Surfing Waves

I was out surfing today when this older local guy wanted an argument, accusing me and my friend of not waiting in the line up which was completely rubbish.
I think I am actually one of the best guys out there for giving way to other surfers and keeping out of the way, at my local break no one actually waits in a line up anyway which is annoying, its normally so busy and they paddle around each other like crazy, the best surfers always catch the waves and I catch anything not already taken.
We paddled out and I was in the perfect spot for this wave which was about to break, no one was even close to catching it so i started paddling, when I was about to jump up this guy just screams something out as loud as he could which made me stop as I thought I must have missed someone already riding the wave, this guy was far behind to our right with not even the smallest chance of getting it, he wasn't even paddling for it, we didn't even think he was screaming at us to start with.
About 30 minutes later he then started being very aggressive saying he is a local and we must not know the rules, even though we have surfed this spot for 3 years, I think he was just pissed as he didn't catch any waves, I did start telling him we did nothing wrong but of course this made him more aggressive.
How do you guys deal with situations like this? its so hard just to nod along and ignore idiots like this but I know its the best thing to do.

Have you seen him in the water before in your three years surfing there? No= not local, yes maybe, more likely loud mouth.
Decide whether you want to escalate the situation or not, if yes call home on item , local or non local, next call him on catching that wave or not! Done escalated.
If no, follow your standard wave strategy, and ignore, it is also possible you are not assertive enough in taking a fair position in the surf.

You may have been noticed being unassertive and being walked on, older guys often pick someone to vent on if they are not fulfilling their own ego level.

Again what call works for you.

A laugh haha , now both of us have missed it. Is one way, call him onto a wave and judge by his performance= give one to get one technique!
Sneak System call him onto the first wave and pick the better one behind.!
Start using your brain to plan strategic wave catching techniques.

Great advise Jaffa, your right I am not the most assertive guy in the water by a long way, normally do this to keep out of the way of the better surfers and not piss anyone off.
I also like your sneak system and calling him onto waves, being friendly but not at the same time, properly a better plan than trying to reason with guys like this.

If you surf a beach break there may be other peaks to catch outside or decent reforms inside. Scout the "plan Bs" from the beach before you paddle out. You can also rely on your 3 year experience to time sessions for less busy times - week days, dawn patrol, etc.


Folks use multiple takeoff points when it's crowded at Steamer's Lane in Santa Cruz and it's not so bad at 9am.

Good luck!

It's not entirely clear how often you surf there. Did you ever think that maybe he is right? Many breaks that I surfed when they are crowded you go on the end of the line when you get out their then as those in front of you catch waves you move up till you are at the front of the line then it's your turn and if you paddle and miss or catch a wave then it's back to the end of the line. That is the probably the normal rule at many breaks. However sometimes people take off way inside of where you wish to and then maybe you are justified to paddle around them however you still let them catch some waves before you do.

You can read this....

https://www.theinertia.com/surf/11-very-serious-ways-to-handle-common-surf-confrontations/

BoMan wrote:You can read this....

https://www.theinertia.com/surf/11-very-serious-ways-to-handle-common-surf-confrontations/

thats good

8. When you’re on a SUP because you left your dignity back at home. ...

10. When you didn’t think that guy was going to make it around the section, but he did. And he’s going fast, and he’s mad as hell at YOU. What to do? Surf the wave to the best of your ability and put on an absolute clinic for them as they get stuck behind the wave and eventually go down. Take the wave all the way into shore, rush to your car and send a Venmo invoice to the person you burned for the “surfing clinic” you just gave them.


This was actually happening where I surf last weekend (not the 'sending of invoices for the clinic' but the 'section thing'). About 2/10 people were making it around the section, so heaps of people were taking off past the section. Which works 80% of the time, but the rest of the time you have some guy screaming through at high speed just as the surfer taking off was making the drop. It was a bit of a mess

Run 'em over....

.....then there is the lowest common denominator......how well can you fight? LOL....but not really......


It never pays to be a bully.......at the same time don't let anyone walk on you.....use your skills in the water to carve out a space for yourself (block, fade, stuff, out paddle, all four....)....get deeper and make sure to go for the same wave then shout them off.....quietly ignore them and burn them a couple times......yesterday a guy insisted on back paddling me so I burned him three times in a row.....maybe not the best course of action but he got the point.....always underlying this kind of action is the threat of having to back up your actions; you have to be ready to be called to the mat.......it's juvenile yeah, but it can be a jungle, kind of like city life....puff yourself up, call them out and let the chips fall where they will........sometimes skill, sometimes bravado, sometimes a combination of both see you through.....I can tell you from intense personal experiences that sometimes you come up short and on line at the emergency room. The guy yesterday looked kinda thuggish....I look more so but was glad that push didn't come to shove in the end since really there are no "winners" when a fight happens.....especially at 47 years old LOL.

I'd have a look at the post by OMS.....unusual for someone to single out another surfer and let them have it if there really is no fault at all.....have an honest look at it....like he said, a surfer inside who is deeper can still call the wave even if you get up earlier on some breaks. For someone to come after you I'd guess that there is a good chance that you might have done something wrong.

Reading your post again......did you paddle out and try to catch a wave straight away at a busy break? If that is what you did it would piss people off here as well.....I bet if you look closer at the way the break is organised there is a rhythm to it, an order .....saying that no one really waits might be true to a degree, but I am sure there is some kind of framework going on there and the entire lineup doesn't paddle for every wave. I never try to take a wave off the first set when I first come up to a crowded lineup unless I am intentionally stunting on the whole lineup and not respecting them at all, which I do sometimes.......point is I know it's not right, but I'm doing it because the lineup is weak and they are letting waves go through.

Honest to God truth, when I first read the posting title, I thought you were asking how to deal with kooks in the water. Funny as things go, there might be a older gentleman on another surf forum who posted about the exact same thing ................ but from a different point of view.
I've just come back from Waikiki, and there were a few times I had to tell some idiots who were acting dangerously to cut it out. They probably went back home and told their friends about this little asian dude screaming at them for no reason.
Even here in Japan ( or should I say especially ) there are "local bosses". You might haven't even caught a wave, and they'll accuse you of catching too many. It just plain Localism. You learn to deal with it or go someplace else. I don't mind the Bosses showing their claim, it's sucks when the "low man on the totem pole" tries to exert some power to show off to his group that he's cool.

dtc wrote:This was actually happening where I surf last weekend (not the 'sending of invoices for the clinic' but the 'section thing'). About 2/10 people were making it around the section, so heaps of people were taking off past the section. Which works 80% of the time, but the rest of the time you have some guy screaming through at high speed just as the surfer taking off was making the drop. It was a bit of a mess

Another surfer making it around a section I thought he wouldn't make was the one time I deservedly got yelled at in the water. The following video contains some ancient wisdom on dealing with idiots in general.

Big H wrote:you have to be ready to be called to the mat.......it's juvenile yeah, but it can be a jungle, kind of like city life....puff yourself up, call them out and let the chips fall where they will..

That works when you are BIG H bit Little Bo has to be diplomatic. Give a wave, get a wave usually works for me.

My dentists over the years have benefitted from my idiocy for sure....

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhbxKD8hg3K ... of_the_day

How to deal with idiots:
1) if YOU are the one being dropped in on, pull the kook idiot down by his long hair or zipper strap.

2) if YOU are the one dropping in, say "Sorry, my bad bro" to the aggressive idiot.