Style can’t be taught. Nor can it be copied. Which is why we don’t see 100s of young Ethan Ewing’s around the world.
Or Taro Watanabe’s.
Watanabe, like Ewing, has that rare blend of style, strength and explosiveness. With a sprinkle of Joel Parkinson, a dash of Tom Curren, and a little bit of Dane Reynolds in his surfing, Watanabe can go from a high-line cruise to obliterating a section with just a subtle shift in his feet.
In “Back & Forth”, Watanabe jumps around from Los Angeles, to Africa, and ends up in Indonesia. The waves in this short film are as unique as Watanabe’s surfing, and allow him to showcase a lot of range.
It’s a really solid clip, and throughout it, Watanabe makes a strong case to be your next favorite surfer.
At the very least, he deserves recognition as one of the most unique surfers out there right now, and a guy to pay close attention to in the future.
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