Kelly Slater is kind of a big deal. He’s one of the few surfers that non-surfers know of, along with people like Laird Hamilton and Bethany Hamilton. Slater has long been a guy who likes to try new things, whether it’s new shapes or new business ventures. His latest offering to the surf world is a surfboard called the Great White Twin, which, as the name implies, is modeled after the shape of a great white shark.
While Slater isn’t really known as a twin-fin guy, he sure can surf them well. The Great White Twin isn’t a true twin fin. Built in collaboration with Bali-based shaper Mike Woo, the board is being marketed as a “Twin + 2.” In short, that means you’ve got options when it comes to your fin setup.
“The ‘Twin + 2′ is the worlds’ first Twin Fin template to come packaged with three separate surfing configurations in a single fin set,” Firewire Surfboards wrote. “A pure twin option, a twin plus large trailer (the stabilizer), and a twin plus small trailer (the ‘guitar pick’).”
Although Slater does like to ride the Great White Twin as a true twin-fin, on occasion he’ll switch it up and throw a tiny little fin on as a trailer. And he says the board is a bit of a game-changer.
“I think I’ve done a couple of turns that are as good as any I could do on a regular thruster,” Slater said. “Straight away, the board was unbelievable. I was actually hoping the waves wouldn’t be big once I got it, because it’s such a good board for small to medium sized waves.”
