The advantage of Wavestorms

Several years ago most new surfers at Tourmaline were groms. Nowadays most beginners appear to be adults that bought their Wavestorm boards at Costco for $99.99.

A fiberglass longboard is big and heavy. Going “over the falls” is dangerous; a surfer can get knocked out by his board and drown. Soft-tops like the Wavestorm take much of the danger out of the big waves.

Recently the surf was over six feet, but there were still several soft tops. Most of their riders never tried to take off on a wave.

Occasionally an experienced surfer can be found surfing a Wavestorm. I asked Pat Hoz, 51, a regular at Tourmo, why he sometimes takes out a soft-top. “They are very light and easy to carry down to the beach. While they are not exactly high-performance boards, they are easy to ride and a lot of fun. Plus I don’t have to worry about getting it dinged or someone stealing my board.”