The Tester: Stoked Shop Guy
The Wave: clean waist to stomach high sets peeling down a point for about about 75 yards and nobody out but me.
Well I'll start this thing out with WOW, you've got to try this thing, the Tuna is a lot of fun. I've been intrigued by the a'laias that Tom Wegner has been shaping since the first time I saw one ridden. I was stoked to get the chance to try one a short time later and quickly realized you have to either be a damn good surfer or under 75 lbs to ride one. Last year when I saw that Global Surf Industries was working with Wegner to create a more user friendly version of the a'laia I was stoked at the prospect of tryin g one out again.
We got our first shipment of Tunas into the shop earlier this week and after I got out of work last night I grabbed a demo Tuna, waxed it up, and took it out to a place I've always wanted to surf finless . Turns out conditions were perfect, long clean lefts all to myself. The Tuna was easier to paddle than I thought it would be and it's much easier to paddle in a straight line than a wooden a'laia. The first few waves had me reminiscing my last a'laia experience, I was slipping out on the drops and the ones I did make were blown once I tried to make a bottom turn. After 4 or 5 failed attempt/learning experiences I successfully made a drop and flew down the line with incredible glide and speed.
The feeling was awesome and one I had never experienced before. After catching that first wave all the way to the beach all I wanted was to get back outside for another. The more waves I caught and rode the easier the whole process got. I went from searching out the smaller inside waves to waiting out the back for the biggest set waves of the evening. I was even able to slide a couple of 360s during that first session proving the board is pretty user friendly.
So overall the board truly is an a'laia for beginners. It's relatively easy to ride and fun as hell once you figure out you've got to surf it a little different than your regular board. The Tuna is fast, it's smooth, it's responsive, and again FUN AS HELL. It's definitely a fun one to add to the quiver if you're looking to get a new outlook on surfing. I'm already looking forward to my next session on the Tuna and I'm pretty sure if you try the Tuna out you'll feel the same way. We've got two Tunas here at the shop and we're encouraging everyone to come in and try one out. If you like one enough to add it to your quiver just say the word and we'll have you your very own Tuna in a week.
If you've got any question email the shop, give us a call, or stop by.
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