Australian Surf Mat Rider

I had a couple of good sessions last weekend both of which were in quite different conditions from each other. The first was one of those days when it was onshore but there was plenty of swell but it didn't actually look like there was any face to ride but you know what mats are like; natural face seekers. I ended up getting a couple of long and most pleasurably interesting lefts. One ride was particularly notable. It started off with a big sloping take off to go down before it started to sit up on the inside. As I carved hard to get on to the building section the Tracker seemed to release the outside pontoon and just took off like a scalded cat as the degree of drag must have plummeted as Kendog demonstrates beautifully in the pic. It is incredible how almost every time I take out a mat there seems to be something new to learn. I will be looking for that release again when the opportunity arises.
The second session was in much more typical conditions with good sized but quick clean waves coming through in perfect offshore conditions. I was sharing the peak with a surfing acquaintance, from my previous wave hunting grounds, who had made the trip to the west with his two bodyboarding sons who were trying out their new Go Pro. Not all the waves would hold up but every now and then they would do so and a long ride with plenty of face to play on was made available. The notable wave in this session was not the best of the bunch but a shared wave at the end of which my acquaintance expressed utter disbelief that at the end of the ride I was still so easily maintaining pace behind him even though he was on a board. Yes he dropped in on me. Had the wave been a little better I might have been able to get past him but was content just to sit on his tail in order to enjoy the look of on his face that would undoubtably appear.