Surfing with a flare

Surfing videos usually don't wow me, but this one was very cool: surfer Bruce Irons attached flares to his board, which look especially stunning at night. The flares also allow him to see what's going on during night-surfing. This video takes place at Indonesia’s Mentawai Island, which attract ambitious surfers looking to hit some killer waves. On another note, I'm always curious how surfers can keep their balance on huge waves like the ones shown in the vid. Maybe I should actually try surfing to see how difficult is can be. Anyone like surfing? How difficult is it?