Surfing Waves

I've got a big thick board and I'm usually the only one out there with a log. I always paddle further out than the lineup. Because of the buoyancy, I can catch the most waves. However I always feel guilty when I'm going out since it feels like I'm jumping the queue. They all sit behind me and when I take off, they all duck dive. But sometimes they don't time it well so they block me off. They are very friendly and always apologise if they get in the way, but I feel like I'm the one at fault here so I also apologise.

Is it bad etiquette if you go further out than the lineup?

Hi Banz,

I will be interested to hear what the more experienced surfers have to say, but will also throw in my 2p's worth..

At a beach break where there are a number of peaks, I don't find this a concern. I opt for somewhere quieter, keep an eye on where people are and make sure I let plenty of waves go through. I have never had any issues, if anything I find myself pulling off waves because someone is dropping in on me and I want to be 100% sure I won't crash (I suffer from 'rabbit in headlights' syndrome sometimes). I find people are friendly and the odd time something doesn't go quite right, both parties offer a friendly apology and 'it's ok'.

I recently paddled out at a busy reef break, with one tiny peak. One longboarder (me) and fourteen on shortboards. I had to sit a bit further out, it was too steep for me to catch the wave where the shortboarders were. I had to start paddling before I could figure out which of the shortboarders were going to go, and which way they wanted to go. So I didn't paddle for many waves and I still felt uncomfortable as the only longboarder! I think that day there just weren't enough waves to go round!

Let's go for the simple benign answer here! Longboarders can go out further and if they have their act together catch more waves , They can also angle to be nearest the peak and claim priority, they can use their bulk to be a dominator in the line up! Should they NO
Ideally they can take a fair share note ideally in reality a lot of longboarders are not skilled enough to hold a sharing place in the lineup, more skilled surfers burn them , short boards can closer to the peak on a wave turn around and take off on already caught waves.
It sounds like you two are fitting nicely into your line up, talking and sharing is the wave to go.
You can be at times assertive and back it by sharing, if you frequent a line enough you will know who your frothing wave hogs are and guys who are a pleasure to share with.

By assertive I address blatant drop ins with courteous drop ins the first time hopefully it ends there, further to that, I have to ensure I am not a drop in or a snake!
Other peaks on the beach are a good answer in a busy line up!
Have fun

Yes, I tend to be the only LB here as well. The waves here are thick and slow so I really don't understand why don't they change boards!

Like zebroo I also feel uncomfortable when I'm the only LB, no one to chat with while waiting! I do sometimes go to SB lineup but it's dangerous and stupid. Sometimes they duck dive for waves and I'm just a sitting duck!

I love it when everybody else has caught/been wiped out by the first few set waves, and there is no doubt that I am the only surfer left to paddle for the next one! sometimes patience gives great rewards.

zebroo wrote:I love it when everybody else has caught/been wiped out by the first few set waves, and there is no doubt that I am the only surfer left to paddle for the next one! sometimes patience gives great rewards.

I do too, but in most cases they are all wiped out. All I see is white wash everywhere and tiny heads popping out the water. So hard to evade them.... One time a guy threw a board at me out of panic as I was surfing directly at his head....

You mean you are a long border who doesn't run over everyone? I haven't been quite in the same situation but I frequently paddle out further from everyone because I want the bigger waves. Long ago I did it because I could take off much deeper than most other surfers and I loved steep drops (and I wanted the bigger waves). What I used to do is when I first paddle out I just hang for a while and make sure everyone catches some waves then I catch some. If the waves are infrequent I try to pay attention and let the others catch some. If there are lots of waves then I just keep at it. However one day I was at a break and I paddled out and there was a guy I knew there in the lineup so I chatted with him. While I did several waves went by unridden because he was too much on the shoulder. Now this break is a little scary because to go over more you are in front of a cliff and the wave jacks up vertical real fast and it's a steep drop and lots of surfers get hit by the lip before they can bottom turn but I loved this wave. So I just paddled over and caught a wave and then I paddled back out he was still waiting and there had been numerous waves go by in the mean time so I just paddled past him and caught another wave and just kept this up for a long time. He was just in the wrong place in the lineup. I am sure though he went in and told his other friends I was acting all freindly and then taking all the waves.

I have actually done this on several occaisions at various breaks, always with friends but always because they are lined up too much on the shoulder to catch waves

BaNZ wrote:Like zebroo I also feel uncomfortable when I'm the only LB, no one to chat with while waiting!

AMAZING you are allowed to talk to short boarders. Boogie boarders or anyone else in the lineup, it actually helps
There is no such thing as an exclusive line up for any type of board (maybe suitability of the wave yes) if you are good enough you can ride anywhere
Look at pipeline a fierce lineup whatever is ridden here is not the issue, it is incompetence and false beliefs or attitude that gets sent in.


Talk in the line up to everyone, better still talk out loud to yourself , do weird talk. You'll get left to yourself

jaffa1949 wrote:There is no such thing as an exclusive line up for any type of board

While I agree in principle (obviously... I surf at Currumbin... longboards, shortboards, SUPs, more SUPs, body boarders, kayaks, windsurfers, yachts, jet skis, outriggers, dolphins, stingrays, more SUPs), the reality is that it's not always true, and certainly not if you're not totally confident in your abilities.

It's usually the other way around - there's no point in going out at a "longboard break" if you're on a shortboard and simply won't get a wave. Yes, I could surf there, but with a longboard line-up and me sitting on the inside, it's often simply not going to happen. Or more likely, it'll just lead to a session that's no fun at all

I've mentioned this before - there's no point in complaining about all the longboarders if you're determined to surf a potato chip board... either get a longboard or go surf somewhere else.

This case is different in that BaNZ is getting the waves, but a line-up of shortboarders in your way can't be a lot of fun. Definitely not saying that BaNZ is in the wrong in any way, and he's got every right to his fair share of waves... but it just might be more fun to surf somewhere with a longboard line-up.

Banz,
Make friends. Become the most popular surfer at your regular break. Put that longboard to greater use. Use it to bring a keg to the lineup!
Billie

I surf at Cromer, a small British town. I've only managed to find 1 break there and it's next to the pier.

Everyone knows me here. I keep getting people coming up to me and go, oh you look Chinese. I say I'm but they don't believe it lol! It's like they have never seen a Chinese surfer.

Lots of Chinese surfers where I live. Byron Wong was the first surfer I ever saw do a carving 360 turn.

Cromer UK is a little different from Hawaii OMS, at times even surfers are rare there.
Surfing is still very much an Anglo- Saxon enclave in the UK, so BaNz is noticeable.
Preconceptions still abound there about the surfing world, outside the surfers themselves.

Hi guys!

My first reply... Now...
I was in the same situ a couple of times with SB-ers. I guess life is just like that. I don't mean to be ignorant but certainly I can't be expected NOT to go furter out on a longboard. The other thing is that I go for a wave, get back out, rest a bit blah blah. I surely don't take all the waves on my own. There's planty for everyone. It's the same as riding your bicycle really really slow so you don't make the pedestrians feel bad. Your a LB-er and jou just have to be out there. That's it.

But the same thing happened to me with other LB-ers as well. In that case they were at the wrong spot but that would be a diferent question.