LifeGuards and Douchiness, what's the right course of action

[icetime]

LOL yeah It's probably good to not mention you were a bodyboarder till they get to know you since many surfers hate bodyboarders. I was lucky to grow up on a small island and my friends surfed. They would notice me bodyboarding poaching waves off them. I was staying out of their way and catching stuff they missed so they invited me to come join them in the main lineup. Then they would invite me to come with them when they surfed. When I started surfing they were the guys I surfed with. But I surfed almost every day by myself for 2 months before I started surfing with them. They actually invited me to go surf with them since they all knew I had started surfing. So my first outing surfing a lineup with others was with a group of guys I knew from when I was a little kid. But in general surfers don't like bodyboarders

Bodyboarders tend to be super common here but most of them don't even know where the lineup is and goof around on the shore break, the only real bodyboarders are like 3 out of 15 surfers at the lineup and most of them are careful so I do respect them, what I don't respect is people with foamies that can barely stand paddling towards the lineup and getting in my way when I'm riding a wave

[6two6rob]

But in general surfers don't like bodyboarders

Yeah. I'm learning this quickly LOL.

[6two6rob]

And in response to Icetime:

Yeah I kept a good distance from the lineup when learning to surf.

As for bodyboarding I stay out of the way and go when no one else does. (My lineups are usually not too crowded, and people tend to chat me up in a friendly way)

But... I'm movin to surfing now so I'll save bodyboarding for The Wedge. Haha

[icetime]

And in response to Icetime:

Yeah I kept a good distance from the lineup when learning to surf.

As for bodyboarding I stay out of the way and go when no one else does. (My lineups are usually not too crowded, and people tend to chat me up in a friendly way)

But... I'm movin to surfing now so I'll save bodyboarding for The Wedge. Haha

That's a good thing, a little tip is, if you're paddling towards a wave and there's a surfer on it and there's a slight chance he might run you over, turtle roll so he hits your board instead of giving you a bad cut, most people don't know this and go home with pretty heavy cuts when they're not paying attention, I've only been hit by a fin once and it was my own (Got cut during a wipeout)
The damage they do is really nasty, I'll tell you that, the carbon ones that are on shortboards that is, foamies have rubber fins that can hurt you but not cut you.

[Big H]

That's a good thing, a little tip is, if you're paddling towards a wave and there's a surfer on it and there's a slight chance he might run you over, turtle roll so he hits your board instead of giving you a bad cut, most people don't know this and go home with pretty heavy cuts when they're not paying attention.

I tell you what, I get run over like you're describing, I wouldn't be the only one with heavy cuts. The guy on the board has a responsibility as well as the newbie paddling right up the gut and turtle rolling to protect themselves but totally screwing the wave for the rider on the wave.

[oldmansurfer]

The better course of action is don't be in that place. If the surfer is coming down the wave and you are in the way get out of the way. Go one way or the other and either get over the wave before the surfer gets to you or paddle the other way and negotiate the whitewater.

[6two6rob]

[ turtle roll so he hits your board instead of giving you a bad cut.

Thanks. Yeah I've only gotten in the way once wayyyy back when I started. The surfer was nice enough to yell "Get the fleshin' outta the way!", instead of running me over. I was thankful, paddled over and apologized, and made sure never to make that mistake again.

When I go out and it's big I always take some time to see where the sets break. I've been surprised at how fast mother nature can rear up and create 12 waves of total chaos. People out here charge sometimes weather you're in the way or not Haha!

[6two6rob]

paddle the other way and negotiate the whitewater.

I don't mind taking a few on the head Haha!

[dtc]

The better course of action is don't be in that place. If the surfer is coming down the wave and you are in the way get out of the way. Go one way or the other and either get over the wave before the surfer gets to you or paddle the other way and negotiate the whitewater.

This assumes the surfer is in control....

But like anything, the most important thing is to make it clear what you are doing - if you are paddling one way or another or just staying still, then make it obvious by starting as soon as you can

[billie_morini]

Laguna is in Orange County. I hated surfing in Orange County! Don't like the vibe, parking hassles, and aggro surfers.

[icetime]

The turtle roll before impact is a last resort incase you screw up and don't get out the way, don't get yourself in that situation by paddling towards whitewater not the unbroken face odds are there's gonna be a surfer and you'll collide.