20 . 08 . 25
Summer in Cornwall often means small waves and busy lineups, which can sometimes impact negatively on quality surf time. Our answer to this? Bellyboarding!
We love the 4×1 fun, not only are the bellyboards we make sustainable, made with locally sourced wood, they also last – James has been using his regularly for over a decade and it still has him grinning from ear to ear whenever we jump in the sea.
Bellyboarding gives the rider the option to stay in the shallows and jump into waves that surfers have no interest in, or paddle out back and sit inside looking to luck into waves that are breaking quickly or that have peeled through the line-up unridden.
This most traditional form of wave riding goes back to ancient Polynesia and it was first experienced in the UK by beachgoers in the early 1900’s. The development of foam in the 70’s meant that the number of wooden bellyboards on beaches decreased, but now with more awareness of sustainable products, bellyboards are once more becoming the wave riders choice.
At the Otter Surfboards workshop we are proud to have been a driving force in this resurgence for the past 10 years, providing workshop experiences for people to come and make their own sustainable wooden wave craft and also making custom boards to meet the needs of surfers.
We also use our personal bellyboards whenever we can – often during our Monday Morning Surf Club sessions, where they are an invaluable option when it comes to less surfable conditions…
But don’t take our word for it, why not order a custom from us today?
Or, say ‘no’ to toxic foam, and come and make your own!
