Filmmaker Justin Gane dropped this youtube clip and accompanied it with the simple question; Best switchfoot ever? And the answer is probably, yes. This was taken back in 1994 with Mike Ho switchfooting through a massive second reef Pipe bomb. In terms of switchfoot it tends to eclipse probably the most well known of the modern era, which was Kelly Slater at Padang in the 2008 Rip Curl Search event. The clip below shows that wave, and while the impressive jump to goofy at the base of Padang’s last ledge is damn cool, it still isn’t a ten foot Pipe macker like Uncle Mike’s. Ironically it was back in 1994 that Kelly Slater said, “The next great surfer will be able to do all the moves that are happening now, except switchfoot.”
Jamie O’Brien is probably the best modern exponent of the Pipe switchfooter, but while we are flashbacking, it’s worth mentioning Simon Law’s efforts in the early 1990s. The Novocastrian charger was known as the Law and for his hellman act in Hawaii. He’d often wait for the biggest wave of the day at Pipe, be it freesurfing, competition or a closeout, then charge it switchfoot. Then, as of now, it was considered an abnormal thing to do. The photo below shows the Law going goofy in the Pipe Masters, back when surfers had to tie a knot in the back of their jerseys and going switch was the future.
The Law goes goofy in the Pipe Masters. Photo tsunamisurf.com.au
