Flight Pattern

The crowd was growing restless Wednesday morning at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing. Watching the competitors bob in knee-high surf alongside the Huntington Beach pier, in anticipation of something bigger rising from the ocean, was as boring as watching the tide come in.

Tim Curran was tired of waiting.

Taking off to his left and swiftly rocking his board with the balls of his feet to pick up speed, he dug his rail into the bottom of the wave, turned left and hit the lip perfectly, shooting his board into the air.

The crowd gasped and the announcers shrieked as Curran grabbed both rails with his hands, spun into an inverted position, then regrouped to land cleanly back on the face of the wave. He earned a 9.17 out of a possible 10 for the ride -- the highest wave score of the event thus far -- helping him win his heat and advance to the round of 48.

A decade ago, such a move was never seen during surf contests. But then surfers like Curran began experimenting with the style and soon judges were awarding their innovation.

“He was probably one of the first surfers to start aerials in competition,” said Shea Lopez, a veteran of the WCT tour. “To take it out of the magazines and into the heats.”

Curran, who will turn 28 next month, is in his sixth season on the 44-man WCT. He made his debut in 1998, dropped off for two years, then re-qualified in 2003.

Reared in Oxnard, he remembers attempting his first aerial when he was about 11. It came by accident, when backwash pushed him into the face of a wave and he found himself three feet above the surface, his feet still firmly planted on the deck. He crash landed into the water, but the weightless feeling stuck in his mind.

“Ever since that day, I’ve been surfing a lot of aerials,” Curran said. “For me, it’s so exciting and, if I am to be remembered for my aerials, that’s fine.”

In April, at the Body Glove Surfbout at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Curran completed what many believe to be the highest aerial move ever performed in competition at the legendary surf spot. With one hand grabbing a rail, Curran dropped 10 feet back into the surf. His knees buckled upon landing but he remained upright and earned a rare and perfect 10 wave score.

To soften landings, Curran wears booties on his feet, even in 75-degree water.

That couldn’t prevent the worst injury of his career, however. While participating in a freestyle “expression session” two years ago at the U.S Open to raise money for spinal cord injury research, Curran lost his board while attempting a high aerial near the shoreline.

With his arms outstretched, he landed on his board upon falling into the surf, tearing the triceps muscle in his left arm. Today, the muscle sags into a plumb-sized ball of hard flesh when flexed.

“That was the worst dead arm ever,” he said. “Two weeks later, I went to the doctor because it was bleeding in my elbow and armpit.”

Curran said he was not sure how much longer he would continue competing at the highest level. The travel puts considerable stress on his body and he recently missed two WCT events because he became ill while on the road.

“The hardest part for myself and, I think, the other guys is being gone 10 to 11 months out of the year,” he said. “We have the best job in the world, but it isn’t just all fun and games.”

Curran was scheduled to compete Thursday in the round of 48, but the start was postponed until today at 2 p.m. because of the poor surf.

Curran will be joined in the round by younger brother Nathanial, 20, who is making a strong run to qualify for the WCT. Curran credits Nathanial and another brother, Josh, 24, with much of his success.

“If I pushed them at all, they push me just as much,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

A third brother, Taylor, 11, is following in the same footsteps. Although Curran does not spend as much time with Taylor, since he has been on tour most of his life, he credits his youngest brother with giving him some perspective about his future.

“Seeing how fast he grew up,” Curran said. “I’m like, ‘There’s no way I want to have kids yet and have it be that fast.’ ”