From Mat Max

I grew up riding "rafts" in the sixties. During the seventies, canvas airmats faded out. Then, in the eighties, lightweight nylon mats came in! I thought they were the coolest thing ever. Very few people got what I was doing. Some surfers thought I was mad as a hatter... A mad matter... Mat Max! Maybe I was, getting ragdolled by shorebreak on an inflatable. But not to worry, I loved the feeling of surfing on air and knew exactly what I was up to.

Soon, a tiny core group of us got into playing surfing bumper cars, immensely enjoying our rediscovery of rafting. "Real surfers" shook their heads. Some even scoffed. We just laughed politely and carried on... Those days are long gone, and now I'm in New Zealand, where people can more easily get their head around a grown man riding a "lilo". I'm usually out there all alone on my floatie, sometimes sharing the lineup with orcas and penguins. And it's better than ever. The technology has really progressed, with comfortable traction decks, fully-developed designs and easy purchasability. I'm loving modern mat riding. Now, if only there were NZ matters to do go-behinds and slingshots and crossovers with... Give it time.

More people are getting it. There's a minor mat movement in progress. ASP Pros are freesurfing on mats. Surfmat websites and video clips are popping up on the net. Mat riding is generally well regarded in Australia (at least that's been my experience). Surfmatting is turning out to be not so mad after all.

A complete matting kit fits in a daypack. The whole operation is simple, small, friendly and huge fun. Anyone can buy top-quality mats for resonable prices through the internet, and have them shipped anywhere in the world in days.

Part of the reason for this blog is to turn people onto the joys surfmatting. More matters would be a good thing, as we are mostly empathetic types, with not all that much ego. Crowding is a non-issue, because on surfmats, it's way more fun to share waves than to go it alone. The zen focus inspired by mat surfing is a pure lighthearted meditation. I would tend to doubt that there is such person as a really serious matter.

As for matting being a form of surf madess, the classic Jimmy Buffet lyric sums it up best, "If we weren't crazy, we'd all go insane." Maybe this lightweight, sociable, cheap and cheerful ethic is actually a metaphor for smaller and better things to come on Earth. Nonetheless, no matter how many matters there are, it's going to be our good clean fun little secret. Mainstreamers will most likely always be somewhat perplexed when they see us blow up our Neumatic Surfcraft or 4th Gear Flyer, or whatever inflatable debatable, and set out to explore the innermost limits of pure fun.

Inflation: Should You Blow Mo' Or Go Low? From Mat Max...

Fortunately, one can raise the pressure in a mat by squeezing it. For really small or extra smooth waves, I let out air until I can fold my mat to look like the number 7. Even less air often frees up the mat in little bowly waves. You can always compress the outer front corner with your fist to hang in through steep sections and make hard turns.

I find that the 90 degree L-bend is good for 3-4 footers. Then, as the power and steepness of the surf increases, I tend to add liberal amounts of air. For scary suckouts, I'll inflate my mat as hard as I think it will go without popping. A soft mat gets long glides and a hard mat will resist slides...

Charging A Close Out

No happy ending here...but plenty of ragged, burning, flat out speed running across a closed out wall! Fun!!!

Fin Dipping

Remember, back in the day, when you tried to fly a stick-and-paper kite without a knotted cloth tail? And how the kite would violently yaw back and forth? In many ways, the mat rider's legs and fins function like the tail on a kite. Even when your legs are out of the water, they counterbalance the mat's tendency to drift laterally.

Four (of many) different styles of cutbacks...

A carving cutback with fins in the water, and left hand dragging and providing a pivot point.

A flat, drifting cutback with fins out of the water.

A carving cutback with fins out of the water.

A carving cutback while dragging one fin to control the arc. 

 Controlling lateral drift with one fin...

Photo sequence from Greg Huglin's Fantasea

Using the inside fin for directional stability.


Lifting the inside fin to allow the tail to slide out.

Both fins are out of the water... and the mat is in full side slip.

The inside fin is lowered back into the water to check the tail slide.

Two identical flat bottom turns -- 1969 and 1985 -- and two identical uses of flipper drag. In both instances, the outside fin is clear of the water. The inside fin is lowered "horizontally," and just enough to rotate the mat "around the corner"of the turn.

Photo: Wardie

Subtle but critical adjustment, mid-trim...

A speed run into a building section. Both fins are clear of the water.

