Kiama local Juan Castilla will compete at the 2025 Australian Bodyboarding Titles - but he won’t be lying on his board. He’ll be riding dropknee, a rare and technically demanding style of bodyboarding that’s kept his passion for the sport alive.

Castilla qualified as a wildcard and will represent NSW in the dropknee division at the national titles, to be held August 21-22 at URBNSURF in Sydney.

“Dropknee is very special because it's a mix between surfing and bodyboarding,” said Castilla, who’s been perfecting the style for the last five years.

“Since I started doing it, I’ve enjoyed the ocean a lot more - you don’t need perfect conditions to have fun on it.”

Dropknee riding involves kneeling on the back leg while keeping the front foot forward on the board. The stance is notoriously tricky to master and uncommon in modern bodyboarding.

“I like it because nobody else does it - at least around here - so you have to figure everything out yourself. It’s super technical. To make it look good takes a lot of effort and time,” he said.

Photo: Brian Scott

“You have to be prepared to suck for a couple of years. But after 30 or 35 years of bodyboarding, I needed something different - and now I’m enjoying it all over again.”

This year’s competition marks a first for the sport: it will take place in a wave pool, rather than in the ocean.

“They’re removing the natural element, so it’s a bit strange to get used to,” said Castilla. “For this comp, you get a wave that has your number - you’re allocated a wave. It’s very different from the randomness of the ocean.”

However, Castilla may have a unique advantage. Outside of surfing, he works as Principal Hydrological Modeler for the ACT Government, specialising in numerical modelling - that is, building computer simulations of how water moves through the environment.

“It’s kind of my dream to get into designing wave pools in the future. I have the skills - I just haven’t had the time,” he said.

“So I’ve spent a lot of time in wave pools, and when I go, I try to look at the machines and figure out what’s going on. Maybe that’ll be to my advantage in the competition.”

When not studying water systems or travelling to wave pools around the world, Castilla trains at Surf Beach in Kiama, which he says is ideal for honing his dropknee skills.

“Point breaks and wedges are best for dropknee.

"The wedges here are challenging - the board is small, you don’t have fins, and you need really good balance,” he said.

“But it’s been a great training ground.”

This will be Castilla’s second appearance at the Australian Bodyboarding Titles.

He first competed in 2023, where he placed fifth in the dropknee division.