(Left above) Rick Newcombe and the Wedge combine in a joint effort. Photo: Steve Trear. (Below) Chuck Gardner contemplates salvation while the middleman gives him the nod. Photo: Mike Moir. [Above} Crucified but smiling, Spyder Wills planes along one hand. Photo: Brewer.

A lot of surfers have been mouthing into. The remarkable knee-riding of like body more than anything one of the truly camp-cliche statements George Greenough is an example. else, but it's so specialized that you of all time lately, "Being one with the George compares surfing on his spoon- really need a good wave to do it right. wave" is probably the most popular vehicle to high-speed driving, and Body surfing can almost be a religious noncranial response to what the experi- tunes his equipment accordingly. Yet experience. With a paipo I'm closer to ence of surfing is since "challenging the George admits to the importance of the the wave than a regular surfer, and yet big surf." The only problem is that it rider's being equally tuned and capa- I have more speed than a body surfer. is possible to challenge the big surf, but ble of handling his equipment under Besides, it's easy to get out of waves. it just isn't possible to become one extremely accelerated stress conditions. I tie my board to my wrists with cord with the wave. We all know that the Generally, though, there is an indi- and have a handle to hang onto. It proponents of such a pantheistic view- vidual abandon about the reduced- reduces the drag by keeping my arms point mean the phrase to be taken medium surfer that is seldom found out of the and off the rails. I turn metaphorically. Yet there is a group of among surfers. Often they are closer through the handles, using my wrists individuals who are trying to take it not only to the wave, but to the real and hips, I tried it for a while without beyond the metaphor to the reality. meanings behind surfing. "I surf just handles, but with them you can turn While it's the surfers who talk about for the fun of it," Greenough says: much faster." "being one with the wave," it is the "I don't even care what I ride. A mat Besides being portable, a reduced- belly boarders, knee riders, paipo is fine. As far as comparing medium vehicle offers other advan- boarders and body surfers that are and knee boards, I don't compare tages: doing something about it. things along that Iine." "With ," says Rick "You're so close to the water," says "It seemed like there was too much Newcombe, "it's easier to like you Newport Wedge paipoboarder Rick work carrying a board around," Spy- halfway know what you're doing than Newcombe, "you're right in it, and der Wills shrugs; "I want something with surfing, because there's no neces- everything is up to you. All the mis- that's portable." Spyder classifies him- sity of standing up and looking awk- takes that can, and will happen, will be self as a paipoboarder and body surfer. ward. Its advantage to me, specifically, your mistakes. You can't depend on A bellyboard, he says, is any prone- is that I like to surf the Wedge, It's your equipment the way a surfer can." ridden water vehicle with a round bot- just about impossible, of course, to Newcombe adds that "the board, like tom; a paipo being any prone-ridden surf the Wedge on a standard surf- , must become a part of you." vehicle with a flat bottom, board. But there have been more and Reducing this medium of contact Spyder casually accepts the demands more people coming here to body surf has put many minimal-equipment rid- and rewards of both his approaches: over the past few years, so that you ers into positions that any surfer would "When I'm body surfing, I'm totally either had to be one of them and take love to get into, and that most board independent. I can ride anything, take your turn, or do something else. When surfers (riding something over seven off on impossible close-outs and roll I first came out at the Wedge on a feet and standing) cannot hope to get over and watch the wave come over- I bellyboard, a lot of people were skepti-

93 REDUCING

George Greenough. Rincon. and the latest in see-through fashions, Photo, Baker cal and at times downright hostile. and the harder they break, the more Baby Mini Gun for 's North Over the past couple of years, how- you can barrel with a knee board." Shore is being tested. Unlike the surf- ever, I've gained the admiration of the A few surfers are becoming aware board revolution, bellyboards and knee body surfers." of the draw of the reduced-medium boards became longer instead of "For me," Rick adds, "at a place experience. Dru Harrison once weighed shorter, from 38" to 54J1 and even like the Wedge, bellyboarding has sev- 155, but now can walk thin ice at 112. longer. One longer is replacing two eral advantages over body surfing: you "I felt like an object sitting on top small ones. Removable fins are also in." have more speed, there are less belly. of the water," Dru says. "I wanted to With the current squeeze on beaches boarders (Ron Romanoski and myself feel like I was really a part of the in many parts of the world and the are about the only two regulars), it . You can't operate like a water conflicting demands of surfers, takes turns better, people get out of the creature if your body is a foreign ob- owners, and land developers, reduced- way, and therefore, I get more waves." ject in the ocean." By reducing his medium surfing offers a practical, Rick adds: "It's a dog-eat-dog world weight, Dru has also been able to get though perhaps temporary, alternative. out there." his board down below seven feet, com- There is much greater practicality in "I used to surf my kneeboard stand- ing close to the length of the longer operating a belly or paipo board in ing up," Art Brewer states, "but it knee-riding machines. poorly formed beach break surf than a wasn't the same as riding a Just as in the surfboard industry, surfboard. The demands of kneeling, and wasn't the same as knee riding. I the bellyboard-knee machine industry proning, or floating are not merely so figured I had to do one or the other, has its phases. According to Newport difficult to meet as the demands for so I chose knee riding." paipoboarder Bud Hulst: "A revolution a standing- room wave. Small coves, Why? "With knee riding, you're a began in the design of bellyboards last generally rocky areas, pool quality lot closer to the wave and can get a lot . For the first time, hard rails beach crunchers and closed-to- surf- more thrust and speed out of places were seen. The V, the Tri-plane as in 'boards areas are all potential fun spots where a surfboard would bog down or surfboards, has come and gone. The for the reduced-medium practitioner. wouldn't even go. The bigger the waves round tail is the present scene, and the Besides, they're portable. 9 95