Have you ever heard of tandem surfing? Well, imagine a couple of classic ballet dancers, a longboard, and waves. There you go. Sometimes, it feels like someone is asking for a ride from the lineup to the beach and, suddenly, a dance happens.
Tandem surfing kicked off in Waikiki, Hawaii, a long time ago when local men would give tourist women a "lift". Everyone had the opportunity to enjoy the surfing experience.
Bottom turning is quite hard with two surfers aboard. Now, add a girl hoisted up onto his shoulders and imagine the difficulty level.
During the crazy 1960s, tandem surfing grew a lot. Pete Peterson and Loren Harrison were the first stars of the sport. Contests were held everywhere, from California to Australia.
The style has evolved through time. The tricks and moves got inspiration from gymnastics, ice-skating, and adagio dance.
In the late 1970s, tandem surfing almost disappeared and there were no teams and competitions. Rell Sun and Jericho Popler gave it a boost and the Makaha International Contest completed the rebirth.
Meanwhile, the International Tandem Surfing Association (ITSA) was born and the sport took part in the ISA World Championships. There's a World Tandem Tour (WTT) being held in different countries.
Fortunately, you now have no excuse to be out of a tandem surfing experience, like Ju and Marie, the French team pictured above.