Surfing the Open Face
Progress beyond the whitewash to read unbroken swells, generate speed along the high line, and carve functional turns with confidence in real lineups.
Like Duolingo, but for Surfing the Open Face. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
24 levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Riding the Green Face, Carving and Directional Control, Lineup Strategy and Wave Reading, and Ocean Mechanics and Equipment Setup. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Surfing the Open Face
- Angling toward the shoulder before takeoff directs speed across the wall.
- Pointing straight at the beach sends the board directly into the trough.
- Setting early trim prevents getting caught behind fast-breaking sections.
- Weighting the chest forward engages glide to match wave speed early.
- Easing chest weight back as the tail lifts keeps the nose clear on steep drops.
- Over-committing forward weight on a steep face causes a nose-dive pearling wipeout.
- Your hips and shoulders rotate toward wherever your eyes and head are turned.
- Gazing down the line naturally draws the board across the open wave face.
- Looking down at your board squares your stance and drives you toward the flats.
- Pushing slightly harder through the inside hand engages the inside rail early.
- Early rail engagement locks the surfboard onto the face during takeoff release.
- Grabbing or weighting the outside rail trips the edge and drops you out of trim.
- Hard entry strokes accelerate the board up to wave speed early.
- Feeling the tail lift signals that wave energy has taken over propulsion.
- Easing paddle effort as the tail elevates prevents pitching over the falls.
- The upper third has the steepest slope, maximizing gravity's pull downhill.
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Surfing the Open Face the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Where does your board head if you point it straight at the beach during takeoff?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
How to learn Surfing the Open Face, step by step
Go in order. 24 short levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Riding the Green Face
- Angled Takeoffs and Early Entry
- Generating Speed and Trimming
- 2
Carving and Directional Control
- The Bottom Turn
- The Cutback to the Power Source
- 3
Lineup Strategy and Wave Reading
- Reading Peeling Waves and Peaks
- Lineup Etiquette and Crowd Management
- 4
Ocean Mechanics and Equipment Setup
- Swells, Bathymetry, and Wind
- Board Mechanics and Fin Dynamics
4 sections · 8 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Surfing the Open Face
How do I learn Surfing the Open Face?
Go in order: start with Riding the Green Face, then Carving and Directional Control, then Lineup Strategy and Wave Reading, then Ocean Mechanics and Equipment Setup. On Tomo that's 24 short levels, about 48 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Surfing the Open Face?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Surfing the Open Face is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Surfing the Open Face course free?
Yes. Surfing the Open Face is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Surfing the Open Face?
24 levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Surfing the Open Face?
No. It's pitched at an intermediate level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Surfing the Open Face is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Surfing the Open Face today.
Download Tomo, search Surfing the Open Face, and play your first lesson in under a minute.