Gony Zubizarreta’s forehand floater re-entry

The floater re-entry is a good move to have in your locker for several reasons. They feel good, they look good, they’re not as hard to do as Kerr-upt Flips or BS Alley-oops, they can make for great watershots and give all important versatility to your surfing. Not as risky as a full on lip detonation, you can still carry your speed through the move, land right in the pocket and go straight into another. On a recent Mentawai trip Spain’s Gony Zubizarreta threw this one down over Timo’s melon at a spot called Full Moons. Gony remembers, “It’s not really a hard manoeuvre to do but still feels great to pull. It’s also good to use as a set up for the next section.”

1. After pumping down the line for speed, Gony’s picked his spot in the lip and is aiming at it with a fast bottom turn. As he’s approaching the lip, he’s also checking how steep the wave is and how much it’s throwing.

2. With his board going up through the lip line, in order to get on top of the lip, Gony twists his shoulders and hips, but not as hard as if he were going to pull a fins-out lip turn.

3. With his arms up Gony ‘s stayed floatey so that he can get on the roof. He’s right on top of the wave, and as it throws him forward and down he’s beginning to eye the landing spot on the flats below.

4. Staying over his board for full control and spreading his wings for balance, Gony’s on his way down, using the throwing lip to project him out. He’s pulled his nose down so that it’s pointing in the direction the lip is throwing it, making landing much easier.

5. The distortion of the fish-eye lens is deceiving, and Gony’s fins are probably only about 50cm from Timo’s camera. Hydro physics boffins among you might want to make a study of the water flow of Gony’s fins seen in this shot, which is fine. Otherwise, simply appreciate the pleasant perspective of a 1/1000th of a second of up-close surfing action on a sunny Mentawai morning.

Gony’s tips for forehand re-entries

1. “A good bottom turn is really important. You want to be low, try to touch the water with your back hand while you’re pushing off the bottom and looking up, deciding what’s next.”

2. “Decide what kind of re-entry you are going to do as you approach. This will depend of the shape of the wave. In this sequence, I used the lip to do a floater re-entry and project over Timo.”

3. “It’s important to look down at the point where you’re going to land and continue looking down the line to prepare for the next turn. Your re-entry isn’t an isolated move.”

4. “Ride your favourite shortboard, something light and loose. I was surfing a 6’0” 181/8” 23/16” Nick Semente Squashtail.”