On Style

When faced with a perfect photographic moment from Gerry, Miki, or Billy, we all tend to drop to our prayer rugs. Slouching like street-corner lookouts, cupped fingers just so, as blasé as Belmondo, those gents inspired a herd of look-alikes. And when a young surfer struggles to find their voice, it’s natural to defer to the classics. Even today, you might want to sky like Medina, improvise like Dane, or rail like John John, but once the crisis has passed—say, exiting a tube—even the youngbloods pay homage to the masters of surf form. 

How did three-stringer style influence modern surfing? You can trace it to moments like this. The shortboard’s advent in the late ’60s caught most everyone unaware. Some couldn’t hang. Others embraced it whole hog. And then there were fellows like J Riddle here, who merged short-radius pocket exploration with body mechanics from the tanker days. Ex-TSJ photo editor Jeff Divine called it “surfing with a longboard hangover.” Cheater fives, drop knees, and half cross-steps were a nod to timeless California point style and muscle memory.

In both this photo and the image on the cover, Riddle is creating an elegant hybrid: log knowledge vivified by boards that actually turn. But there’s a more important point to consider. Des- pite his straight spine, splayed fingers, and feet planted 2 yards apart…it all just works. Mostly because he’s one of the most gifted naturals in the game. But also because there’s nothing more badass than surfing like yourself.

[Feature: Photo by Merkel/Lost & Found.]