A quick dip of the right flipper tightens the rider's line into the face.

Both fins are released for maximum speed. The adjustments for wave altitude and angle of attack have already been made before the wave crests. All that's left is to sit back and enjoy the ride!

The Heart Of The Matter -- From Mat Max

When I was a little kid, we all rode airmats pumped up much as possible, and were incapable of cutting across fast waves. Our biggest stunt was to stand up on our rock-hard rafts, perched on the crest of a six foot shorepounder, then kamikazee over the falls in heroic or comical stances.

Bellyboards served for angling and tuberides. Of course we borrowed nine-to-ten foot 35 pound longboards to paddle out and emulate the surfstars of the early 60s. No one in Malibu was onto deflating mats to slide along the various cobble points. (Although, legendary waterman Pete Peterson was able to bodysurf underwater all the way down First Point, holding his breath like a dolphin.)

Hawaiian Paipos didn't satisfy us kids. When footage came out of mat surfing in Santa Barabara and Australia, we were too wrapped up in our psychedelic evolutionary shortboards. Boogie Boards were okay but not really getting it. Pretty soon local surfers in North Malibu were all riding 7'-8' singlefins. Then thrusters came out, and everything got very generic. I was over herd mentality by that time, and have kept at it with the thick railed pintail miniguns ever since.

Fortunately, when tiny trifins were proliferating, I got turned onto black nylon mats. I must have had a dozen of them over the years. Not one blew a seam. Some ripped open on the rocks. One blew away in Hawaii. Most I gave away to people who begged. Some were sold to pay bills. My last threadbare leaking tarbaby got thrown out during a garage cleanup by a friend's wife in Australia, when she though it was useless old camping gear.

About a month and a half ago I found out that 4GFs were available online and bought some. Now the 12' standup paddleboard (21st century goat-boat), 9'8" log, 8'6" gun and two sponges sit gathering cobwebs. I've got a raging matitis infection and refuse to undergo any sort of matectomy.

There is no rational explanation for this unusual addiction. It's certainly not for fame and fortune. I can't even get someone to take my picture on the silly things. When I tell people it's because I'm a nerd they don't buy it. And there's not all that much of psychological complex attempting to revive pre-adolescent memories by fulfilling subconscious desire to regress into deep mega-retro pseudo infantilism. Or is there?

Nah, mat surfing is just plain interesting. Making them go is interactive. Getting it right is an achievement. Letting it happen is zen satori. There's no pressure to perform. Who expects anyone to rip on an airmat? No one cares what you do. And they freak out when you zoom past them at thirty mph! It's a blast.

But is matting a healthy obsession? Is it worth shunning boarding for? Sometimes I worry about myself. Then I remember all the bumps and bruises and fiberglass cuts, fin slices, stitches, snapped surfboards, folded bodyboards, ego trips and altercations...

Yeah, I reckon that surfing an airbag actually goes straight to the heart of the matter...

As Matter Of Fact -- From Mat Max

You have probably played with a postcard or index card, gliding it on ground effect across a smooth desktop or glass table. Amazing how well they go. Especially if the front edge is bent up a bit to gather air pressure. Plus you can concave the card just slightly. Then put a load on it like a coin. The loaded and contoured card skims even better, goes further, and faster, with some mass aboard to provide compression and momentum. Well, you can do the same with your surfmat. Gently lift the nose to gather pressure, both hydro and aero, and ride on a pressure cushion of increased lift. Press the outer pontoons down to make a concave cross-section, and your weight will more easily be carried across flat water. This skimming ground effect phenomenon is the key to shifting into higher gears.

I reckon that first gear would be kicking and paddling around. Second gear is simply riding the wave in a normal fashion. Third gear seems to result from extra pressure building up under the mat to provide a mysterious form of jet propulsion. One clue is that sometimes air accumulates under the mat in the grooves between the pontoons. This effect promotes super-acceleration, due to less fabric touching the water, and from high pressure air shooting out the tail ends of the channels. The feeling is most definitely like shifting from second to third gear in a fast car or on a quick motorbike.

On rare occasions I have experienced the good fortune of having strong offshore winds combine with perfect long walls to lift the whole mat clear of the surface to levitate like a hovercraft. Could this be fourth gear flying? I certainly assume so. At that point, with no drag on the water, and reluctance to trail my flippers on the wave face, the optimal method of steering seemed to be using my flippers as aerodynamic rudders, sort of like pushing the pedals in an airplane cockpit. The rush of wind and free floating sensation of skimming weightless was a major thrill!

