Shark Month

"We’ve all thought about sharks when surfing. Most of us have been asked by a member of the non-surfing community, “Aren’t you scared of sharks out there?” or “Have you ever seen a shark?” and for the majority of us, that answer is probably “no.” But thanks to Spielberg’s Jaws and Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, the thought of Great White sharks will occasionally creep into our heads, and maybe for good reason." http://www.surfermag.com/features/most-likely-to-be-attacked-by-a-shark-you-2/

Ok, I am sure that each of us have seen the videos on the news or pictures of all the sharks migrating down South Florida's coast in the past month or so. And I bet if your a surfer your answer to these questions above would be more like, "Yes, a lot of sharks." One of my local spots that I surf regularly is always crawling with sharks. It's only about a mile or less away from our inlet which has a huge Bull Shark and Spinner Shark population, and it seems that every time I surf there I see a shark or two or ten. Yes, it sometimes is a little scary especially when they ride the wave coming right at you and turn away right before they get to you. The best is when you start counting how many Spinner Sharks you see jump about 50 yards from where you surf, 2,3,6,9 and so on. As always though surfers keep surfing and the sharks keep swimming by. We understand that they are there and I know that they know we are there. 

Last year our community lost a fellow surfer and friend right here at Stuart Beach. Howard Schafer was kite surfing when he had fallen and been attacked by a shark. For the full story: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35233439/ns/us_news-life/). This attack made most of us realize how scary and that this could truly happen to anyone. Even though statistics show that we are more likely to be struck by lightning, we should all respect the ocean and it's most feared predator. Because when we enter the water we are in their territory, their home and their dinner table. 

This I am sure will not stop any of us from doing the sport we love. We just need to say a little prayer and put it in the back of your mind. So, enjoy the waves, the ocean and respect its creatures. 

Can you Hack it with Matt Banting and Matt Hoy?

There is more than just turning your board around and going the other direction when completing the ultimate turn, cutback or 'hack'. There are so many different ways to complete a turn on a wave face, usually it depends on the wave and how you will complete the turn but mostly takes the same skill and positioning. When starting out surfing we each want to throw spray over the back of the wave and as much as possible, usually to soak our friends or enemies. With surfing it is very hard to replicate maneuvers over and over again till you get the motion down. So, for this I would suggest surfing as much as possible and skate boarding in your drive way or skate park just thinking of how you would do the turn on the wave and trying to replicate the motion.

With any maneuver you want to get enough speed so that you can complete the maneuver without bogging a rail or not being able to make it through the whole turn. Doing a hack or whatever you like to call it, takes speed and a nice mellow shoulder to start off. The better you get and more comfortable you get with this the steeper the section on the wave you can complete the turn. When approaching the face in which you plan on doing the turn, make sure you draw out your bottom turn and try to bring as much speed as possible up the wave face. So pushing hard off your back foot and transition your weight evenly to both feet as you ride up and start your turn. While in the turn try pushing with your back foot while rotating your front shoulder and arm in the direction you want to go; also looking in the same direction of where you want to end up. (Tip: Try using your hand as a guide by feeling the face of the wave through your turn, this will provide you with an axis point and help stabilize you if you get off balance.) Now that you are through the turn, move your body weight forward and on your toes back into the direction the wave is moving. Your done and hopefully one of your buddies was right there to get soaked by your spray. Try working your way into this by going faster and pushing harder through the turn which each try and before you know it you’ll be hacking like the pros.

-surferabell

So You Think You Can Hack? from Waves Magazine on Vimeo.