Prone River Surfing
By Adam Masters, bellyak Founder
There is no better feeling than having your face inches from the water while watching the river rush by. Going fast while sitting still. Prone river surfing causes time to stop, and everyone remembers their first time better than prom night. For most, it’s the only anniversary that matters. Most impressions of surfing conjure up Gidget standing effortlessly sliding down a perfect TV wave with nothing but palm trees and coconuts for miles. Those of us lucky enough to not go to bed every night stuck to sandy sheets have to look for our own endless wave, the waves created by the timeless forces of rocks, water, and gravity.
Why Prone River Surfing?
When I first invented the bellyak I wasn’t trying to just ‘get down the river.’ Far from it. I was creating a tool that allowed me to get to the places that I could play, and do things that looked, to the untrained eye, like I was trying to swim upstream. One thing most river people can agree on is this: there’s not much better than a good front surf. Especially prone.
But, Why?
- Why did a person invent rollerblades when rollerskates did the same thing?
- Why did Elon Musk invent the electric car?
- Is Barney a purple dinosaur?
No Lines
Most of the waves that are ideal for bellyak surfing are overlooked by our other aquatic brethren, so we don’t have to wait in lines or figure out who’s turn it is. Nor do we get yelled at by some grizzled up trustafarian who has nothing better to do than threaten violence on someone who gets out of line in the lineup.
The wave never ends
River waves are what you see is what you get. There’s no scanning the horizon for hours looking for a bump that might mean an 8 second ride. Nope! Get in the eddy, surf that wave until your arms fall off. Zen as F!*k.
Sure anyone can get on, swim around, have fun and laugh at their friends. Bellyaks are great for that! But all of our designs are made for PERFORMANCE as well, which allows you to surf every little feature on the river and re-interpret familiar waters in a whole new way.
What makes this possible?
Bellyak combines the best elements of modern freestyle kayak design with our patented body-to-boat interface, giving you a platform to explore the world aquatic for years to come.
Speed is relative to the position of those perceiving. Get closer to the action and you feel faster. Go fast sitting still. Experience prone river surfing.
OMG I want to try prone river surfing! Which boat is best for me?
