Price: Clear $700

          Spray $735

BIO: So you go for the same dimensions board after board, toughing it out through the crappy days of surf proudly ignoring the whole fish craze. Case you didn’t know, that fad ain’t going nowhere, so join the crowd.

SPECS: Double or single-winged with similar tail width to Piranha, but narrower nose. Single-to-double concave, lowered nose rocker and forward-pushed width boost front-footed surfing and make for high wave counts and driving acceleration through the flats. Ride 2” shorter than your shortboard.

WAVE POTENTIAL: Like the Piranha, the Catfish is a board that generates its own speed to assist in snappier turns. However, its shortboard-like qualities make it a sensible and extremely fun choice in bigger stuff—knee to a few feet overhead and it’s all good.

REALITY CHECK: You like Waikiki, fine. You like moderate Rincon, good. Only have a Catfish? Even better.

GREEN OR GURU? Both. The Catfish has a remarkable ability of pleasing the fish-wary shortboarder looking to bust loose in small conditions and also provide the stability and paddling potential a beginner needs to not only surf but also progress.

CONFIDENCE BOOST: So you’re driving out of turns on waves you had always believed were gutless, not to mention flying through the flat sections that you thought were impossible. What’s that, you want to try a Piranha now too? We told you you’d join the craze.