“You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”
That’s the Big Man, as quoted in the King James edition, speaking to Adam and Eve about the Garden of Eden and its Forbidden Fruit. It’s a parable oft called upon to describe other, more everyday occasions than a magical apple supplying divine knowledge – from forbidden love, to forbidden foods or substances, to…forbidden waves.
In his latest edit, Nathan Florence plays the role of Eve, the Tree of Knowledge is embodied by a verboten, formidable, bodyboarders-only slab in Western Australia, and the promise of otherworldly intellect is manifested by successfully riding a wave without being cheese-grated along the reef.
Joined by Ned Hart – an Aussie teenager already well-versed in the art of slab-slaying – the duo dances with the devil. And despite a few close calls with the sharp, shallow, barnacle-encrusted shelf, they come out fairly unscathed. Better than Adam and Eve did after the serpent’s temptation. No eternal earthly banishment from the garden.
“That was so fun,” Nate said post-session. “I was just cracking up, going, ‘it’s dry reef!’ I pretty much didn’t make 12 out of 15, but when you do make the drop, it feels like you make the wave. You’re just looking at barnacles when you take off. So fun.”
Ned’s impression was slightly different: “That was scary. You see that one where I stood up and got launched forward? I was pinned to the bottom. It was like Velcro, because of all the barnacles. I felt every single barnacle. So gnarly.”
Welcome to the Slab Tour, Ned. Baptism by fire.
More must-reads: