Pursuing a passion for tandem surfing.
By Anna Manuel
While vacationing in Hawaii seven years ago, I took my first surf lesson at Puena Point on the North Shore. When I returned to New York City, I bought my first surfboard and started making weekend treks from the East Village to Long Beach, Long Island. This involved lugging my board and wetsuit from my apartment on East 4th St. Three trains, two transfers, and an hour and a half later, I’d finally be paddling out at Long Beach. It took me three years to relocate to Hawaii and finally progress beyond beginner surfer status. (Truth be told, I’m still a pretty pathetic surfer.)
Last year, a friend introduced me to Bear Woznick, co-creator (with Eric Leroy) and co-president of the International Tandem Surfing Association. Every Sunday afternoon at 4, Bear teaches tandem lifts on the beach at Waikiki. In half an hour, Bear taught me my first five tandem lifts.
The following Sunday, Bear took me out on his board and showed me the same lifts in the water. And the Sunday after that, I entered one of Bear’s informal contests at Canoe’s, a popular local spot off Waikiki. Bear partnered me with a surfer named Pauly. We’d never met before, let alone surfed together. But we practiced lifts on the beach for 30 minutes and placed third in the novice division, thanks mostly to Pauly’s last-minute coaching. I was hooked.
Last August, I entered the Tsunami’s Waikiki International Surfing Association/ITSA World Tandem Surfing Championship contest at Kuhio Beach. I surfed two divisions, masters and open, with two different partners. I had the time of my life. More importantly, I got to meet and watch tandem couples who have been surfing together for 20-plus years and are still contenders. They were awe-inspiring.
I’m completely enamored with the sport and its beautiful blend of male athleticism and female grace. As a tandem-ette, I get to see a wave from a perspective few people ever experience. Practicing and preparing for competitions consume a lot of my free time, but the payoff has been immensely rewarding. I’ve learned so much from my various partners – not just about tandem, but about trust, diplomacy, navigating male-female dynamics, and what it means to share the stoke. (Thank you, Pauly, Lance, Jeremiah, Christian and Jim: I literally could not have done it without you.)
At age 41, I’m much older than most of the young women in the Waikiki hui, but tandem keeps me full of joy. The trick is to maintain that childlike exuberance during competition. It’s just another way of being playful in the water and, at the same time, participating in a sport that has its roots in the waterman tradition and embodies the spirit of aloha.
For more information about tandem surfing, visit itsahawaiitandem.com. And if you ever wander into Tsunami’s bar in Waikiki, check out the ITSA “wall of fame.” If the photos inspire you, come join us on the beach. No train transfers or wetsuits required.
