Noseriding: Tom Morey unleashing style at Honolua Bay in 1966

Noseriding is the ultimate maneuver in classic surfing. The art of hanging five and ten toes was born in the early 1950s but has been conquering new grounds and enthusiasts in the modern world.

Longboarders say it's one of the most accomplished maneuvers in surfing. Noseriding is a wide concept involving a large number of maneuvers and tricks.

Hang ten, hang five, stretch five, hang heels, front foot/heel hang, and back foot/heel hang are some of the variations of noseriding, a maneuver best performed on waves around head-high or less in size.

David Nuuhiwa, Corky Carroll, Paul Strauch, Lance Carson, Rabbit Kakai, Matt Kivlin, Joe Quigg, Mike Doyle, Dale Velzy, and others were the pioneers of riding in the forward half of the surfboards.

All the weight on the tip of the plank - how could it be possible?

In the early days, surfers tested their balance skills in small waves by slowly cross-stepping across the board.

The Hang Five was successfully completed, and then the hang ten.

"A sport within the sport," wrote Bill Cleary in 1963.

Surf judges started counting the number of seconds spent on the nose of the surfboard. Ten consecutive seconds would be a great achievement.

Better Longboards

There were also tricks to shape the best surfboards for noseriding.

An extra-wide front end for increased lift and stability, concave under the nose, light boards, rocker and thickness combinations, and even fin design have been tested to improve the experience.

In noseriding, the surfboard cuts through the water.

Once on the front end, the entire surfboard behind becomes emerged on the water, most times. The front of the board generates lift to counterbalance the weight of the surfer.

In 1965, Tom Morey, the inventor and pioneer of bodyboarding, organized The Morey Invitational, a surfing competition that would crown the rider who would spend the most time on the nose over the course of 21 rides.

Mickey Munoz won the regular foot category with 67 seconds, while Corky Carroll conquered the goofy-footer division with 62.2 seconds.

The contemporary generation of noseriders includes Joel Tudor, CJ Nelson, Tom Wegener, and Chad Marshall.

Kelia Moniz, Belinda Baggs, Chloe Calmon, and Kassia Meador are the best noseriders in the female field.

The first-ever Malibu NoseRiding Championship was held in California in October 2013.

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