Josh Kerr drops into a 7.87 screamer on a self-shaped, asymmetrical board. Photo: WSL/Stephen Robertson
Kerrzy’s no stranger to surfboard experimentation. In Rusty’s The Single Life series, the guy was throwing massive airs on 80’s-inspired single fins, making it look like he was on a high-performance thruster. But all that’s just free-surfing fun. On Monday, Josh Kerr took his love for strange shapes and designs to an actual WSL event…and completely killed it.
Monday’s round four at Chopes saw Kerrzy in a heat with Aritz Aranburu and Wiggolly Dantas, two of the tour’s finest tube riders. Josh got the heat underway with a solid 5.33 – quick cover-up combo’d with a stylish wrap. Aritz answered back with the exact same score. But later in the heat, Kerrzy took one on the head, snapping his leash in the process and deciding to have a go on his bizarre back-up board, the asymmetrical self-shaped Bi-Polar model.
The Bi Polar model, a collab between Josh Kerr and legendary shaper Rusty Preisendorfer. Photo: Rusty
Then with six minutes left, the unfamiliar shape under his feet, Kerrzy locked into a screamer. The lopsided tail hugged to the face as he let go of the rail and got spit out to glory for a 7.87. And if you look closely at Kerrzy’s stance, his feet rest almost entirely on the left side of his stringer, likely in an effort to knife himself and his board through Chopes’ impossibly steep face. Asymetrical boards have been something the surf world has toyed with for a while – championed primarily by the likes of Ryan Burch – but the boards have rarely (if ever) been seen in competition. Perhaps this win will usher in the asymmetrical revolution, particularly at the tour’s point breaks and barreling stops.
The win shot Kerrzy into the quarterfinals, which will be held on Tuesday’s final day of competition. It’ll be interesting to see if he decides to take out his trusty new sled again. Either way, we’re looking forward to another pure gold post-heat interview like this one after round four:
“I didn’t even realize it broke my leash, I felt like I was floating inside my mum’s womb for a second there, then came off and felt like I got slapped by Kaiborg. A straight-up bell-ringer!”
