Strap Surfing

Rush has been on the cutting edge of strap boarding since its inception, and to watch him attack the surf is an enlightening experience - half the time he's in the air, often up-side down!

Check out this rodeo 720° sequence!

The Evolution of Surfing

Surfing as a professional sport has been in the forefront of the water sports industry for more than 40 years. The technological advances within the past couple of years have been significant.

Early days

The sport of surfing began with wood surfboards—long, very heavy and carved from solid wood. Foam, resin and fiberglass were later developed, resulting in a board weighing less. The introduction of wax provided better grip to the board. The use of leashes to connect the surfer to the board also became popular (leashes are now considered a necessity for a surfer). Surfboard size became smaller and smaller. With the development of twin fins and thruster boards, conventional surfing as we know it was in place.

Strap surfing

In the early 1990s, the surfing industry changed dramatically. In 1991, foot straps, used to attach a surfer to the board, made connected surfing a reality. The straps made it possible for even beginning surfers to ride more challenging waves, but for a professional athlete, such as Rush, this new development lead to increased freedom and improved acrobatic maneuverability. Randle consistently completed 360s, 540s and even 720s on surfboards mounted with straps.

Tow surfing

Throughout 1991 and 1993, Rush and a team of six other surfers “STRAPPED” worked to develop boards of narrower design—a design created in an attempt to tackle Hawaii’s outer reefs where waves often reach 25- to 50-feet in size. Because these waves are so large and move so quickly, the surfers were unable to paddle on their boards to catch them. At first, the athletes used Zodiac watercraft to tow the surfer into the wave. While this worked better than paddling, the development of the modern Jet Ski wave runner made tow-in surfing what it is today. The jet skis added to the safety of the sport and allowed athletes to surf the big locations, normally too large and too fast moving to use conventional surfing techniques. Strapped surfing has now gained wide acceptance among many in the surfing community.

Flow surfing

In 1998, the ever-changing water sports industry expanded even more with the development of the man-made flow wave. The flow wave is a stationary wave. The international flow wave competition began in 1999. The best surfers, skateboarders and snowboarders were among the competitors vying for superiority in this new cutting-edge extreme sport.

Foil surfing

In the year’s 1997-1999, the technology of surfing took another leap forward when Rush, Brett Lickle and Laird Hamilton developed the sport of foil surfing. using the same philosophy and techniques adapted from the Sky Ski. A hydrodynamic foil is attached to the bottom of the surfboard raising it about four feet out of the water. This gives the surfer the ability to fly above the water surface, with the hydrofoil slicing across the face of the wave. Using the foil board it is now possible to ride a swell or wave further than any other conventional means due to the foil utilizing the hydrodynamics of the swells ground effects.

The future

Surfing will continue to change. As ways to utilize new and exciting technologies are discovered and adapted for use in extreme surfing, the sport will grow and advance. As it progresses, count on Rush to be at the forefront.

Maui, Hawaii
Rush@RushRandle.com

Front barrel roll sequence

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