Tow-in surfing

From ExtremeWiki

Tow-in surfing is a Surfing technique pioneered by Laird Hamilton, Buzzy Kerbox, Dave Kalama, Milton Willis, Michael Willis and others in the mid 1990s where a surfer is towed into a breaking wave by a partner driving a personal watercraft or a helicopter with an attached tow-line. This method has a demonstrated advantage in situations where the wave is too large and moving too quickly for the surfer to catch it by paddling with his hands (such as Peahi off the north side of Maui), or where position on the wave is extremely critical (Teahupoo off southeast Tahiti).

The use of a helicopter for tow-in surfing started to appear in the mid 2000s, and has several advantages over the use of a personal watercraft. The pilot, positioned high above the surfer, is able to spot large waves from further away and position the surfer accordingly. Additionally, a helicopter can go faster, and is not affected by the ocean surface like a watercraft.

==Video== Tow-in Surfing Laird Hamilton Vast Touched
Laird Hamilton, world class big wave surfer and pioneer of tow-in surfing, braves two of the biggest wave breaks in the World. In this video Laird faces one of the most significant waves of his life, at the legendary wave break in Tahiti named 'Teahupoo', which in Tahitian means, "End of the Road". Monster waves are also featured in Lairds home break, in Maui, named 'Piahi' meaning "The Beacon", or affectionately known as 'Jaws'. The copulation of clips I set to the song "Touched" by: 'Vast'

[edit] Controversy

Critics of tow-in surfing decry the noise and exhaust fumes made by PWC engines, as well as the likelihood that new participants can get into predicaments that they have not been trained or conditioned to survive. On the other hand, a skilled team of driver and surfer, who often swap roles in the water during a session, develop a rapport and an understanding of ocean conditions that allows them to proactively watch out for each other. Environmentalists have shut down tow-in surfing at Mavericks saying that is hazardous to the wild life and a nuisance for people living there.

[edit] Famous tow-in spots

• Todos Santos, Mexico
• Mavericks, Northern California.
• Dungeons, Cape Town.
• Jaws, Maui.
• Aill Na Searrach, Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
• Ilha dos Lobos, Southern Brazil
• Cortes Bank
• Teahupoo, Tahiti
• Bundoran, Ireland.

[edit] Noted big wave surfers

• Ken Bradshaw
• Laird Hamilton
• Koby Abberton
• Milton Willis
• Garrett McNamara
• Mike Parsons
• Ross Clarke-Jones
• Cheyne Horan
• Rodrigo Resende
• Romeu Bruno
• Brad Gerlach
• Keala Kennelly

[edit] References

• Matt Warshaw: Maverick's: the story of big-wave surfing, Chronicle Books, ISBN 0-8118-2652-X
• Wikipedia article [1]