Off The Wall Pirouette with Chris Bracamonte
We caught up with Chris Bracamonte this week to get the lowdown on his stylish pirouette captured in a great photo-sequence by Deb Volturno. We wanted to know what he was thinking in those critical moments when instinct takes control.
So here’s the step by step breakdown of Chris’s approach to performing the ole twist ‘n flick move off some rocks.
-Ben Fontenot
Off The Wall!
Last week Deb Volturno, Trina Hahn-Anzalone, Tucker Middlebrook and I went out to Neah Bay for some surf and rock gardening play. When we got there we were delighted to find the conditions as spicy as we were expecting.
After a few warm up runs through some slots we ended up at the infamous Waadah Wall.
1.
Dropping in this far away from the rock, I thought I was in a good place to try out the energy of this feature with low consequence.
2.
At this point I realized my weight was just in front of the knuckle of the developing wave.
What would happen next seemed unpredictable so I presented my hull to the sharp rock to protect myself.
3.
My bow began to plunge into the water so I stayed committed to my right hand low-brace knowing the rock was still behind me.
4.
The wave on this feature follows the rock until it reaches the shallow reef on the end that causes the wave to shoot almost 90 degrees away from the rock.
5.
My bow is now completely anchored into the water leaving my stern to be thrown around freely in the foam pile.
Because I'm vertical, I have more control over my rotation so I continue to brace with a right handed reverse sweep.
6.
At the pinnacle of this wave I know I have not fully turned around and if my stern drops I may surf backwards into the rock.
7.
As the wave energy starts to reduce I can feel that I have turned fully around, but I am now leaning too much into the rock. The back face of my right paddle against the foam is still providing me purchase so I use what I have left of it to right the ship.
8.
The look on your face when you’ve just taken the second ride of the day and it just might be your best ride of the year!
Photos: Deb Volturno
About the Author
Chris Bracamonte is an avid rough water paddler whose freestyle sports background shows when he’s surfing. He is the Kayak Operations Manager at Elevate Outdoors where he teaches Kayak Surfing and leads guided trips along the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Port Angeles Washington.