The Hand of Mercer...

My business partner in EK and leading sea instructor, Rob Mercer, regularly challenges his clients on surf days at beaches like Umina, Bundeena & Wanda. I can never work out whether this is serious work for Rob, or a paid opportunity for him to get out on the water in his favourite sea environment & rip it up, all the while of course keeping a close eye on his students. The jury is out on that one, regardless of what he says!

Yesterday he had a strong group out off Umina Beach in perfect surf conditions, with the odd bomb set rolling through. It was one such bigger set that Rob chose for an orchestrated reverse endo, and the camera mounted off his bow here shows him at the tipping point, attempting to turn the endo into a pirouette 'so I didn't land on my head...'
There aren't many people around good enough to do this sort of stuff for fun, it takes every bit of nerve & skill you acquire over years of paddling all sorts of boats in the surf, not to mention the good judgement to pick the right wave, in the right place. 
Enjoy the photo, just the foredeck of his Aquanaut LV RM, and a grim hand stuck fast to a Bombora Paddle in amongst the fury of the soup (taken on Rob's GoPro HD).
Rob's excellent training can be booked through his website, www.balancedboater.com.