As for fifth gear, or overdrive, well I'm still trying to get my head around what that might be...

Touching 3rd Gear

Jumping from 2nd to 3rd coming off the bottom...

...and running across the wall in 3rd gear. Notice how far forward the rider's body is, and how little of the mat is touching the water at this point.

Using the 3rd gear speed to come off the bottom again...

...but redirecting the energy into a lip bounce, which is used as a stalling manuever to drop from 3rd back into 2nd as the wave slows.

"3rd Gear" is a term Greenough uses frequently in describing high speed mat surfing. In simple terms, riding straight-off is 1st gear, while trimming across a wave at curl speed is 2nd gear. 3rd gear is moving beyond simple trim speed and running past one section, over a flat area, and through the next section.

One of George's favorite descriptions of a ride on a small wave is, "I touched 3rd Gear." What he means is that just for a moment, he was able to break loose from trim speed, hit 3rd gear, and shoot around a distant section... only to have to drop back into 2nd as the wave slowed.

Greenough talks about running in 3rd gear, and being able to surf through a single section of a wave three times. If enough speed is in hand, he can glide over the top of a section as it's forming, cut back across it as it crests, and run though it again (heading down the line) as it breaks. The above photo is a perfect example of third gear mat surfing.

Banked Bottom Turns

Great technique: Outer hand compressing the mat's inflation level, inner elbow almost but not quite touching the water, inside flipper dipping in.

Nice, moderate turn, bank-wise. Just the right amount for the situation.

Greenough...late 60's...Converse/Hodgman "Stripes Down" mat. The offshore texture provides enough tension so he can bank all the way over without his fins touching the water.

Tightening your grip on the outer front corner and burning a turn off the bottom feels great. And on the right wave, it can generate a gear jump...or two!

"Un-Banked" Bottom Turns

Photo by Wardie

A mat's trim speed can sometimes be maintained, or even increased, with a yaw turn off the bottom...rather than a banked turn.

By running along the bottom and easing the nose back up the face just a few degrees, while leaving the mat level, the tail will drift out a bit, and you can take a natural track back up the face and into the power.

The flat turn in the top photo was initiated to keep the camera angle level while shooting point-of-view footage for Innermost Limits...but the turning principle is the same.

The middle photo was taken in weak windswell -- you can see the short wave frequency in the photo -- but no speed was scrubbed off in the turn. A banked turn would have bogged the rider down.

The bottom photo is a textbook "flat" bottom turn. Look how little the water is disturbed as the mat changes direction.

An analogy between the two styles of bottom turn would be a car versus a motorcycle, both racing on dirt. Each would drift and hunt for the right line, but the motorcycle would bank over into the turn and the car wouldn't. Neither is inherently better, but with a mat, you can execute both kinds of turns as the wave and your mood dictate.

Old School, Forehand Scoop

The hand scoop was a technique Greenough used to employ, especially riding weak waves with a stiff Hodgman raft. He would square up to a small section, reach forward with his inside arm, and pull himself forward through the section.

This sequence is from Innermost Limits. You can really see the concept working.

"Head First" Tube Riding

Photo by Wardie

This is a simple technique to pull yourself into a tube while riding a mat...

Keep your head low and forward, and move it out over the inside rail. The mat will follow you and take the right line every time!

Rincon, 1974

These shots were taken on a bumpy afternoon in the spring of 1974. It was a weekend, but there were only a few surfers out. George, Paul Masiel and I were out at the Indicator. My brother Dan was taking pictures. Most of the waves ran all the way into the cove. I remember making at least a dozen walks over the rocks back up the point that day.

Top photo is me, second photo is George and Paul M, bottom two shots are of me. We were all on Hodgman "Stripes Across" mats.

We ended up eating tacos at "The Spot" in Carpenteria later that evening.

Swim Fin Survey Results...

The fin survey was a great success, with a lot of you weighing in. About half sent photos, and I provided shots here and there to help avoid too much confusion. Not every fin mentioned got an image to go with it...but generally, it's pretty clear what's what.

3 or 4 of you couldn't resist sending shots of your gnarly fin-feet. Sorry dudes, George G has the corner on that market! Since Tom T's was the only foot pic sans bloody toe knuckles, I chose to run it as general representation.

