NEWS ARTICLES

Bodysurf heaven in Coolum:
Fearless and free in the perfect ocean

Sunshine Coast Daily, July 21, 2006

FOR millions of Australians, it is their summer saltwater communion.

The Majority of ocean worshippers gather in clusters between ritual flags of red and yellow and let a coldly refreshing force of nature carry them along.

Inshore clusters take to the waves with varying success, but if you look out the back, chances are you would see shapes slicing through the big sets. These are the serious bodysurfers who surge like ... projectiles, seemingly half in the clear air and half in their element.

Unlike surfboard riders, they are of the water rather than above it – their bodies are their ticket to ride. Vince Hayes is one wave catcher who loves to surf with only fins, a handboard and a sense of uncluttered exhilaration. Like the other local big-wave bodysurfers who often glory in Coolum’s banked-up brute power, Vince slides down the wave face like a human hydrofoil, thanks to the push-up power of the special board design he has perfected. Vince just goes with the flow.

Since 1990, this local lifesaver has also spent much of his time passing on the under-appreciated art of barreling down boomers.

As far as Vince knows, he remains the only professional bodysurfing coach in this or any other part of the world. He likes to pass on his secrets to help both kids and adults enjoy endless hours of beach fun.

“I always remember when I first came up with the idea for bodysurfing lessons, a good friend of mine said: ‘Vince, you don’t have to teach bodysurfing – everyone knows how to do it.”

But Vince knew otherwise. “You go down the beach and watch – you see a lot of people trying hard to do it,” he said.

“All they need is a couple of little tricks to really get the hang of it.” In the ‘50s and ‘60s, Vince was taught by his mum and dad to put his head down and his arms by the side and “kick like an old duck”. His beginners start out in knee-deep water on broken waves, with their hands out in front of them.

“My whole idea of bodysurfing properly is that you need to have your hands out in front of you to protect you head and neck at all times.” Vince lines up his school students in front of a small wall of moving water and gets them to bend their knees and push off along the top of the water with their faces in it. Then he teaches them to judge a peaking wave for the important moment of take-off.

LIFE-LONG PASSION: Vince Hayes in his earlier years as a bodysurfer.

Flippers will help newcomers pick up waves better, and the handboard gives them control. “Using a handboard enables you to get your face up - you can see and breathe and change direction quickly.” He said the first handboard given to him was a piece of plywood. A friend then came up with a Perspex board that sunk like a lead balloon. His lightweight boards are now sold in Japan and distributed throughout Australia.

Vince rates his home beach as the best place to use them. “At Coolum, we’re lucky not to have the dumping waves like you can get at Mooloolaba and Noosa. “Coolum has waves that peak on a bank and then peel away slowly left to right or right to left.” As much as anything, Vince likes to show his students how to use the surf safely and with confidence, “A rip is not going to drag you down - a rip can be your friend if you want to get out the back in a hurry.”

He not only teaches students how to recognize rips, he will take selected students one-on-one out into this outward flow. After all, an exciting express run back towards shore is only a bodysurf away.