Thanks for this very encouraging comment. I really do want readers to feel a sense of "being present" with me.

Truth be told, I want to persuade you to try surfing if you haven't yet. It is really the best of all possible sports, IMHO... :D

As far as the boat goes, I'll assume that the pilot was a skilled surfer... and it looked like the wave he was entering was not too threatening. It would have been nice to see the outcome, but the camera panned away...

The boat may be less maneuverable, but it has greater speed. The speed allows a skilled pilot to get the boat to "the sweet spot" expeditiously, and thus that would remove considerable risk.

Note: Skilled pilot! ;)