Handplanes allow surfers to catch waves a little easier, kick a little less, trim a little longer and have greater control on the waves surface. Photo: Thomas Leitch. There is something classic about the plane-free approach. So a little assistance goes a long way. Some will love them, some may not, some may use them only when the waves are small and weak, leaving them on the sand when conditions align and their local beach break offers its best impersonation of Puerto Escondido. This feature is only available on The Inertia+.

However you approach it, keep an open mind. This is the key to control, stability and power.. In some ways, it comes down to personal choice; do you want to keep things plain and simple or do you want greater maneuverability, harder hold, more control? *Billed annually. To return to where this all began, it all comes down to choice, to preference, to how best you enjoy connecting with the wave, feeling the glide, sliding across the face in harmony with oceanic energies. They exist purely to enhance what wecan achievewhen bodysurfing.

Bodysurfing is gaining increasing popularity among ocean-dwellers, some as an extension of their surfing lives, others as the sole focus of their aquatic pursuits. Photo: Thomas Leitch. Did he have an unfair advantage? With the equation running something like, the bigger the wave, the smaller the plane, this commits these more substantial waves to a handplane-free congregation. This has much to do with bodysurfers existing position in the pecking order. Whatever you decide, there is no right or wrong its all bodysurfing plane and simple. In fact, on a heavy close-out, being dragged up the face of six feet of churning, grinding ocean, the last thing you want is an added piece of floatation, something else to worry about, to be dragged from your grasp, possibly taking your rotator cuff with it. Becausethese testing, trying, adrenaline-infused conditions are in the vast minority of lineups being bodysurfed around the world, for the average bodysurfer diminutive beach breaks, mellow points, or wind-challenged peaks are the best it gets nine times out of ten. I believe the single most powerful advantage of using a handplane is the fact it gives the surfer that extra lift upon entry, suggests Gilbey. Far from it he simply chose a different approach perhaps a little more appropriate for the days conditions. Early access and reduced pricing to exclusive events. We all like freedom, and surfing free of all devices is an incredible feeling, but choose the right handplane and youll feel like youre riding nothing at all thats the secret., Like surfboards, handplanes all have different concaves, tails, and volume. Try going planed up or naked, test different templates and materials, surf the same waves with or without and see which suits you best. And theres no right answer.

This raises the upper body clear of the water, reducing overall drag and increasing speed. To some, they are superfluous, even viewed with a little disdain, but to others they are a precious tool for catching more waves, easier and with greater control. In waves of consequence, be that the infamous Dirty Old Wedge in Newport, Ehukai Beach, home of the deadly Pipeline, or the bodysurfing-only break of Point Panic, the waves have far greater bang for their buck than the majority of breaks being bodysurfed around the world. Was it cheating? Closer to the unfettered purity of the symbiosis between man and ocean, handplanes can be seen as unnecessary, getting in the way or even redundant.

Bodysurfing remains an inclusive community, with a do it how you like it mentality pervading the lineup. Everyone the least bit interested in bodysurfing should try them out, perhaps just to get them started, possibly as a lifelong preference, certainly to experience the profound difference they make.

There is no arguing that handplanes make bodysurfing easier on numerous levels. Handplane or no, a womper is a womper is a womper. Often viewed as little more than swimmers, certainly disregarded as fellow surfers, bodysurfers collect the scraps or move elsewhere. How we find our joy in the ocean is as wide and diverse as the craft available to experience it. Join The Inertia+ for the price of an oat milk latte (or two bars of wax) a month. But they arent training wheels, a hindrance to shed when talents are achieved. But bodysurfing and handplane surfing hold their own devotees. But that is a fantasy world beyond comprehension for most weekend wompers or casual bodysurfers. But for some, and a growing number, boards just get in the way of a good time. Fins have become essential, a key component of every bodysurfers gear and one that unless youre an Olympic swimmer or part fish wed be struggling without. That isnt to suggest that handplanes are for novices and poor waves only. For the handplane enthusiast, a quiver may be necessary. Handplanes turn weak mushy waves into a playground, says WAW Handplanes founder, Rikki Gilbey. Surfboards, paddleboards, bodyboards, boards of every shape, size and style theres something for everyone, every choice, every condition. As with surfboards, different shapes offer different advantages, length, rail, tail and concaves all coming into play for their application, so a quiver of handplanes can provide greater benefit across numerous breaks and conditions. It is surfing in its purest form, ultimately requiring littlemore than what our mothers gave us. In fact, current World Bodysurfing champion, Tom Marr, rode a handplane to victory. Likewise, in a steeper face, a plane offers a hand hold, a rail to dig in and grip onto, not only preventing you from slipping too far down the face, but also to switch direction, correct your line, rise and fall in the pocket and surf the wave in a completeness that is barely possible without. This is, to some degree, leading to a bit of a divergence, similar to the shortboard vs. longboard segregation in surfing, just without all the aggro. Purists and contemporaries, recreational and full time, it doesnt really matter how they are characterized there is simply one and the other. Where a bodysurfer may struggle to get onto and maintain a full-faced, high tide roller, a handplaner will be able to use that plane to pick up the wave, drawing their upper body out of the water, creating less drag to better utilise the waves minimal power. With more power in a wave, the catching, planing, trimming and maintaining is far less in need of assistance. Of course, what the elite can achieve compared tothe average surfer are two very separate realms, and the worlds leading sliders can do incredible things without so much as a pair of fins. And for the record, hes equally as mind-warpingly talented without a plane. Handplanes, on the other hand, sit on the fence.

The Inertia+ offers exclusive access to original, premium features, reporting, films, members-only newsletters, discounted access to Inspire Courses, events, and special discounts from our partners. Hawaii and California, the two true hubs of bodysurfing, in general tend to lean toward this approach, but often for one significant reason.