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Tow surfers utilize specially designed boards and motorized equipment to ride some of the largest and most powerful waves on earth. By towing into takeoff position behind jet skis, these surfers achieve the high speeds that are necessary to catch waves that can exceed thirty feet in height. Due to the water velocity and wind generated by these waves, foot straps are used to keep riders in place. Jet skis retrieve tow surfers after each ride and reposition them back into the lineup before the next large wave rolls through. In 1992, Laird Hamilton (b. 1964), Darrick Doerner (b. 1957), and Buzzy Kerbox (b. 1956) pioneered tow surfing at Pe‘ahi, a reef break known as Jaws on the North Shore of Maui that was not considered ridable in extremely large surf. That year, Dick Brewer (b. 1936) created “Betsy” for Hamilton and Doerner, the first modern tow board designed with a full-concave bottom profile and reduced tri-fin setup. "Reflections in Wood — Surfboards and Shapers" is on display, pre-security, in the International Terminal! http://bit.ly/SurfboardsAndShapers . . . This image was posted on February 13, 2019.

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This post mentions the following things involved with the SFO Museum collection: