All About Tandem Surfing...

Steve & Barrie - knee paddling together....

Brian & Illa- prone paddling together....

Check out the lift chart for some tricks to try...

the BASICS...

Surfing - Like in dancing, one partner must take the lead taking control of the teams combined weight from take off to kicking out. It is usually the guy in the back. The job of the girl, or the partner in the front, is to follow as smoothly as possible, to surf as one. Paddling is best done synchronized, either doggie or all 4 arms together. Teams can prone or knee paddle. It helps if the team can come up with some easy verbal cues at first to communicate when to stand up, paddle, etc. As the team becomes more experienced, more of the communication becomes physical, but in confusing or stressfull situations it is nice to have these quick commands.Hopefully you practiced standing together on the beach. The guy gets up first and then the girl. The quicker the pop up the better because its hard to bottom turn until you are both standing and in control of your weight. Its easier if both are goofy are regular footed. If not, the girl can stand parallel and it will probably be easier once she is lifted off the board.

Surfing together is a wonderful experience to share. It is important to note a certain level of water safety & surfing competency is needed by the male and that the female partner should feel comfortable swimming in the ocean. Just like when you are learning to surf on your own, expect to fall alot, and have fun! The more competent a surfer, in general, the easier it will be to tandem surf. Remember you are responsible for another individual & a much bigger board, so take your time & safety first..

Lifting -optional. That's right. Some teams just like to surf and enjoy the thrill of a shared ride but lifting can be fun too, adding another element of challenge. In some cases, lifting a little one off the board makes it easier! Lifts range from a simple basket to precariously high& tippy tricks. The key is to learn them first on the beach, from calling the lift (give it a simple name), along with any transitions, & the dismount. Remember the dismount is important. If your partner comes crashing down on the rail you are bound to bomb. Dismounts need to be controlled to ensure success and safety.For any lift your partner is more than a couple feet off the ground, grab a friend to spot until you can control the dismount everytime. Having an experience tandem surfer give you pointers will also save you some sweat. Once you are feeling good about a lift, give it a try on the board! If for some reason something goes wrong in the water while you are in a lift, bring your partner safely back to the board. If you have her in your arms and you are falling together, hold onto her to ensure she does not hit the board. If it is impossible, toss her away from the board.

Tandem surfing has a long and rich tradition, beginning on Hawaii in the 1800’s.
The first photographic record of tandem surfing was in the 1930’s. The Waikiki beach boys would take the tourist women out for rides on their boards. In 1932, two California surfing legends, Pete Peterson, considered to be the best all around surfer-waterman and tandem surfing champion of the 1960’s, and Loren Harrison, a surfing pioneer and outrigger canoe paddler, first learned tandem surfing from the beach boys and brought it back to California. Today, the sport has grown to international popularity, with tandem teams in Australia, France, England, Peru, and of course, California and Hawaii.

• Preserving the rich history and values that tandem surfing embodies: beauty, grace, trust, and teamwork.
• Providing a forum in which tandem teams can express their views and opinions on improving and advancing tandem surfing.
• Providing a unified, respected, and recognized voice in the surfing community of California and the world.
  
• Introducing new teams to tandem surfing and fostering their development by sponsoring amateur events (competitive and exhibition).
• Supporting and serving as a liaison between the professional surfing associations, such as ITSA, and the tandem surfing competitors in California.

Tandem Waveriders Organization Board:

Rules of Tandem Surfing

There are only three official “rules” each team must adhere to in order to compete:
1. Teams must consist of one male and one female partner.
2. The female partner cannot weigh less than 50% of the male partner (e.g., the male partner weighs 200 lbs, the female cannot be less than 100 lbs).
3. Lifts must be held for three (3) seconds.

NOTE: There are exceptions to even these rules with special exhibitions that will overlook the weight rule or special contests such as father/daughter events.

check out Events for upcoming contests...

check out the New 2008 ITSA Lift Chart...

How Tandem Surfing is Judged...

For ITSA-sanctioned events, Tandem surfing is judged on several criteria:
Surfing:
One third of the each wave’s score comes from the surfing element, which is judged just like longboard surfing. Wave selection, length of ride, and the number and difficulty of maneuvers, especially while in a lift, are all considered in the overall surfing score.
Lifts:
One third of the overall score comes from the most difficult lift or stunt successfully executed. Lifts are judged by how difficult they are, how smoothly they are executed, and if they are “completed” (i.e., the team must hold the lift for
3 seconds and cannot fall off the board during the lift).
Sequence/style:
Each lift in a sequence is counted as part of the sequence score. A range of + or - 1 is given to account for the subjective "style" element which takes into account the couples form, grace and extremity of the execution. There is a strategy tandem teams consider between holding a single, more difficult lift longer, or executing a number of different, easier lifts in sequence. Of course, the more lifts attempted, the greater the risk of losing the wave or falling before completing the entire sequence but the points could add up to the risk!