I have been needing an amplifier for my quiver for some time now. Something that would elevate a drab session to something nice. So nice! I wanted something that I could take out on days when you might think otherwise about paddling about. You know those days when you want to get wet but it seems like nature is working against you.

Well the amplifier solves that problem every time. This weekend was a perfect example of this.

It was about 1ft with a little bit of south in it, somewhat glassy in the am with a little bump getting into it around noonish. I made it around noon both days, but the amplifier did its thing. It turned a gloomy fogged out day into a blast and amplified the normally lackluster waves into something to get excited about.  I had some really long rides and the sheer volume of rides per hour went up exponentially.

I was taking off on little bumps that you just couldn’t pick up on my normal 6′0″ ride. Effortless on the takeoff as I stroked into them with literally one or none paddles. As I would drop in I learned to put all my weight on the back foot which would cause the board to stall at the bottom of the wave without getting too far ahead, at that point I would have to run up the nose to get it going again….which would accelerate incredibly fast. Once you got the glide going it shot towards the shoulder making most any section even ones that had broke immediately from the takeoff. Once on the shoulder I practiced my drop knee cutback which felt really styly. On a couple little rides I was actually able to toss up a little spray on the cutback which would also stall you out and create the need to do some more running up the nose.

On and on it went for about three hours. I surfed till was was so thirsty I was considering drinking the ocean. I am in love with my new form of waveriding. It is so much less effort and so much more glide. I’m stoked to get it completely wired and until then these small days will keep me satiated till the swells start rolling in again and OB gets back to its normal foreboding self.

Distance 4: 610 km (330 nm) SW of Kaoshiung, Taiwan