Mat surfing, along with other fringe surfing activities, continues to gain traction. With UK surfing conditions not the most consistent many riders are realising that fun can mean riding alternative types of craft. It doesn’t need to be about the best waves and shortboard rip and tear. Instead, it’s more about the feeling and enjoyment. NCW team rider Sam Gill waxes lyrical about his mat surfing experiences and why you should get involved.
What’s mat surfing when it’s at home?
If you’ve been surfing for a while, then you will understand that learning to surf really is a lifelong undertaking. However, I bet you can remember that first feeling of standing up in the whitewater, your board skimming over the water’s surface as you sped towards the beach. Or even better the first unbroken wave that you caught. Feeling the board speed suddenly pick up as the rail engaged and you rode down the line crouched in the pocket like you were getting barrelled at Pipeline.
Do you remember the elation of paddling back out to the lineup from that first wave feeling like you’d unlocked the door to some secret other-realm of long green walls and sparkling curves of pitching water? Would you believe me if I told you there was a way that you could experience the thrill of that first wave all over again? Well, there is a way… Via the power of mat surfing.
What’s it like to surf a mat?
Matsurfing involves prone riding a partially inflated bag of air. Which to the uninitiated looks very much like a deflated swimming pool lilo. Gently squeezing and releasing the mat to change its shape and control the speed as you ride along the wave it’s a whole need skillset. The whole concept of riding mats is almost the exact opposite of riding a board. If you are on a board, lying down or standing up, then you are trying to use the board’s rails to create speed and drive along the wave. Mat surfing is much more subtle.
Once you have caught the wave and you are going down the line (not as easy as it may sound!), you are really trying to release the pressure on the mat and just let it glide. If you can get this right, then the mat seems to literally take off and you begin to speed effortlessly along the wave. The feeling of pure glide as you slide along the wave face really is the closest you will get to the elation of the first wave you ever caught surfing.
Is mat surfing hard?
Ok, now comes the disclaimer. Matsurfing is something that you are going to do just for the hilarious fun of it. Nobody is going to think you are cool and it is pretty darn difficult. I’m sorry but while you are in the lineup summoning up literally every ounce of your surfing knowledge to even manage to catch a wave (the first time it can feel almost completely impossible) everyone else will be looking at you like you are a complete idiot.
At first, because mats are ridden at low inflation, it can be a challenge to even stay on top of it. Do you remember making a float out of your pyjama bottoms in school swimming lessons? Well, imagine climbing on top of those half-inflated trousers and trying to paddle into a wave. That’s pretty similar to the feeling you get during the first outing on the mat!
Don’t I need the mat to be fully inflated?
So why not just pump the mat up to full inflation, surely that would be easier? Unfortunately not. If you want to go fast, you need to ride surf mats with low inflation so you are the master of the air pressure inside the mat and therefore the master of the speed. Counterintuitively, lower inflation equals higher speed. And let’s face it, whatever craft you are riding, that feeling of speed on the wave is what we all crave!
To give an idea of the inflation level, when starting out a good rule of thumb is that if you lift the front half of the mat then you should be able to fold the mat to at least 45 degrees before it goes tight. Now I’m a little more confident on the mat I like to be able to put my arm across the mat at halfway and be able to fold it totally over on itself with my arm inside before it goes tight. Minimum drag = maximum speed!
Summing up.
Mat surfing is definitely well on the fringe side of the surfing spectrum. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but there is now an ever growing number of committed mat surfers in the UK. Maybe, just maybe, you read the last paragraph and thought: ‘yeah, shooting down the line on something resembling a half inflated bin bag sounds right up my street!’ Well, if you did, grab a surf mat and a good pair of fins. It’s time for you to get out there and experience the pure joy of mat surfing!
For all the mat surfing and firing riding wetsuits and accessories, you’ll need head over to NCW’s webshop here.
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