But this concept can only be fully
experienced when we venture
out from the shore break and
into the high-calibre wave zone.
Bodysurfing begins to transcend
from the whomping frolic we’re
all familiar with, into another
dimension altogether.
The beauty of bodysurfing
is this: You can’t blame your
equipment. You are the goddamn
equipment! Have you watched
Mike or Rasta bodysurf? Nathan
jokes about Rasta: “He’s got big old
feet. He’s sort of like an Olympic
level swimmer. He’s actually got a
single concave chest that helps; he
really planes up on it. We call him
Flat Stanley.”
Nathan describes the
immersive and primordial nature
of bodysurfing: “It’s a sensory
experience, using your whole body
to project along the wave and make
adjustments. All you need is your
earth-suit.”
The way these guys use their
limbs and torsos in contortions
and shape-making is instructive.
When you need to find a rail, you
just make one with your armpit
and hip; when you need a planing
surface, turn onto your chest,
flatten your upper body and maybe
pull your shoulders forward to
create a concave. It works. Speed
runs, turns and barrel stalls can
all be performed by an adept
bodysurfer.
The invention of the leggie
substantially dulled the edge of
the water skills possessed by the
vast majority of modern surfers.
Once upon a time when you lost
your board after a wipeout you
were swimming after it. The more
proficient swimmer and bodysurfer
you were, the easier that process
was. Is it any coincidence that
the most proficient ocean
dwellers among us are also deluxe
bodysurfers? Think – Mike Stewart,
Mark Cunningham, Kelly Slater and
Dave Rasta, who are all at the top
of the bodysurfing tree.
Mike Stewart says, “Swimming
to the lineup and into big surf is
physically rigorous and great for
your fitness. The real pay-off for
me is the mental one, as it builds
confidence as you learn so much
more about waves and how to
move through them; where to
be and where not to be.” And as
we mentioned before regarding
swimming in without a craft,
Mike explains, “There is also the
added challenge of getting back
into the beach without a board- a much more challenging and
gratifying feat.”
These are critical water skills
that will improve your confidence
and wave knowledge in the heavy
water. Oldfield recalls his youth on
the Central Coast of NSW. “Heaps
of really good bodyboarders that I
knew and grew up with were really
great bodysurfers. They lived not
even to make it, but just to go and
get inside those slabs. They lived
for that vision.”
Holistic. Doesn’t that word
just bring to mind visions of pure,
A-grade, buzzword, gorgonzola
cheese? Regardless of the cheese,
there is no doubt bodysurfing
fosters a thoroughly holistic and
more complete relationship with
the wave zone. It could be just
the thing you’re missing in your
surfing life.
It doesn’t end there, either.
Mike touches on bodysurfing and
the role it plays in balance and
harmony with the ocean: “I think,
for starters, bodysurfing provides a
more intimate relationship with the
ocean and all the experiences that
come with it from sea-life to surf.
Being so connected to this really
helps to understand the impact we
are having [on the ocean] and the
challenges we now face.”
Do you really need yet anotherfun-board or pop-out foamie to
spice things up? The accumulation
of stuff. Maybe just go whomping
instead? “It also teaches you
minimalism by how little you need
in terms of equipment, yet how
enjoyable it can be,” Mike surmises.
“It’s a more sustainable and
enjoyable approach to life for sure.”
It’s high-time for some serious
ego-shedding. Go bodysurfing
at a crowded break and see just
how fragile your ego really is. It
will be merciless. But the pay-off
will come, whole body aches and
all. Nathan Oldfield says with a
satisfied countenance, “If I swim
in the water for two hours it feels
like I’ve had a six-hour surf. It’s the
nicest surf-stoned feeling.”
It’s not just Nathan, either, as
he recalls the many times he’s
filmed Rasta. “I’ve seen him get the
barrels of a lifetime on a board and
not even mention ’em. But, I’ve
seen him come in from a bodysurf
really excited and say, Wow! That
was really fun! You can see it in his
eyes and in the smile on his dial.
He’s buzzing from it.” Flat Stanley to his friends, Dave Rastovich to the rest of us. With his
concave chest, Rasta can warp into long speed runs and with his
arms tucked underneath him is the closest thing a human has ever
come to resembling a dolphin. PHOTO: OLDFIELD