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SUP SURFING VS SUP FOILING
WORDS : TEZ PLAVENIEKS PHOTOS : TEZ PLAVENIEKS & OLI LANE-PEARCE IT ’ S NO SECRET I LOVE A WAVE . IF THERE ’ S A BUMP TO BE HAD – NO MATTER HOW SMALL – I ’ LL TEND TO SNIFF IT OUT . THE FLY IN THE OINTMENT IS BEING A SOUTH COAST ( UK ) BASED WATER NUT THOSE PROPER SWELLS CORNWALL , DEVON , AND WALES GET AREN ’ T AS CONSISTENT IN MY ‘ HOOD . WE GET GOOD DAYS – MOSTLY IN WINTER . SOMETIMES A LUCKY PULSE WILL HEAD UP THE CHANNEL IN SUMMER . BUT MOSTLY IT ’ S A CASE OF HUNTING OR TRAVELLING , WHICH I ’ M UNABLE TO DO AS OFTEN . AND YET I STILL GET MY FAIR SHARE OF WAVE RIDING SESSIONS . EVEN MORE CURRENTLY , INCLUDING A HYDROFOIL TO MY SUP SET UP …
Defining what a wave is
I grew up a surfer . Learning when I was five , but residing in the middle of the country , I didn ’ t have beaches and swell on tap . My wave sliding occurred with school holiday overseas trips and weekend sojourns down to the SW . Thanks to my parents , the latter became more frequent as I got older . Maybe this way is their way of appeasing two grumpy teenage boys ( my brother is also a surfer ).
Back in those days , a wave was a wave in the traditional sense . Open a surf mag , hit up Google and do a relevant search , and you ’ ll know what I mean . Peeling , lined up , offshore and breaking along idyllically sandfringed coastlines . Deciding when to go was arguably much simpler with ‘ proper surf beaches ’. Look for the swell , look for the offshore wind and head on down .