Tow-in surfing
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Tow-in surfing is a surfing technique pioneered by Laird Hamilton and others in the late 1990s where a surfer is towed into a breaking wave by a partner driving a personal watercraft. This method has a demonstrated advantage in situations where the wave is too large and moving too quickly for the surfer to catch it by paddling with his hands (such as Peahi off the north side of Maui), or where position on the wave is extremely critical (Chofu off southeast Tahiti).
Controversy
Critics of tow-in surfing decry the noise made by PWC engines, as well as the likelihood that new participants can get into predicaments that they have not been trained or conditioned to survive. On the other hand, a skilled team of driver and surfer, who often swap roles in the water during a session, develop a rapport and an understanding of ocean conditions that allows them to proactively watch out for each other.
