaked, and generally bad vibed; I found prone riding at less crowded, b and c class waves to be a really fun way to become intimately involved with the water; the sensation of speed is unreal and close proximity to everything is a new and welcomed feeling that is as addictive as any good drug; there are, unfortunately. some drawbacks; #1 is that you sacrifice mobility and paddling speed in some form; #2 is you are closer to the food chain big boys kicking around their dinner table; [this is a head trip that takes time to go away]…that said…one soon discovers the ability to ride all types of waves and conditions on one single craft; but my prone friends beware; letʻs not gush on about our secret society lest the mainstream fat cats latch on and ruin our fun; better we just cruise along quietly and make the fun last longer…