Aerial |
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"I think aerials are the biggest hoax ever perpetuated on modern surfing. They're just trying for aerials on every wave, and they don't realize that 99.9 percent of the photos they see in the magazines are flying kick-outs." -- Shaun Tomson
Shaun Tomson was regarded as the best surfer in the world during the disco-plagued '70s. By the '80s, the rest of the world had gotten itself together and canned the Bee Gees, but surfing adopted the aerial. Tomson wasn't alone in his lamentation of the aerial's smoke-and-mirrors affect on surfing, but the purists were soon outnumbered. Here was a maneuver that kooks could do before ever learning to do a cutback; a maneuver that the old school would throw its back out trying, and the kids were loving it. Just who was the first to enter the space race is uncertain. The case could be made that surfers were popping airs in the '50s as they were being launched skyward in the Makaha shorebreak. Through the '60s and '70s, aerials were more accident than intent. Smaller, more maneuverable boards led to more radical lines and the occasional miscalculation over the lip. As skateboarders began flying off pools in the mid-'70s, it was just a matter of time before surfers would follow. Santa Cruz' Kevin Reed claims to have been busting airs since 1970, with photographic evidence coming on the cover of Surfing magazine in December of 1975. The move more closely resembles a flyaway kickout, but Reed is nevertheless given props as the pioneer. As the '80s rolled around, Reed was indeed blasting higher than anyone and inspiring a future generation of Westside flyers. Meanwhile, in 1979 at Sebastian Inlet, teens Matt Kechele and Jeff Klugel were so impressed by local skateboarder Allen Gelfand's aerial antics that they set out to mimic his ollie airs off First Peak. Kechele ran with the idea, renaming the aquatic version the "Kech air," while his surfboard sponsor Quiet Flight launched the "Matt Kechele Airlines" series. These early incarnations met ridicule by staunch advocates of the old school who scrawled "Silly Kech, Tricks Are For Kids" on the Sebastian bathhouse. As the thruster caught hold in the early '80s, people began flying to unheard of heights. Santa Barbara's Davey Smith, along with pioneering the floater, was boosting airs, as was Los Angeles' John McClure and Hawaii's Larry Bertlemann. In 1984, McClure scribed a Surf Tip on aerials in Surfer magazine, while Bertleman was featured mid-flight on its cover. Still, the surfing world wasn't buying it. But that was about to change. Martin Potter burst onto the pro scene as a 15-year-old South African with speed to burn. By 1984, he was making a stab at the world title while redefining the limits of conventional surfing. Rather than bunny-hopping like the majority of his airborne companions, Pottz was blasting through the lip with power and composure. He would spend a few summers around San Clemente in the mid-'80s, and local groms who saw his act would know no boundaries. By the late '80s, San Clemente, with its punchy beachbreaks and Lowers launch pad, had become the breeding ground for big moves. Christian Fletcher and Matt Archbold led the assault, with Fletcher making a short but powerful stint as surfing's media darling. The video age was upon us, and kids from Humboldt to Hyannis wanted to fly. Magazines began running more air shots than every other move combined, which meant that it was the first things kids tried as soon as they could stand on a board. The trend hasn't slowed since. In competition, the aerial has yet to gain billing commensurate to its degree of difficulty. Alternative air shows are gaining popularity, but the ASP, until recently when it changed the judging criteria so that it weighs more heavily toward radical maneuvers, hasn't rewarded those who stray from the three-to-the-beach formula. While Kelly Slater was putting the tour through its paces with five consecutive world titles in the late '90s, judges were bending to his flexible repertoire, but the openness ends there. Aerial wizards such as Shane Beschen and Cory Lopez have been stifled by the disinterest in innovation. After 20 years, the air has gained general acceptance in surfing. It hasn't replaced solid carving as the standard and likely never will due to the low success rate. Regardless, surfers are trying them in record numbers and nearly every top pro has them in his bag of tricks. And with strapped boards and stationary waves becoming more prominent, the aerial is assured a front seat in surfing's future. -- Jason Borte, October 2000 Click here to find all the Aerial photos and editorial on Surfline.
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