Take a look at the picture adjacent and tell us what you see. We see an old guy with a fantastic mustache, riding a mal. We see two SUPs who’ve just fallen off the back of the wave. And then we see… something… That something appears to be a wicker basket hurtling down the face of this wave. Riding it is Jordan (Magic) Mercer, paddleboard world champion, iron-woman and local girl from Noosa.

This was during the ISA Stand Up and Paddleboard Championships in Peru last year, and it’s a great example of how much fun you can have with literally any kind of surf craft. The board (if you could call it that) is a Caballito de totora. Used by Peruvian fishermen for the past 3,000 years, the Caballito de totora is always debated as the first form of surfing.

“Named for the way they are ridden, straddled ('little reed horses' in English), fishermen use them to transport their nets and collect fish in their inner cavity. The name is not the original name as horses were not introduced to South American until after the Spanish arrived in the 15th Century. They are made from the reed, Scirpus californicus.
Fishermen in the port town of Huanchaco famously, but in many other locations practically, still use these vessels to this day, riding the waves back into shore, and suggesting some of the first forms of wave riding.“

Looking at that picture, we think it would be hard to argue that it’s NOT surfing. High fives to Jordan Mercer for making it work while standing up.

#News #StandUpPaddle #Surfing