Photo by Neil Miyake

Beneath the wheels of the surfing juggernaut lies forgotten stoke. Stranger revisits the uncommon joy of bodysurfing. 

Words by Dan Crockett

First published in Stranger 14 - April 2007

 Buried under contest-casts from fantasy islands and wetsuits with battery packs, a simple way of riding waves brings surfing back to basics. Pitting the rider directly against the water and eliminating the clutter, swimming into ocean waves awakens a dormant rush. The uneasy nexus between surfing and its toxic vessels is discarded, for bodysurfing is all about the ride.  

In an era of crowds, where the solitude that attracted many to the ocean is harder to find, bodysurfing offers a retreat. Whether it’s a five-yard scramble in the whitewater or a graceful arc across a green face, being pushed along on your belly awakens a childlike pleasure that seems forgotten by the bobbing heads in the water. It makes the angry eyes and tense lineups seem ridiculous, alien even. Donning a pair of Speedos might not flick the switches of the image-conscious, and a budgie-smuggling dip in the Atlantic could probably kill at this time of year, so full rubber is a must for the springtime UK bodysurfer.  

Swimming with the waves is primitive. It is older than the Polynesian Islanders who ritually played amongst the ocean breakers, and it could be older than the Polynesian Islands themselves. The roots of bodysurfing may come from a time before humans, when antediluvian creatures hauled themselves onto dry land for the first time after a screamer through the shorebreak. One thing is for sure; bodysurfing feels wholly different to regular riding. It’s exhausting for a start. Surf journo Nick Carroll, speaking on bodysurfing, claimed: “at the peak level they are gnarlier watermen than anyone.”    

Mark Cunningham and bodysurfing are often mentioned in the same breath. This half-man, half-fish is part of an elite tier of bodysurfers who have been breaking down the boundaries of the art for decades. A veteran north shore lifeguard (now retired), he has perhaps come the closest to mastering the art of bodysurfing in the modern age. Cunningham drawing high lines across imploding bombs, with nothing but Speedos and fins, is the natural conclusion of bodysurfing. Other notorious aficionados include Mike Stewart, Tom Curren, and unsurprisingly Kelly Slater.   

Slater himself has described the experience as “much more intimate” than riding a surfboard, and this intimacy is part of what makes bodysurfing so special. It is inclusive, because the most inexperienced person can get a rush, whilst at its upper realm bodysurfing remains unexplored. Who knows how far it could be taken? From the basic thrill of playing in the whitewater, right through to the experts who charge one of the heaviest spots in the world at the annual Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic, bodysurfing has a timeless appeal.

Photo by LDK Photography

Bodysurfers are an underground tribe, devoted to their interpretation of riding waves. “When I’m in the tube, it’s so beautiful!” Cunningham said in a recent interview, “One side is a beautiful green face trying to suck you over, the other is Niagara Falls trying to jackhammer you to the bottom. And there you are... trying to thread the needle.”   

Bodysurfing in Cornwall at this time of year is somewhat more bracing. Yet for this, it is made even more immediate. Quick sessions must be snatched before the water claws its way to your core. The first plunge is breathless; duck-dives beneath the crests sting at the head. The body feels heavy, used to a supporting chunk of foam, the waves enormous from the trough. The hood, necessary for immersion in the winter months, blinkers the eyes so that every ride is framed in a neat circle. It is stirring stuff. Puerto bodysurfer Bill Missett once said: “It is you and Mother Nature, and the experience eventually improves you mentally and physically and opens you up emotionally and spiritually.”   

Although the beauty of bodysurfing is ease and accessibility for all, stay aware of the sea conditions before taking the plunge. If you are a beginner, you should be looking for small-medium sized clean waves, not breaking too far from the shore and with no gutter. Stay aware of rips and undertows and don’t overestimate your swimming ability. When conditions are right, and glassy peelers break with enough force to propel you across their faces and finally to the shore, there can be few more natural joys.