Tandem Surfing

The Largest Surfing Encyclopedia

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As with much of the sport we call surfing, tandem riding was born at Waikiki. Over the years, it has evolved from a man and a woman standing together on a single board to a series of technical lifts and international competitions, but other than that, not much has changed. Tandem hasn't succumbed to the culture of tolerance; you won't see any same sex couples. It remains one man, one woman, one board and one wave.

The act requires a particular combination of partners in order to be successful. Not to be sexist, but the man clearly is the captain of the tandem ship, plotting and navigating the course while hoisting his trophy mate skyward. He must be a competent surfer of considerable strength, while his dainty companion generally tips the scales in double digits. In most cases, a competitive duo includes a girl with either a dancing or an acrobatic background familiar with flaunting her body. A role reversal is possible, but it would require a female on the scale of Xena: Warrior Princess and a man no bigger than Tattoo. There are no rules barring such a pairing, and the effect could be quite entertaining.

Tandem never had a huge following, but it has progressed right along with conventional surfing ever since its inception with the early 20th century haole tourist. As travelers flocked to Waikiki, they were enamored with the daring feats of local beachboys. George Freeth, Duke Kahanamoku and the rest made Queens surf look so appealing that visitors were keen to join in the fun. While men maintained their masculine image by going it alone, women hired the natives -- who were all too happy to oblige, much to the dismay of many a husband or boyfriend -- as surfing escorts. Duke took the endeavor overseas in 1914, giving Australia its first glimpse of surfing. After a swimming exhibition near Sydney, he constructed a board of local timber and paddled resident wahine Isobel Latham into head-high-plus surf at Freshwater Beach. A throng of giddy spectators witnessed the tandem demonstration that would go down as the first recorded session Down Under.

In the '30s, Pete Peterson and Whitey Harrison stowed away to Oahu and returned to California with enticing tales of Hawaiian surf, including tandem riding. The burgeoning surf scene embraced the pursuit, little wonder given the oversize planks of the day. Twosomes made any sort of turning all the more difficult, so tandem riders congregated at long lined up venues such as Corona del Mar, Malibu and San Onofre.

The rise of surf contests in the '60s signaled the heyday of tandem as many of surfing's elite took a girl along for the ride. Fun was still the overriding factor, but competitiveness gradually crept into the picture. Many contests recognized the top Ironmen -- a combination of surfing, paddling and tandem events. With increased interest came further evolution. Merely lifting one's partner was no longer enough, as the judging criteria incorporated an extensive array of technical lifts. Peterson remained the top dog, but he was joined by Doheny lifeguard Bob Moore and legendary all-around competitor Mike Doyle. Their partners, on the other hand, were as interchangeable as FCS fins.

With the shortboard revolution and anti-contest sentiment of the late '60s and early '70s came a sharp decline in tandem riding. One couple became synonymous with the sport within a sport -- Steve and Barrie Boehne. Steve, a tandem rider since 1961, and Barrie, a former champion of the Makaha International when matched with Peterson, went on to win three world titles, six Makaha Internationals, one French and Four United States championships. They traveled the world promoting the sport as well as hosting contests and lessons nearer their Southern California home.

In the '90s, a new couple emerged as the figureheads of tandem -- Bobby Friedman and Anna Shisler. By rejecting the more traditional cruise-and-lift method in favor of a balls-out approach at places like Pipeline, Waimea and Puerto Escondido, they had at least given tandem some press, something it has sorely lacked for decades. By focusing more on the wave than the moves, they returned tandem to its Waikiki roots. They're doing it in heavier waves, but the song remains the same. -- Jason Borte, March 2001