By Erika Scafuro

Seeing a surfer perform the noseriding maneuver, reaching with the feet the nose of the board, it seems to see a dancer dancing between the waves.
Noseriding is born in the late ‘50s and soon it becomes so popular as a surfing style. The main noseriding maneuver consists into, while riding a wave, to slowly cross – step across the longboard to put the feet on the top of the nose. After that, to complete the noseriding performance, there are some maneuvers that take their name from the number of toes that can be placed on the edge of the board – hang ten toes, hang five toes – or the side – front foot, back foot.

Of course to allow the surfer to do this maneuver it is necessary that the board has a surface large enough to move on with the feet, for this reason surf designers and shapers, between ‘50s and ‘60s, studied a lot the best combinations of materials and shape to realize a wide and flat nose of the longboards. Still today surf designers are always looking for new set up to improve noseriding.
What skills do you need to do noseriding? First of all this maneuver needs a lot of practice in timing and balance, so don’t give up if you don’t see immediate results.
Remember that the waves have to be at the right size to let you glide on them. A very important component is to maintain a well balanced stance when introducing noseriding: you have to keep shoulders and chest backwards.

As Matt Warshaw writes in The History of Surfing, by 1963 noseriding had become a surf-world-obsession.
Since noseriding has distinguished itself as a surfing specialty, several surfers have been known for expressing it as David Nuuhiwa, Dale Velzy, Mike Doyle, Corky Carroll. The name of Dale Vezy appears among the pioneers of noseriding, he has been the first to do hang five and hang ten in the early ‘50s.
The Hawaiian David Nuuhiwa is considered one of the best noseriders. With his fluid style, his gracefulness with which he moved on the board to reach the nose, Nuuhiwa has become so popular.
During noseriding contests the time that a surfer managed to stay balanced in the nose was calculated, five or ten seconds were already considered a good score to be obtained, Nuuhiwa is famous for showing his favorite maneuver being able to stay on the nose of his board for 20 seconds or more.
Noseriding doesn’t stop to amaze, it is undoubtedly one the most delicate and admired maneuver of surfing.