We are on the way to the modern age, as quickly becomes clear when you look at the April 1994 issue of surf: daggerboards are rarely seen, while fully battened sails are now standard. And the thin nose of Josh Angulo's board almost literally catches the eye in the cover picture. We are on the cusp of the no-nose era with slim shapes that look very sporty in contrast to the earlier fat ships, but in some cases were barely rideable.
The new style in the wave
Under the headline "Pure Agression", surf shows the "new style in the wave". Up-and-coming stars such as Josh Angulo and Jason Polakow skate the wave and make a splash with radical turns. After all, "even as a youngster, Josh Angulo was already fed up with the good rides of the schoolgirl report". Twisted aerials have never been seen before either. "Naish, Dunkerbeck and co. initially thought Josh's aggressive Rambo style was a puberty problem that would go away on its own," writes surf author Rainer Thiede. "The judges only want to see this radical stuff", Robby Naish is said to have railed after his elimination from the Aloha Classic. Addressing Josh Angulo, King Robby continued to grumble: "The kids don't even ride proper bottom turns anymore!" He countered: "Why should I stay in the wave valley for long, the action is at the top of the lip anyway!" Robby Seeger is also "training hard" to adapt to the new style and predicts: "The last two years have been characterised by Jason Polakow, the next will belong to Josh Angulo."
surf maltreats boards in the lab
Eight boards did not survive the surf test. But that was entirely intentional, as the breaking strength, the stability of the laminate and the resistance of the fin boxes were scrutinised in a laboratory test. To do this, the noses were bent open by machines to simulate a flat landing, the footpads were maltreated 1000 times with a kind of punch and finally the fin box was levered out by a steel fin - not for the faint-hearted. The result: almost all of the boards withstand within the limits defined with the industry, some even have considerable reserves. Only the Fanatic Mega Gecko buckles under the first load in the heel area, and the Bic Tempo also has weaknesses here. The results of the Tiga and Seatrend are also remarkable: while the nose of the Thermoplast Bomber can be bent by no less than 22 centimetres before the upper deck buckles, the US box (!) of the Seatrend puts up a "self-sacrificing fight against the leverage of a slalom fin".
Early glide test as a duel of concepts
No nose is good nose? In the big, three-part early glide test, modern no-nose boards meet more traditional shapes. There is an impressive story to tell about the AHD 288 race slalom board: The then newly crowned series board world champion Sebastian Carle destroyed his prototype before the World Cup debut and was forced to start on this series shape. In the end, the Frenchman finished in second place ahead of various professionals with highly developed customised boards. This shows what performance this board class is capable of - if you can drive it. The F2 Sputnik was brand new at the time. Today, the Sputniks (later Thommen) are legendary - partly because of their World Cup victories, partly because they were almost unrideable. But even back then surf attested: "However, the highest level of riding ability is required on all courses and when jibing. The whistling of the fin and the drumming of the board frighten the opponents and annoy the rider."
Even with the somewhat tamer medium slalom boards, some boards are not easy to ride. The Fanatic Ultra Shark 291 "turns [manoeuvres] into figure skating figures on the slippery standing surface", while the Tiga 285 LWR and Hifly 285 PX are impossible to ride without a high level of skill. Remarkable in all groups: Some boards have been around for several years with an unchanged shape, the Mistral Shredder even entered its sixth season in 1994!
A VHS video cassette was also available to buy for 29.95 marks to accompany the mega test - filmed by a professional TV crew from the PBA. We have rummaged through the archive and uploaded this historical document to our YouTube channel:
Secret spots on Maui
Surf author Christian Tillmanns flew over Maui's north coast in a helicopter to discover new, then secret spots. Because Hookipa, Kanaha and Spreckelsville are often too crowded. "Getting a spot on the wave in front of the world-famous Maui beach is now more difficult than getting a standing room on the Tokyo underground. The Japanese are largely to blame for both." An alternative to Hookipa is Lanes with access via Mama's Fishouse, but there is a warning about the wind falling asleep, because "The Lower Lanes are no fun, casual wave shredders have no business here!" Spreckelsville - "or 'Spreckensiedeutschville', as the locals call it because of the masses of Europeans" - also cries out for alternatives. Camp One offers these, albeit with obstacles: "In the left-hand, 'safe' part of Camp One, the razor-sharp corals are a full 80 centimetres below the surface of the water. After a fall, it's time to put your feet up. If you paddle down like a dog, you risk a lasting memory in the form of a staph infection." Elsewhere, there is just a hand's breadth of water under the fin in wave valleys - but it was still relatively empty back then.
And what else?
- "Even shops are now prepared to serve their customers by post!" Brands such as Gun Sails, On and No Worx rely on direct sales, while established manufacturers are in turmoil. surf asks readers about their experiences. Today we know: Some brands have disappeared again, Gun Sails is one of the biggest brands in the industry.
- Neumünster hosts "Surfen '94", the first pure windsurfing trade fair. Although no manufacturers are represented, the exhibition is a success with 4,000 visitors
- "A surfboard without a man standing on it is legally an obstacle that can generally be driven over", ruled the Werl District Court. The case was brought by a surfer whose sail had been shredded by another windsurfer during a breather.
- Cesare Cantagalli shows surf readers how to cross the surf on the way out. Motto: "If you want to get to the land of milk and honey, you first have to eat your way through the semolina porridge."
- Real service in the era before the internet: surf lists all 890 sails with lots of data that were on the market in 1994. From a historical perspective, the variety of brands is exciting: Chiemsee, Wallén Sails, Topsails, Team Xtreme, Paradise Sylt and Air Foil were all represented with several sail lines at the time.
- surf photo competition: The best pictures with surf stickers in the sail were honoured and made it into the magazine. In ninth place at the time: André Paskowski, who later became European freestyle champion and died far too young.
- Jessica Crisp won the Indoor World Cup in Geneva in 1994 - 28 years before her recent success at the Aloha Classic
- Today's surf editor-in-chief Andreas Erbe travelled to Denmark in 1994 to discover unknown spots on the north coast of Zealand. Even back then, the locals had similar reactions to our last visit in 2019"German surfers are really rare here. They usually go to Jutland." Still somewhat incomprehensible in view of the charming area and the quality of the spots.
