Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2012

Surfing is arguably the most elemental of sports; a single person on a slab of wood propelled by wave power down a wall of water. But there’s an interface, and that’s the board itself. Some time in the sixties, as surfing was morphing from a Hawaiian pastime to a global craze, the 12-foot paddleboards that had once sufficed were morphing into scientifically engineered marvels half the length and a fraction of the weight. Aussie doc focuses on which “shaper” first invented the short board, Australian Bob McTavish or American Dick Brewer. Pretty good if you’re into it; not bad BGV if you’re not.