 His original design was for a female surfer on a breaking wave, which also exceeded the budget, and the Botanical Society chose an image of a male surfer on a granite plinth that halved the amount of required bronze.Other proposed designs were discussed with the Botanical Society, including the figure of professional surfer Rob Machado and a surfer on a longboard.According to Antichevich and to Michael Ames Clark (then-chairman of the Botanical Society's selection committee), the sculpture represented the joy and awkwardness of a young boy learning how to surf, in acknowledgement of the area's attraction to novice surfers.