This article ran in the June 2005 issue of 

Editor's Note: Bodysurfing is about as pure as it gets. It may not be the most glamorous form of waveriding out there, but it'll give you a perspective unlike any other. Master bodysurfer Mark Cunningham tells you how it's done . . . .


First off, you're not going to be a good bodysurfer if you’re not a strong swimmer. Make sure you know about currents, reefs and rips before you slip on a pair of fins and swim out. Unlike bodywhomping, which usually involves a lot of beatings and sore necks at a place like Waimea shorebreak or Sandy Beach, I’m interested in body

 The ideal wave for this is a longer, hollow wave that doesn’t peel too fast. Point Panic on Oahu’s South Shore is great, and the end section of Pipeline can also be good. Avoiding boards and bodies is high on the priority list, so pick your peak accordingly. One more thing: don’t do the classic surfer thing and scrape up a pair of mismatched, bumfuck fins. Get a good pair that’ll give you plenty of power. I use Da Fin, the company that sponsors the City and County Lifeguards here in Hawaii.


One of the cool things about bodysurfing is that you’re really anonymous out there. You’re just this coconut, bobbing out in the lineup and there aren’t any expectations placed on you. So don’t worry about stage fright. You’re never onstage. When you’re in the right spot for a wave, you want to be in the top third of the peak, right under the hook. Unlike a lot of bodysurfers, I think it’s important to do a lot of swimming and positioning to allow for a strong takeoff. Just like boardsurfing, you want to come strong out of the gate so you have the momentum to do what you want to do.


It’s important to keep that high line once you catch the wave. If you get to the bottom, there's really no climbing back up the face and you'll bog. So on the takeoff, imagine being the surfboard itself. On a left, you’re going to stretch your left arm out ahead of you and use it to guide and plane down the line. Only the left side of your body should be in the water at this time—that’s the rail you’re leaning on. The right half of your body is out of the water, your head is out with your right hand back and dragging like a skeg. Going right, do the same but with opposite arms. Unless the wave is totally crapping out, you’re not kicking at all. Let the wave’s power and your planing abilities do all the work. Body-wise, it’s really about feel. There’s a thing in karate, called the 

 where your body is focused and centered and ready for anything. Same with bodysurfing. You’re constantly making changes to your stiffness and flex to adjust to the ever-changing wave. Don’t expect to come out of many tubes, but when you do, it’s an amazing experience.

The last word. Bodysurfing is fun—there's nothing more to it.

"HOW TO BODYSURF," by MARK CUNNINGHAM (2005)

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