Anyone else have anything to add? Use the comments section. Hopefully, we'll get more feedback as time goes on. We would especially like to hear from more women about their fin preferences.

PG

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Hey Paul,

My foot size is 9.5 and my favorite fins are Da Fin ML for bare foot. They don't mess up my feet at all so no need for neoprene socks or wrapping the strap in neoprene.



In the winter I use Force Fin Rip Force over 7 mil booties. Not as great as Da Fins however but the most comfort you'll get with a thick bootie on.

Best,
Justin V
Brooklyn, NY

PS How could I forget the Scubapro Jet Fins? Those rock too! Ultimate propulsion, just not as portable as Da Fins. I use them size L with 3 mm booties.

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Hi Paul;

After 5 other brands, settled on Duckfeet! Perfect fit for my size 10-1/2 feet (my fins are in San Diego, I'm in Nevada--don't remember what size they are.) And they cost the least.


Your new web site looks great! If you ever want to use my drawings for something else, just let me know.

Tom T
San Diego, CA
Las Vegas, NV

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Howdo.

In response to your post on the blog, here are my fins (winter set).

Hydro Tech fins. As you can see, I’ve trimmed down the outside edge so that they don’t overhang the rail of my kneeboard.

In the summer, I wear Hydro Tech II fins which get the same scalpel treatment but I’m “in between pairs” at the mo having left me last pair in the car park at Widemouth Bay, North Cornwall.

Don’t notice any loss of drive with the trim and for me Hydros (particularly the Tech II) are the most comfortable things out there.

Cheers

G

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Paul,

Currently I am using a mis-matched pair of Duckfeet (XL). Usually worn up side down.

I use several different sized pairs (L-XL-SXL) depending on how thick a pair of booties I'm wearing.

I also use a pair of UDT's that I am still thinning out. (Size Large)

They are the only ones that are wide enough out of the box. (They will be perfect one day!)

I also use mis-matched shaped fins on occasion. ie one Tech fin and one Duckfoot.)


Size 10 feet triple EEE

Looking forward to seeing the data from your survey!

Regards,
Bruce C
The OC

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Hi Paul:

See attached photo of my favorite fins.


Jay B
San Marcos, CA

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Paul,

I use Vipers V7 (inch blade) always w/booties (or fin socks in tropics). I Aquasealed a fat layer of neoprene inside the heel strap to take up a bit of slack. They are very comfortable for me and I pool tested them against regular Duck Feet and the Vipers won on speed, acceleration, and maneuverability. About equal in comfort.
Tried UDT's but could not even get them on my feet they were so stiff. Either it was that pair, weak arms/legs, or something else but literally could not get them on! Had some Tech fins a number of years ago and after 45 minutes was driven from the ocean by foot pain. Could barely walk to get back to car. Crushed my feet laterally even though felt ok when first put them on.

I wear a size 7D shoe. When they made them, I used to wear a 6E

Dig the Surfmatters blog!

Thank you,
Geoffrey L
Bay Area, CA

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Hi Paul,

I use UDEET's most of the time; also have a pair of Da Fins I use in the summer for body surfing.

Best Regards,

Hal F
San Clemente, CA

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Paul,

I have two different pairs of UDTs. The black pair are pretty new, only a month or two old. New rubber is really really good, only mods are to the middle rib, top and bottom, foiled flat, and of course the neoprene/plastic inserts to the top of the footpocket. The plastic stiffens the pocket to transfer stress away from the ankles/calves (per PG's directives, Thanks Paul.)

I use the black pair for pointbreaks or anywhere with a long paddle, or when the waves are big and I need a lot of horsepower.

The black/blue marbled pair are a few years old, have been extensively modified. Shortened a couple inches, thinned all ribs, and thinned the entire blade at the tip. Altered the ankle straps to accommodate my bony ankles, then added the neoprene heelstrap made by Balin. Blue pair also has the neoprene/plastic inserts. I use the marbled pair for surfing smaller waves, or shorter paddles, and whenever I bodysurf. They are much faster to sprint with, easier on the legs, but produce noticeably less horsepower than the longer black pair. As for sizing, the black pair are size Large. The marbled pair are odd, the left foot is a Large, the right is an XL. That was a happy mistake. They came as a mismatched pair from the factory, and conveniently my right foot is bigger than my left, so they fit PERFECTLY. The black pair fit well too, but the right foot is a little snug. I wear size 11.5 in Vans, a pretty standard measurement.

