Sandy Pages: How to Body Surf

How to Body Surf by Nelson Dewey

 

 

In 1970 the second piece of literature focused on bodysurfing was published. In contrast to the first publication 39 years prior, How to Body Surf is an illustrated pamphlet by a prolific artist and novice bodysurfer. The pamphlet was not widely popular at the time and Dewey himself doesn’t have a copy of it, but the artwork and commentary are unique and creative among bodysurfing’s early culture. Nelson Dewey has a long career of producing surf art and our sub-culture finds a hidden gem in his early effort to re-introduce the world to bodysurfing.

The nineteen page pamphlet starts with beginner information like where to bodysurf and who can bodysurf. In the almost fifty years since publication, there are many bodysurfers who would disagree that “…a hollow, tubular type (wave)… isn’t a good wave…” for bodysurfing. There are a few such claims throughout this publication where the athletic progression of bodysurfing is clear, but the visualizations of bodysurfing for beginners stand the test of time.

 

As shown above, Dewey provides interesting and technically-sound illustrations. The top, demonstrating how to predict sets and the bottom showing the proper technique for diving under surf. It is a delightful experience to see an artist’s vision of the bodysurfing experience. I’ve often wished for the skill to communicate the technical aspects of our sport which become so cumbersome in word form.

I particularly enjoyed Dewey’s visual of the most common experience to all bodysurfers, the wipeout (above left). 

In the age of digital resource Nelson Dewey’s “How to Body Surf” holds up as a creative and light-hearted journey into the world of bodysurfers. Given the absolute rarity of this work, it could easily be very valuable to the right collector. It should be noted that no previous sale of this pamphlet could be found, so an exact price is anyone’s guess. Should you stumble across a copy, I think you would find joy in the sandy pages.

 

EJ

 

Special thanks to Nelson Dewey for providing additional information on his production of the pamphlet. You can check out more of his work here.

Swell Lines Magazine

Brush Strokes: Shane McClatchey

Shane“Right when you think you have the ocean all figured out it changes your mind.”

Shane grew up in Pleasure Point, New Jersey. Surfing spawned an interest in bodysurfing nasty storm swells. He attended the Laguna College of Art and Design and was gracious enough to share some of his work with us.

"Painting waves started from the perspective as being on the board, now I've become more interested in painting everything going on in the water."
“Painting waves started from the perspective as being on the board, now I’ve become more interested in painting everything going on in the water.”

 

He began shaping his own handplanes and not long after began using the wood he was finding for his art as well.
He began shaping his own handplanes and not long after began using the wood he was finding for his art as well.

 

Bodysurfer in Space
“As an artist, bodysurfing is a beautiful thing to see. The surfer’s body is locked into the wave with no board in between.”

 

"In my artwork I want to keep searching and exploring the world of bodysurfing and everything else in our aquatic lives..."
“In my artwork I want to keep searching and exploring the world of bodysurfing and everything else in our aquatic lives…”

 

"A perfect day would be could be head high and glassy in New Jersey in the fall or diving for calico bass and sheepshead off of Catalina. Any day where I'm in the water longer than I'm on land, followed by a fire and some beers with good people."
“A perfect day would be could be head high and glassy in New Jersey in the fall or diving for calico bass and sheepshead off of Catalina. Any day where I’m in the water longer than I’m on land, followed by a fire and some beers with good people.”

 

For more information on Shane’s work, you can check out his website or email him at shanemcclatchey@lcad.edu

-EJ

Swell Lines Magazine

Creation Through Movement

Steve Prefontaine“Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, ‘I’ve never seen anyone run like that before.’ It’s more than just a race, it’s a style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.” Steve Prefontaine

 

 

Bodysurfers are a throwback, guys and gals who didn’t get the memo that we should all be fighting for sponsors and pats on the back. I started out swimming with a friend and playing with the energy that unbeknownst to me was just an echo from a storm thousands of miles away. But I really started the first time I saw a guy bellyride a massive wave with ease. Coasting on the face, switching directions, all with complete control. He blew my mind. All at once I could imagine incredible things were possible with a simple pair of fins on my feet.

I became a consumer. I ate every youtube clip of Stewart or Cunningham or Wege or Panic I could find. Come Hell or High Water on repeat. Friendships with guys who loved to stick their heads in barrels spiraled into ritualistic buoy talk. When the horizon stopped bouncing we’d pine about the days when conditions were so good that our triceps throbbed and our hamburger feet needed tending.

Each swim out is another opportunity to learn something new about our craft. Mini-experiments, What happens when I kick this way while driving down the face? Can I get to the bottom and hold enough speed to complete this maneuver?  Other bodysurfers are an easy study, always wondering; Why’d he drop his elbow before starting the spin? And each question punctuated by the joy in everyone’s eyes. Striking the balance between letting go of my conscious mind and engaging deliberate action is endless.

bodysurfing pipeline
Travis Overly at Pipeline Photo: Rachel Newton

From time to time we are reminded that others are watching. Changing in the lot, a surfer lets us know he had fun watching, or a tourist will ask, “How can you do that with no board?” At one time, I was the one who had the shattered expectations of what it meant to ride waves rattling around my mind. I hold that lofty expectation in the trance of each stroke. Not only am I given the chance to traverse this natural border between terrafirma and mare, but I represent a breed of amphibious humans.

The creation of a unique memory in the eye of a passerby, might connect another soul to the aquatic world we love and protect. Granted, it is a lofty expectation, but people are tractor-beamed to the Ocean. It is impossible to tell which little Bambi-eyed rugrat will divine inspiration from a human form gliding on the surface of the big blue sea and so each wave is an act of creation through movement.

-EJ

Swell Lines Magazine