Surfer Double Front Flips After Gigantic Wedge Wave (Clip)
What happens when you have a ton of speed (i.e. from a very large wave), and you hit a closeout section? It’s like surfing’s version of a human catapult, that’s what happens.
Case in point, Sage Burke from the Wedge on Thursday; watch below.
Sage, a Newport Beach local and annual standout at the Wedge, takes off on a considerably large wave. No tube on this one. He’s just white-knuckling it, holding on for dear life. Then, as mentioned, he hits the closeout section – and wham, like a skateboarder hitting a pebble at full speed, he goes flying.
Okay, couple things here.
We’ve been talking a lot about the Wedge lately. It hasn’t been all-time, but there have been some highlights (and, um, lowlights; read: wipeouts) – like here, here, and here.
Also, here's a whole half hour of raw footage from the day:
The other thing…we’ve also recently seen a handful of epic kickouts, similar to Sage’s above. Like a (nearly-landed) double backflip from Chumbo, and a similar, catapulting double frontflip from Lorenzo Avvenenti – both from Teahupo’o.
Kick-outs like this are nothing new in surfing. They are, however, possibly having a moment? Maybe we’re just noticing them more, who knows.
If anything, it’s a nice cherry on top to finish off a wave.
And stay tuned for more craziness from the Wedge; the season’s just starting, and there’s more swell on the way.
The Wedge Stats/Info
Wave Type: Lefthand tube/shorebreak
Season: Spring – Fall
Skill Level: Experts only
Best Board to Ride: Shortboard, soft-top, skimboard, bodyboard, no board (bodysurf)
Ideal Swell Direction: SW, SSW, S, SSE
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