Tatum wears a size 7 in girls, and uses the Viper V-5 (the orange dot) in medium. She also has the Balin heelstraps because the medium fits a little loose, but the next size down was too small. Otherwise unmodified and work very well for her needs.

Jamie M
Queensland, Australia

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Paul,

I've almost exclusively worn Viper V-7's. I wear size XL because of the 3mm booties (shoe size = 10) I need up here in the bay area.

I love my new hybrid mat!!

Take care,

Nate K
The Aforementioned Bay Area, CA

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Hi Paul,

I had a long drawn out fin-related story for you but, this is more to the point. I like the "good" Duckfeet (soft blade/hard pocket) from Deets/Voit or getting lucky at a Big 5, etc.

I am a 10.5 and wear an XL in Ducks or a L in UDTs. For me, Ducks provide enough power in everyday surf and are easiest on my feet (this after a long stint in Churchills, and a few months in too-big for my feet XL UDT's). I do use a piece of 1/2 inch "yoga Mat" material in the top of each fin which is buttery soft on foot, toes, etc, which seems to transfer some power away from my toes and higher up the foot (less cramping possibilities). After a short break-in, the material stays in place with no glue too which makes it easy to use in your next set of fins. I do have a gummy pair of L UDT's from Greg Deets in the on-deck circle which may be my next "best fin ever."

Jeff C
Encinitas, CA

PS. Beware of the great majority of Duckfeet out there with soft pocket/hard blades. They do not work!!

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Hi Paul,

I'm loving my new Fatty! We haven't had any spectacular surf this last week or so, but I've been having a blast riding the mat! I started getting the hang of the squeeze/release technique for bottom turns and cutbacks this morning. I can't wait to get out in some nice clean waves.

I've attached a pic of the fins I've been using for about the last year. They are Propel brand fins, and they have a slightly longer blade than Churchy's, deep full length side ribs, and the blade also fans out from about halfway down the foot cup. They are a bit stiff, but very comfortable. They accelerate very well, but are a bit short for long paddles. I've ordered a pair of UDT's so I'll be able to compare them soon.


Cheers,
Billy-joe S
Victoria, Australia

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Paul,

I use those blue Tech fins. They're pretty good. I like that ankle leash.


However, I think they're a bit short. I can't kick hard enough to get into a wave without also paddling. Still, I got them for free, and they work, so I'm not complaining too loudly!

Mary M
Los Angeles, CA

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Hi Paul

UDT's here, Large size, black/blue marbled, cut down in both length and stiffness. I wear them with a 1mm neoprene sock.

Cheers,

Richard S
Byron Bay, Australia

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Hey Paul

I've attached some fins.......all tweaked UDT's

We all use the UDT's coming from your initial recommendation along with Mr Morlat, and Jamie (who gave me some great trimming tips). I think what I/we like about the UDT's is the narrowness and the flex/snap that can be achieved with some foiling time-belt sanding etc. I just kept thinning mine out, at the end and the side rails also, to take of some weight and add flex-I know some people use these un-neutered but for me they were just too rigid/heavy (for my sticks at least)




I think taking an inch or two off the length also helps with scrambling in/out over the rocks. I tried DA-Fins to ill effect and also Vipers, and kept going back to the UDT's.

Washed up flippers, Lennox Head, 2009. Where'd the other foot go?

Ricky S
Los Angeles, CA

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Hi Paul,

Currently using Vipers (V5 yellow dot) when mat riding, gave UDT’s a go for a year or so, liked the thrust, did not like the weight of UDT’s, find Vipers a good compromise...
Thinking of getting a pair of Force Fin Pro’s, used them for bodyboarding in mid 80s for a couple of years, made the feet feel very free, probably not quite enough trust, but life’s all about making compromises in certain situations.

Cheers,
Henry M
UK

PS Piskian’s comment on the blog of this topic made me laugh! When we had the UK Mat Meet, his feet were ripped to shred by the fins he was using, blood pouring of them (so much so that if I had been surfing in sharky water, I would not have gone out where he was surfing.) Hopefully your research may help him...(He has a great fluid style on the mat, easily the most stylish mat surfer of the day when we had the meet...)

