This basic manoeuvre enables the surfer to change direction and return to the steepest part of the breaking wave, the pocket, without loss of speed.

There are several varieties of cutbacks, from simple carves to full figure-of-eight manoeuvres (‘roundhouse cutbacks’); the type you can perform will depend on the wave’s shape and power. Small mushy waves require small snappy cutbacks to retain maximum speed. Large powerful waves allow the surfer to go way out onto the shoulder of the wave, then accelerate through a large powerful turn back into the pocket, before slashing back around onto the wave face.

Here’s Sean Holmes performing a nice sweeping version in Indonesia. The key points to note are that he’s looking around towards the pocket (so his shoulders and torso also turn, and guide his board around), and he’s using his outside arm as the pivot point on which to base the turn.