The Cutback

I been thinking about some of the subtle differences between the waves here in San Diego and the waves in NorCal, primarily Linda Mar, Ocean Beach in San Francisco and the waves in Santa Cruz compared to the waves I now surf. I'm probably digging a hole for myself right now, about to stick both my feet down my throat, but hold on for a second before you start gagging and let me explain.  Yes, I am going to do somewhat of a comparative analysis, but nonetheless, it's only my humble opinion.

I learned how to surf at Linda Mar.  Progressing at Linda Mar is probably one of the hardest things to come by because that wave closes out 93.7% percent (a statistical fact!) of the time.  And to get better at surfing, I made the commitment to driving to Santa Cruz every weekend so that I could actually stand up on my board for more than three seconds.  I learned how to go down the line in Santa Cruz, but what Linda Mar taught me was how to build speed and make sections so I could actually have a three to six second ride instead of drop and wash.

Laura Enever's backside cutback.

Santa Cruz's waves vary.  You can catch a long perfect ride at the Hook, which can section at times, but nonetheless a pretty fast wave with plenty of power on bigger days.  Or you could head to the West Side and sit at First or Middle's at the Lane and make a drop, slash or pump your way down the line.  I really credit a lot of what I've learned from the different waves I surfed in Santa Cruz.  From The Hook to Sewers and from The Lane to Four Mile, those waves are all different, powerful and humbling.

I credit Ocean Beach with helping me grow hair on my chest.  I always tell myself where ever I paddled out,  no matter how gnarly it looks, if I can paddled out at O.B. on a hairy day, I can paddle out anywhere.  Because of O.B., I can practically duck dive anything.  O.B. taught me what type of surfer I am, which to be honest, is a "fun surf day" type of guy.  On those big and gnar days, I'd rather be on the beach filming and taking pictures.

Stephanie Gilmore's frontside cutback. 

The San Diego wave isn't as raw as the waves at Ocean Beach in S.F. and probably not as powerful and fast as the waves in Santa Cruz.  When waves are firing in NorCal, they come like a freight train.  Not that the waves aren't powerful in S.D., but they are a bit mellower.  Because of the outside kelp forest that surrounds most of the beaches here and probably other things I have yet to recognize, the waves usually come in groomed and clean.  The wave is fast enough to throw your hair back but chilled enough to allow endless ripping.  It is a high performance wave, with rampy skate walls that allow slashing, punts, hugs, kisses and whatever your little heart desires. 

A recent wave at the beach I surf most.  This place handles windswells to perfection.  I never thought windswells could be as groomed as they are at this beach break. 

When I first moved here, the first thing I focused on from the get go was my stalls and cutbacks.  I was so use to trying to build speed at places like Linda Mar and The Hook that I would practically out run waves.  After a month or so of trying to figure out what went wrong and how to correct things, I've learned how to execute a pretty efficient cutback .  It's not the fastest cutback, and it's probably quite ugly, but it works.

About 90 percent of the time, either at a reef, point or beach break, my first moves are as follows:  Make the drop, set my bottom turn, release, pull up, put pressure on my front heel, let the wave pull my tail and then squeeze the top thin layer of the wave, look back, commit to the pocket, get sucked in, look back down the line and then spin the board back down the face.  Sounds complicated but it's not.  All the Southern California surfers do it on every wave with ease because it is a must have progression to stay in the pocket.  It's really fascinating when done correctly.  My favorite part is when the wave catches my tail and does all the work for me, sucking me right into the pocket.  One thing that I've figured out is that it is all in the eyes.  Where ever I'm looking is where I'm going.  And it's hard at times, especially on bigger sets to make that commitment with my eyes when the board and all the rest of my body is facing the opposite way.  But it's a must and well worth it when your screaming back towards the wash.

I'm continually trying to work on my cutback.  On the first turn, my tail wasn't high enough to get sucked into the pocket.  I'm learning to let the wave take control of my board, especially on these attempts at a frontside cutback. 

I know I'm just babbling, still trying to figure out this thing called a "cutback".  I have always been fascinated by the move since I first started.  It's all Dan's fault at Sonlight.  When I first started surfing, he told me about this mythical move called the "cutback" and how beautiful it looked and felt.  Ever since then, I've been searching for it in my surfing.  And each time I surf and complete an unexpected cutback, I remember that stoked smile on Dan's face as he mind surfed a perfect wave while passing on the stoke of that very move.