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Paul

I use Flips, but I'e not had much success with them over socks. I attached some fin savers (which snagged on the straps, so I may drill a hole in the foot) on my last session but both fins came off at different times so I'm going to keep them as summer jobs. I bought a pair of Lagunas which are super comfy but don't provide enough drive, too short I reckon. I've discussed fins with Cookson from Ukmatsurfers and he has similar problems i.e very wide feet causing cramp in most hard rubber fins. He's recommended Da Fins so I'll be getting a pair. If anyone could combine the foot pocket of Lagunas and the same blade as Flips they would be the ultimate fin!
Lagunas...




Flips...
Regards

Matt D
UK

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Hey Paul,

I'm wearing either Duck Feet or UDT's...depending. Did the UDTs for a year until I started having some ankle issues and then went to the duck feet last summer and loved em. Rode em steady until I got to Puerto Rico last couple of weeks and needed all the power I could get to make it out. Went back to the UDTs and loved em. No chronic issues but I was only there a couple of weeks. Foot size is 9 1/2 and I prefer the blue and black UDTs as the blacks are way too stiff. Don't use booties unless I have to and then its 2 mil fin socks.

Thanks for the web site. Its great to hear about other guys that ride air and plastic. Learned a bit from the site about technique and I can always use more of that.

Rich H
Beach Haven, NJ

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Hey Paul -

I saw on your blog that you were compiling fin data. Here is a pic of three types I've used. They're all pretty good... certainly more thrust than my old Churchills. I don't have a pic of those but they felt kind of feeble. I don't have any experience with some of the new fins like 'Da Fin' or the latest Churchills for Boogie riders. They seem short and perhaps made for the guys who do the one knee thing(?) I just ride prone.

In order of preference, my fin choices are:

UDTs
Viper Yellow Dot
Force

The Vipers are the lightest and most compact of the bunch and the side blades seem to maintain stiffness and directional control. If I were going on a long hike and weight were a factor, the Vipers are a solid 2 lbs lighter (3 1/2 lbs vs 5 1/2 lbs.)

The Force fins are somewhere in between weight wise. They have a nice neoprene pad that inserts across the top for comfort but the blades are a weird shape for kicking in to waves - they seem somewhat floppy. I'm also not sure about durability of the bungie cord heel retainer although these have held up alright.

The UDTs and Vipers feel stiffer and seem to have better thrust when stomped on.

The UDTs are claimed by Greg Deets to be a softer formula but these feel about the same as my old ones. He insisted that his formula was softer and asked me to bend the old ones like a taco... "Can't do it , right?" He asked. I could. In a side by side comparison, my old ones felt essentially the same.

I broke one of the straps on my old pair and was stoked when Greg Deets made the new model available. I just use them stock and that has raised a few eyebrows with other dedicated mat riders who apparently follow whatever George Greenough is up to, including modification of UDT fins. At a mat gathering in Santa Cruz a few years ago, I was questioned when one guy saw my fins.... "UNMODIFIED?!!!" (gasp!)

I'd better get with the program I suppose. I could use any of these for body surfing, mat, or bellyboard riding but the UDTs are my 'go to' fins.

I wear size 12 shoe.

UDT = "Super" - fits well with 3mm split toe booties with light outer sole.
Viper = XL (11-13) - fits well with 3mm bootie with light outer sole.
Force = XXL - biggest of the bunch even with inserts. I use these with a pair of 5mm booties with no outer sole. (Dive socks)

John M
Los Osos, CA


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Hi Paul,

I wear size 11 wide shoes. I have been wearing UDT fins, size XL, no booties, for several years now. I like them a lot as far as thrust and planing, although if I surf too much like this winter (roughly 2-3 hours a day), then my feet wear out and they don't heal until the surf goes flat for a while. I sometimes think about shifting over to something softer like Da Fin, which will be my next choice once I'm in the market for a new flipper.

Dirk B
Santa Barbara, CA
-------------------
Hi PG,
After decades of fin frustration, I'm really stoked on pod PF2s, even though they are short-blade bodyboard-type flippers.



PF2s are the only swimfins that don't hurt my fat knobby feet. And they have superb side rails for gripping the wave. Kicking speed is not all that great, but they accelerate quickly for catching waves, plus are a big help in steep waves and when getting around foamy sections. I ended up padding the straps with neoprene so that the edges don't rub my ankles. (pod PF3s are excellent small wave fins, except that they cause pain on one particular bump on on my feet.)

MAT MAX