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a. When it all comes together, confident surfing means: late, fast fin-wafts and an easy ride up the beach on the shoulders of friends. TB opens up while opponent Bruce Irons pretends he's not looking. Photo: Jason Murray |
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Wear sunscreen. I don’t like wearing zinc (the stuff gets on everything, stinks up your board with dirty marks) but my lips have been so toasted without it. I get really burnt at home because of the ozone hole. I’m the worst little man when it comes to sunscreen. I’m usually frothing over the surf too much to bother. But the sun’s power changes everywhere you go. I get less burnt in Hawaii and Europe, yet fried in Indo and Tahiti. It may be overcast but you’ll still get burnt. A weathered head, moles and melanomas aren’t pretty. Wear the gear. | |
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By definition, a reo or re-entry is exactly that, a top turn that re-enters you back into the action so you don’t drop over the back of the wave.
Twenty years ago a good reo or top turn was pretty spectacular. These days, it’s a typical move in any good surfer’s quiver. It makes you wonder what’s going to be standoid in 20 years time.
Today I was at Caloundra on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for promos and signings. After the promo we bailed to surf at this place called King’s Beach. It was two foot and the water was that murky gear water that wrecks your wax. I didn’t do much but it was such an eye opener. Andy Irons, Dave Rastovich, Luke Egan, Bede Durbidge, Shaun Cansdell, Wade Goodall and Lawrie Towner were all out there. The performance level was crazy. It was two foot and Wade Goodall was pulling these freaky high punts and supermans. Lawrie Towner was doing these weird barrel rolls on the lefts.
For me, it was the realization of where surfing’s headed. Like I’ve said, surfing should be way more advanced than where it is. But no matter how crazy it gets, frontside reos are an essential move to get wired first.
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1. You hit it high.
2. The bottom turn is a smooth continuous motion, not a series of mini turns.
3. You hit the lip or wash.
4. You get your board vertical.
How?
To be honest, it’s probably easier to do your first serious top turn backside. Okay, I know you’ve done cutbacks but that’s not a reo. Cutbacks are smooth and drawn out. Reos are more of a short, sharp shove.
FROM THE TOP…
Before you can get to the top of the wave, you’ve first got to come off the bottom. Powerfully. Look at the lip. Or rather, where the lip should be. The secret here is that if you time it right the lip appears when you bottom turn. A good bottom turn is when you keep your drive up the face. A foot toward the tail is essential, as is a decent crouch because you need to extend as you climb the face.
Two options up here. The turn back down. Or the lip bash, which knocks you and your board down back down.
If you get to the top of the wave without a lip it’s all about body torque to get you back down. By pointing your arms back to the beach, turning your head to the beach and distributing weight between your feet you’ll have successfully done a top turn.
If there’s a lip you need to hit the lip with enough weight so you’re not knocked off yet with enough grace so it can turn you around and send you back down the face.
Frontside vertical reos are tough. You’ll see plenty of photos in surfing magazines of guys sending it north but it takes loads of practice. Your backside lends itself better to reos because it all happens under your body. When you’re surfing frontside, it’s an extension away from your body.
If you do a reo and get hung up, don’t sweat. Just stay with the lip and keep your eye on the bottom of the wave and your arms apart for balance.
Similarly, if you you go for a reo and it turns into a floater then you’re styling. Some of the best turns you ever make are complete mistakes. Try to remember what you did. The wave, the bottom turn, the way it felt. If you can somehow replay it, you’ve got the gift.
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