The skills of a surfer are displayed not only in the ability to control the board under challenging conditions and riding difficult waves, but also in executing various kinds of manoeuvres in turning and carving. Some of the most common and recognisable turns are the “cutback”, which involves the surfer turning back to the wave’s breaking part; the “floater”, where the surfer rides on top of the wave’s breaking curl; and the “off the lip”, in which the surfer banks off the wave top.

Cutback Manoeuvre

Another trick is called the “air”, where the surfer is actually able to proper himself off the wave and then re-enter it. Meanwhile, “tube riding” is where a surfer manoeuvres himself into a position where the wave curls over him, and he rides inside the hollow tube-like portion, from which the move gets its name.