Nakoa Decoite rides a soft top at Jaws. Flexible rocker saves a poke. This is a good lesson in surfboard design. Flex displaces water. Nakoa Decoite hits chop, his weight pushes the board down and bends the nose upward. Simultaneously a splash or bow wave is generated, and shoots spray upward. A normal surfboard with a flat bottom would normally decelerate and launch the rider at this point. Hard impact of a standard surfboard bow on water, produces an abrupt stop and a

Revisiting an epic ride. Kai Lenny and Ryan Hipwood take off together under the lip in the WSL Peahi Challenge Final, for an exciting and daring escapade. Fluid Dynamics A vessel moves in water by moving or displacing water. Surfers create waves when they ride waves. At lower speeds they generate a trailing wave, well as a forward wake or bow wave. As speed increases the bow rises and the forward wake dissipates. The trailing wake is usually very visible as a trail of s

A nose poke is very dangerous, a surfer is vulnerable to serious injury when he is catapulted down the face of a steep large wave. In large surf, risks include long hold downs and drowning. Escaping a poke and surviving a big steep air drop clinging by your toes, then shooting out of a deep pit with powerful spray at your back, is a joy of surfing. This and many other joys drive surfers to seek more thrills and bigger waves. These experiences shared with friends are life