Hi guys,

I just want to commence with the following caveat before I proceed. I have no affiliation with ESS so there is no bias to any issued comment.

Mark from ESS put on a very good day in what has to be said ideal conditions down at Terrigal lagoon. There were plenty of boards to choose from from a wide variety of manufacturers and the customer support was exceptional.

I tried 3 boards, namely the Starboard Pro 8'0, 8'5 and the Hokua LE 8'3.

There is no doubt that the Starboards hold their own and at 73kg and a tad over 6 foot I had no real issues with the 8'0 which really turns on a dime and stability wise was not temperamental. We had quite a bit of back wash at the bend when paddling out to the ocean so one got a taste of what it would be like in say less than perfect conditions.

I went from the 8'5 to the Hokua and found that I didnt have to make too many adjustments. I anticipated that I would fall in a lot and whilst that did happen at the end when I was getting fatigued after a couple of hours in the water I have to say it was a really good positive experience and I would definately rate the Hokua as the best board I have been on in the last 5 years.This board wants to turn on the wave and simply lights up at the opportunity to express itself. I tend to paddle with a split stance so the propensity for the board to yaw would be expected however in this case it held very straight. I was very much impressed and so far this is the front runner for when I eventually buy a board.

Overall a really good day and once again thanks to the guys from ESS for their hospitality.

Cheers Ozzie