To me it looked very risky... one wave at the wrong moment, or more power than expected would have resulted in a lot of crunched boat.

However I can't help but wonder if this is one of those "learned situations." For instance I swim in an area that can be somewhat hazardous at certain times of year to the uninitiated. Over the years, I and others have learned how to best deal with the rocks and surf in that area under various conditions.

Obviously the same sort of situation may be what we are seeing in the video. The real question is what did they go through first to gain that "local knowledge."