“Ethan puts in a lot of hard work,” said Darren Handley. “And so do I. We put in a lot of hard work getting him where he wants to be.”
Like so many who watch the Championship Tour, Darren is a fan of Ethan Ewing’s sublime rail work. But being Ethan’s shaper, he’s also steeped in the nuances of his boards, when he’ll pull out what, and what gives that little edge of difference at the elite level.
As Darren alludes, there were moments of brilliance from Ethan’s 2025 campaign. The explosive 9.43 at Bells Beach. The measured yet powerful 8s at Lower Trestles. He again reminded us of his technical backside chops at Teahupo’o. He was actually consistent, making at least the quarterfinals in 8 of the 11 events. On paper, that seems good, but he never made a final, thus never secured enough points to crack the WSL Finals. Even still, he was one heat win at Teahupo’o from clinching a spot. Except for Griffin Colapinto, every surfer in this year’s top five had a win under their belt.
In the video above, Darren explains what Ethan tends to ride in certain conditions. For the most part, he’ll opt for his signature Juliette squashtail. But when the waves pick up, the artillery changes. You can almost hear the spray coming off his rails at solid Haleiwa and Bells. “If he could ride the 6’2” roundtail in those waves all the time, call the cops,” Darren said. “He’s going to get arrested for surfing too good.”
Midway through watching this clip, I remarked to a friend that Ethan’s skill set going both directions is unfair. How can he surf rights this well and have a polished pigdog on heavy lefts? North Straddie played a part, no doubt. Ethan is so well-versed that he’s helped Darren develop a high-performance shortboard and a refined step-up model called the Sweet Spot. “He was one of the reasons we’re back on the quad in the sweet spot because he did all the testing,” Darren said.
Criminally good stuff here. Dig in like Ethan.
Related: Watch: Ethan Ewing and Jack Robinson Tee Off on Keramas