Surfing Waves

Pet peeve of mine in the super crowded conditions here.....bad enough having to battle for a wave but once you're up and on to have to kick out because some flathead wants to take the shortest route back to the peak ignoring all else is a real pisser.....

Check this out:
http://www.theinertia.com/surf/how-to-c ... es-barrel/

Apparently the board got snapped as well......insult to injury....

In Waikiki, the kooks that do make it out to the line up learn quickly after they get "Ran Over" ( Brah, jus run'um ova cuz ) one time.
In Japan, especially in Shonan area, their is the one guy coming up the wave.......... and 10 of his buddies behind him. I can usually get around one guy, but not the next.

I hardly ever surf crowds and find on occasion when I do that I have absentmindedly made the wrong choice in paddling out. But in crowded conditions I bet it's difficult to not "run um ova". I still don't trust myself to not crash into someone sitting inside of me. Long ago I could easily navigate through people but really haven't tried it lately mostly because I surf alone

A few weeks back I dropped into the first wave of my session and tried to cut sharply to avoid a kook bobbing cluelessly on the inside. I could see I wasn't going to make it without a collision, so I bailed and caught the rest of the wave on my head. When we both came up sputtering, she apologized and I nonchalantly brushed off as "no worries, mistakes happen, there'll be more waves." She knew it was her fault, so I felt it was good enough to let it go at that.

On the next set, I made a late, critical drop into a head-high wave and grabbed a rail. There she was again looking like a deer in the headlights. This time though, I had a tighter line, more speed, and I could see that all would be good IF she A) stayed put; or B) paddled into the breaking wave like she should. Any guesses what she did instead? Yep, hesitated then started paddling to make it up the face. I didn't have time to think, so yes, I ran over her and did my best to float the board while not fully slamming into her.

I was angry that it had happened, and I was pissed that my newish board now had some gouges, but I also felt bad for running over her (and for finishing the wave out). I paddled over to her to check that she was ok. I also wanted to make it clear that it was not intentional on my part, and that she had put both of us in a really dangerous situation. Let's just say she was NOT in a receptive mood.

After a brief, heated exchange, she spent most of the rest of the session hanging out in the channel off to the side. I enjoyed the rest of the session without a hitch. Moral of the story? I'm sure you have some ideas of your own...

When I go out for a crowded wave on the way there I repeat in my head this mantra: 'they will drop in on you and they will paddle in front of you'.

It helps lower my expectancies for the session, I don't get frustrated that way and can enjoy the few rides I'm alone with the wave.

I reckon you should be able to control your board regardless......I was out a couple of days ago, was well into my ride when a swimmer pops up from underwater and fish eyes me....I stomped the tail and whirled my arms then got plowed by the foam ball but I stopped short and didn't hit him nor should I have, even though I was "right" - I was on the wave and he was the only swimmer in the impact zone with 20+ surfers cycling through............in that video where they paddle straight through the barrel you wouldn't be able to see them until too late....most situations you should be able to avoid running anyone over.....Indos here surf right through crowds, sometimes drop in on each other and ride the same wave with different lines, weave through unpredictable surf school students and still never hit anyone....likewise in traffic, it is madness here but there are relatively few accidents as compared to the US (back home)...I am convinced that reason is because the lack of stubbornness over right of way - "Why should I yield; I was RIGHT!" Different way of thinking here......like Tudeo says, these things not only can happen, the WILL absolutely happen just like motorcycles coming at you against the flow of traffic....make peace with it ahead of time and be ready to adjust when it happens...........IMO stopping short of hitting her the second time then giving her two full verbal barrels in the face (if you are capable of that) would have run her off and saved you dings on your newish............something to think about.

How's the crowds in bali
I haven't gone surfing there but I've heard the famous spots are all apocalyptic in crowds and drop ins and trouble.
In rabat where I go surfing there's a really nice bay with perfect waves, catch is, there's a big channel in the middle which helps beginners with foamies to get out, whenever I take off a wave half way through the ride there's a section I like to call, swerve and yell

surferbee wrote: Let's just say she was NOT in a receptive mood.

I hate when it's the SAME person that just got in your way the wave before. Like they're either a liar, blind or just stupid. The worse is their comebacks,
1) " YOU could've gone around ya'know ".
2) " why didn't you just stop ?"
3) " It's a free country, I can be where I want."
4) "Well I'm just learning, so since you're so good, YOU should go somewhere else".

In most of the conditions I surf in there are absolutely no beginners and usually only kitesurfers

I totally agree Big H. Ideally, I would not have run over her. I didn't want to run over her. But given the position and the timing, I don't think it was really avoidable. I've navigated the human slalom in tight lineups plenty of times, and I've also had my share of quick responses like the one you mention above. Considering the timing and direction of her decision to paddle and the fact that I had just hooked a backside bottom turn and was pig-dogging with speed, I think trying to skim over her was probably the best option (among no really good options). The alternative would likely have been a collision of boards and bodies.

It's regrettable, but I've seen better surfers than me collide with better surfers than me. Until they make surf watches with a time travel function, I think it's somewhat unavoidable sometimes. In the meantime, the aim should be to keep it safe for boards and bodies alike.

Like waikikikichan says, people should take responsibility when they screw up. After all, it's not just in surfing that people put themselves in the way with the expectation that everyone else will just have to go around them and compensate for their mistakes.

I'm no saint....I've run people over before....put a big gash in someone's head one time and I paid for their clinic fees to get stitched up even though I was "right".....he was wrecked and it doesn't cost much for that kind of thing here anyway....

I have a cut in my head and a mouse under my eye from earlier in the week where I had two separate incidents....one I did a hard turn back into the ball and wiped out getting my own board in the face in the process to avoid a foamie floater in the pits and the other the person did their best to paddle and duck dive out of the way but wound up catching me somehow with their board which shot out behind them after their duck dive and in the ensuing washing machine I got a fin across the scalp which had blood in my eyes when I confronted them after they surfaced since I wiped the water away from my eyes as I was blasting them verbally and it was red which might explain in part why they were google eyed and speechless..........in the end it's all part of the deal and an unfortunate but increasingly present part of surfing here in Bali.....the more time I spend in the crowds the more I realise that the faces keep changing but the experience levels stay the same.....learning how to enjoy my time in spite of the unschooled hordes is what I focus energy on now rather than fighting battles with results like WKK detailed......you can't beat them, you can't train them, definitely can't reason with them................so learn to live with them and take all their waves....