Identifying your friends...any suggestions?

[Malarky]

Hey everyone....New to the forums and I thought I'd jump in with a problem i've been having lately. I've only been surfing for about two years, on the east coast of the U.S. where -- as I'm sure you know-- wetsuits are a necessity. This morning, while surfing in New Hampshire (We got a great swell from a recent storm) I kept losing track of my buddy (who got me into surfing)

I know some people really enjoy surfing alone (and I do too from time to time) but lots of times it gets so tiresome searching through the lineup after getting separated from my friends. Being in the northeast-- EVERYONE LOOKS THE SAME, black wetsuits (many times with hoods) and you can't always rely on being able to tell from the board.

Anyone have the same experience? Did you do something about it or just accept at as a fact of life? I thought about marking my suit in some way...but don't know if that would seem incredibly lame.

thanks in advance for any pointers.

[Aloha]

You usually can tell who people are just by the way they sit,paddle and surf. Everyone has a distinctive style. I can spot friends and family from the car park just by this.

[Forage]

+1 to the above.

I've got one friend I surf with all the time. I can spot him from quite a distance just by the way he paddles. Friends that I only surf with every month or two can almost get right next to me before I realize who they are.

[Supafly]

You usually can tell who people are just by the way they sit,paddle and surf. Everyone has a distinctive style. I can spot friends and family from the car park just by this.

Yea i agree with ya on that Aloha

[PredationSA]

I often find that if you go out with a buddy and we get lost, simply putting my hand into the air works Obviously someone random could reply (hasn't happened to me yet) but more often than not there is just like a connection when you see someone putting their hand up and you just know it's the person you're looking for.

[gordz]

I can always spot my mate as he's usually the one falling off his board while sitting out back

Or you could do what surf schools do, and wear brightly coloured rash vests over your wetsuit???

[naniekso]

what we usually do with, me and my buddy, is we grab the front part of the surfboard and go under water with it so that only the tail goes up, then moving in an up and down motion we can tell who that tard is haha. Also one way is to look around then lean back and let your surfboard fly into the air, easily catches ur friends attenthion, and everyone eles who thinks your a toob lol

[billie_morini]

Malarky,
interesting comments and quesitons. I rarely surf with anyone I know and also will surf when no other surfers are out. When I was learning to surf, I had a sensei that I'd go out with about every 3rd to 5th time. Seemed like we always stuck pretty close together and I never lost him. Maybe the people you surf with don't try very hard to keep up with you or to keep with you.

[esonscar]

Shout 'oooooeeeeee' and wait for a 'skyrocket board (with a secret arm wave)!

[surferdude_scarborough]

I can always find the guys i surf with all the timeby recognising their surfing and paddling etc. also its worth being aware of longshore currents and things taking your buddies away from you while you're paddling back out. remember as well that if you take a wave for a long way youll end up a little way along the beach as well. to avoid losing people like this always try to paddle back out to the peak you caught your wave from if you need to find your mates.

[esonscar]

I find the best way to identify my friends is to give them names. There - someone had to say it and it was me - brb .....

[garbarrage]

White rashie over your suit with a big red capital "L" on it seems a good idea!!!

[NorthMyrtleB]

All you need is a box of "HELLO MY NAME IS ___________" stickers and some duct tape.