“We’re in the Olympics”: With Legends Like Kelly Slater, Big-Wave Surfer Laird Hamilton Remained Optimistic About the Future of Surfing in 2017

Laird Hamilton is a reputed figure in the surfing world. His contribution to the sport has been remarkable. Laird’s co-invention of tow-in-surfing enabled surfers to test the waters like a jet skier would with the snow. But despite the progress the sport has made, over the years, Hamilton believes there is still something more that could be done.

From the time when Duke Kahanamoku ruled the waves to John John catching them now, the sport has evolved a lot. The evolution paved the way for some great inventions, like surfboards and wetsuits. The sport is now a part of the Olympics too when originally it was just a religious practice for the Hawaiians. Despite the immense growth, the sport still has some potential to grow further.

Laird Hamilton on the future of surfing

In 2017, Laird Hamilton appeared in an interview with magicseaweed.com. At that time he was promoting his then-upcoming documentary Take Every Wave: The Laird Hamilton Story. Rory Kennedy directed the documentary. During the interview, Laird was asked what would the surfing world be like in the future.

To this, the ever-so-optimistic Hamilton supplied that we are already in the future, to a certain extent. He added, “With foiling – now with small waves, the discipline of foiling creates an opportunity for the masses. And translating some of that to prone and stand-up, there’s a wide spectrum of what can be accomplished. There’s that saying, ‘only a surfer knows’, well, we say, ‘only a foiler knows’.”

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Appreciating the talent of his fellow surfers, he added, “You look now and we’ve got Kelly’s wave and we’re in the Olympics, I was just down at Trestles and you see John John and the tour guys flying in the air. Doing all these what used to be considered skateboard tricks.”

Laird on if Surfing will continue to grow

In his interview, Laird commented on the fluidity with which the sport is growing. He shared that the best part about the sport is it will continue to grow as long as the surfers are willing to take the risk and experiment with the waves. Laird believes that these experiments and innovations, whether it is in terms of techniques or equipment, will pave the way for the sport’s future.

Laird also shared his predictions that new appurtenances can be expected in the future. However, in the present times, he believes that the major developments would be in terms of implementation and execution. “Whether it’s, small waves, big waves on the foils – change is happening,” the surfing champ had said.

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Do you agree with Hamilton that surfing still has a lot in store for the world to see?