In Volume 24.5, Dane Reynolds wrote about the nature of progressive surfing, offering his thoughts on face sequences, straight airs, and the unpredictable realities of a liquid medium. He was responding to a suite of photos we received from Nate Lawrence, shot while Reynolds was in Indo filming for Kai Neville’s film, Cluster.

“Surfing is constantly reacting to a changing surface,” he observed. “You take mental notes on what the wave does on a certain piece of reef and how your board handles when you apply pressure. But that only removes a tiny piece of unpredictability that every wave deals you. So heading out with certain maneuvers in mind proved to be counterproductive. Being conscientious on a wave is a bad thing. When I’m doing my best surfing I’m both present and absentminded. I think that’s what makes surfing so addicting. It’s something you’ll never conquer.”

This clip, which Dane cut for TSJ from Neville’s footage of those sessions, offers a visual aid for his observations.