Surf Prescriptions: Year of the "Drag - In"

Aloha surfers, the new sport of "tow-in" surfing has emerged over the past several years and is making a huge impact on those who like to go to extremes. For the layperson, tow - in surfing consists of a surfer strapped onto a surfboard that has the ability to maintain maneuverability while out on the face of a 40 ft monster wave. What's more is that the surfer is actually pulled into the critical zone of the wave by a jet ski or other watercraft at a speed of approximately 40 mph……extreme enough for you???

Several years ago, while big wave surfing purists such as Alec "ACE COOL" Cook of Kaena Point Challenge fame, were trying their best to paddle into the largest waves on this planet off of the northwest corner of Oahu, others such as Ken Bradshaw were pioneering the new sport of tow-in surfing at locations around the globe. For a better understanding of this concept, get your hands on a copy of the 1997-1998 surf movie entitled "In God's Hands". In this flick a young surfer, played by pro surfer Shane Dorian, devotes his life to trying to ride the biggest wave on earth. As if that is not enough, he travels the world studying the art of tow-in surfing and how a wave will travel to parts of the world and, if properly tracked, can be followed and surfed along almost every shore it approaches.

The sport of tow-in surfing has now come full circle in the modern world of extreme sports with it's first ever big money professional championship and actually a group of dedicated big wave surfers who do nothing more than ride these 40 ft plus mountains. Surfers like Laird Hamilton, Derrick Doerner, Brian Keaulana, and Mike Parsons are now pushing the envelope while riding these unbelievably huge waves. Mike Parsons, on a recent big wave surf exploration mission off the San Diego coast actually found a new location several hours off shore where, when the waves get huge, they actually are pushing the 50-60 ft mark. This location is called the Cortes Bank and is a somewhat shallow, if you can call it shallow, location where big waves expend a great deal of their "open ocean" energy before reforming and charging on toward the California coast.

In an upcoming James Bond 007 movie that is being filmed in various locations around the world, Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, and Derrick Doerner donned camouflage wetsuits, night vision goggles, and rubber AK-47's to film a scene for the movie at a big wave location on Maui…..the name of the spot is a favorite of big wave surfers and is called, due to it's reputation of eating surfers with such a big open mouth of water, "JAWS". Look for it in theaters soon if you are a James Bond fan. Otherwise, unless you receive certification and acceptance as a big wave rider, please do not go out into the water in these conditions. As with anything that extreme, this sport is better watched from a distance. When the waves get big, get your binoculars and enjoy the show……surf doctor…out !!!