Speed, Control, and Speed-Control
I just had as much fun as I’ve had on a surfboard this year.
Surfers and shapers often talk about speed versus control—but last week, I got to practice something less frequently discussed: speed control.
A few friends invited me to go wake surfing behind a buddy’s boat. I’d tried it once before, years ago, but I was eager to give it another go. I actually wrote about wake surfing as an alternative in Almond’s Guide for Land-Locked Surfers, but this year’s experience felt worth writing about all on its own.
Over the years, I’ve ridden just about everything behind a boat wake—skimboards, alaias, R-Series boards, fishes, shortboards, and even (once) an inflatable SUP. But the one board I’d been wanting to experiment with more was a proper noserider.
I’d seen enough clips of surfers like Tegan Gainan, JJ Wessels, Capu Sedan, and Corey Colapinto gliding forever on log-style boards behind boats—turning wakes into point-break lookalikes—that I really wanted to try it for myself.
So with a mix of excitement and curiosity, we met at the docks of a Pacific Northwest river last Thursday morning, ballasts full and longboards in tow.
Let me just say—it delivered.
Even though a boat wake is fundamentally different from a wave—especially in how it generates energy—the longboard unlocked an entirely new feeling. Very quickly, you find the pocket, drop the rope, and start harnessing the wake’s energy for what feels like an endless ride.
The biggest challenge? Managing your speed.
Cross-step too far forward and you catch up to the boat. Cross-step back to stall and you can drop too far behind and lose the wave altogether. I did both, plenty of times, in my ongoing dance with the sweet spot.
Here’s my friend Stephen, on a "right-hander"
What stood out to me was how much cross-step practice you get in such a short amount of time. Every ride is an opportunity to feel the board trim, stall, and accelerate—immediate feedback for anyone working on noseriding or overall longboard control.
Finding—and staying in—the pocket is one of the most foundational elements of great surfing. This was a surprisingly effective way to simulate that feeling. Not to mention, it’s just plain fun.
For anyone trying to refine their longboarding—especially noseriding—there may be no better practice than finding the pocket on a wake and staying there.
I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to longboard behind a boat again. But next time the invite comes—I’m there.
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