off the top

Catchall phrase for virtually any kind of nonaerial cornering maneuver performed on or near the wave crest. "Off the top" can be used instead of "off the lip," "roller coaster," "re-entry," "snap," "snap-back," or "rebound." The first deliberate off- the-top moves were probably done in the mid- or late-1940s at Malibu, California, as the heavy plank boards, along with the skittery "cigar-box" holl...