The Surfboard Leash History

How the surf leash transformed California surfing and what it cost the culture

The Invention

The surf leash -- the urethane cord that connects the surfboard to the surfer ankle and was developed by Pat O Connor, Bob Newland, and others in the early 1970s in California -- is the most significant safety innovation in surfing history and the innovation that most changed the surfing experience for the majority of surfers. The leash made surfing accessible to surfers who could not reliably swim in to retrieve their boards after wipeouts.

The Culture Cost

The culture cost that the leash produced: the skilled surfer controlled their board through the wipeout, keeping the board near without the leash; the leash removed the incentive to develop that control. The specific surfboard handling skill that the pre-leash era required -- the ability to kick the board away from other surfers in wipeouts and to control the board in the whitewater -- was partially replaced by the leash attachment that removed the consequence of the wipeout.

Surf LA Coverage

Surfing LA covers the leash history because the accountability journalism of the surf culture requires examining the specific technological changes that have shaped how surfing is practised and who can practise it.

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SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/

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