Surfing Waves

I was down in devon last week - sun was out, fairly decent swell, offshore winds

I had superb sessions on tuesday and wednesday and my surfing was better than it had ever been

I didnt surf on thursday - had to see some relatives.

Then came friday...
I was at saunton (n. devon, UK) in the morning teaching my girlfriend's brother and sister to surf on tiny surf. Lots of fun, but wasnt really surfing.

Then in the afternoon, it picked up on the push - suddenly the waves were gorgeous, and then just as quick very crowded

I was out there on my fish, a bit short for saunton but it works and I was having no problem catching waves - except that on each wave was about eight (...I counted...) longboarders dropping in

EVERY wave had a rush of 'talented' longboarders getting up from way out back (no matter who had priority), followed by a rush of less talented guys and girls picking off the wave and dropping in as it was breaking

Drop in rule? Pah!
Right of way? Doesnt count - we've got longboards!
Etiquette - no way, not for me!
Safety? no no no, lets just drop in then plow through everyone...

Trying to get anything, even though it was my wave, was a waste of time... I left, and went and surfed 'elsewhere' where the 'surfers' know about etiquette




Okay, rant over... I'll get back to work now...

saunton can get like that alot of the time i normaly move down the beach to avoid the mass of people if im droped in on constantly then i just say fleshin' it and snake and drop in on them they soon get the msg saunton seems to be first on the wave has priority even if your at the peak but ive had agro from people taking off inside of me when im on the wave and hassling me as if ive droped in

almost got into a fight with some fat welsh bloke there the other week though it wasnt my fault the twat just sat inside as i was on the nose coming down the line instead of moving like i thought he was he just looked at me and swung his board out in front of me i tried to kick out the wave and are boards just touched and he goes off on one at me i just paddled off and didnt say a thing to him then he had the nerve to shout abuse and ask for an apology tosser

Perhaps we have to face the fact that surfing is a contact sport just like Bridge or Chess.

Perhaps we should face the fact that surfing is suposed to be fun and enjoyable for everybody.

yea, ive always got guys on logs taking every wave. around here though i probably coulnt get the half foot mush they are riding anyways.

I surf around southern ireland and the breaks tend not to be to crowded and are fairly consistent but we have the same problem with longboarders just sitting out the back and not givong a xxxxx about anybody else .
Its all about having abit of consideration failing that a good dig should sort them out.

Just cos they sit further out and start paddling first don't mean its their wave. The person sitting waiting longest 'should' get the first crack at a fair break.

Here are some wise words from Mr Taj Burrow -

"Fights happen because someone has broken the rules, the main one being the famous drop-in rule. The surfer closest to the breaking part of the wave (the inside) has that wave. Anyone else who takes off on that wave is dropping in. But sometimes it’s justified because the surfer on the inside has got there by snaking. If he’s jumped off a point or a jetty, or just paddled through the pack straight to the inside, he’s a snake, and won’t get respect from those who’ve been waiting their turn. In a pack where people are being nice, the surfer who has been
waiting the longest will get the next wave. But that is not going to happen in a beachbreak full of wave pigs. And, on top of all that, you will often encounter locals who think they have priority in any situation. Get the picture? There are no hard and fast rules. Having said that, here’s some more pointers:

The person who has waited the longest should get some sympathy, but only if he’s trying to maintain his position in the lineup.

Sometimes, the first surfer to paddle for the wave assumes right of way. Not so. Longboarders can sit way further out than anyone, and catch waves more easily. If this rule applied, us short-boarders would get nothing.

If someone snakes you, don’t get angry. If you’ve been snaked and there’s another wave behind, not many surfers are going to hassle you for it. Paddle hard, get it, and snap a reo over the snake’s head as he’s paddling back out. Good surfing is always the best reply.

Be committed. There is nothing more annoying than seeing someone in a good position for a wave pull back. Even if you’re gonna cop a beating, take off anyway. Respect, a rare commodity in the lineup, will never come your way if you don’t at least have a go.

When someone’s surfing toward you, and you’re in the way, paddle toward the broken part of the wave.

You may cop the “locals only” crap. Nobody owns the ocean. You have as much right as anyone to be out there."

If a longboarder does this let them do it to you once. It's their fault.
If the same surfer does it to you twice...then it's your fault.

If I have priority on a wave I take off; regardless of the overweight "born-again" surfers shoulder hopping or swell-catching out the back. They soon get the message...especially as you abuse them from behind spoiling their ride.

Do the same with tea-bags, if you think arrogant old men on longboards are bad...try 14 year old bikini-clad boogie boarders.

Council workers shouldn't be allowed to surf at all, nor should people called Brent.

Muscular men on longboards rule !

Broosta wrote:
Here are some wise words from Mr Taj Burrow -

"Sometimes, the first surfer to paddle for the wave assumes right of way. Not so. Longboarders can sit way further out than anyone, and catch waves more easily. If this rule applied, us short-boarders would get nothing.

."

Not true, you shortboarders would still get Teahupoo !

Bottom line is that the first person to ride the wave has the right to SHARE that wave with anyone who drops in later

Etiquitte ??? That's why I surf lonely breaks in.....

Yawn Roy.

Had to happen eventually....

Brent wrote:
Do the same with tea-bags, if you think arrogant old men on longboards are bad...try 14 year old bikini-clad boogie boarders.

arrghh, dont even get me started about esky lidders, i must wear a sign on my wetsuit that says "i love lidders, so why dont you come and drop in on me?"

Ohh well, we got sharp fins and heavy boards, so only one person is going to get hurt in this scenario and it wont be me.

In San Diego there is a break called WINDANSEA. I surf there often and let me tell you the crowd their is insane. Its pretty much locals only. If you drop in on someone their you will definitely hear from them and maybe some of his friends too. The good thing is, you probably wont get dropped in on either! Ive seen many arguments their because there is just one peak and everyone is on it. One time I had good position, waiting for this wave. I started paddling and it was obvious that I was going to get it, but this guy tried to paddle inside of me, closer to the peak, so it appeared as though it was his wave. But I was already in it and standing up. So, in this case his position being closer to the peak was misleading. Anyways, it being Windansea, this guy starts yelling at me to get off his wave! I turn around and fire right back, "F*** you, I was already in it. But i still got out of it just to prevent a collision. Funny thing is, that guy didnt paddle back out to the peak for a while, so I figure he realized he was in the wrong.

bgdkmetzger2003 wrote: this guy tried to paddle inside of me, closer to the peak, so it appeared as though it was his wave.

Snaking fleshing sucks

Snakers are even worse than the drop-in monkeys - they know what they're doing and its done with intent

The only way out sometimes is to stall the board as they're taking off - risks a collision but scares the flesh out of them!

There are plenty of surfers who just do not understand that snaking ticks people off. They think that if they repeatedly paddle into an inside position over and over, wave after wave then they automatically have right of way. Shortboarders as well as longboarders.

bgdkmetzger2003 wrote:In San Diego there is a break called WINDANSEA. I surf there often and let me tell you the crowd their is insane. Its pretty much locals only. If you drop in on someone their you will definitely hear from them and maybe some of his friends too. The good thing is, you probably wont get dropped in on either! Ive seen many arguments their because there is just one peak and everyone is on it. One time I had good position, waiting for this wave. I started paddling and it was obvious that I was going to get it, but this guy tried to paddle inside of me, closer to the peak, so it appeared as though it was his wave. But I was already in it and standing up. So, in this case his position being closer to the peak was misleading. Anyways, it being Windansea, this guy starts yelling at me to get off his wave! I turn around and fire right back, "F*** you, I was already in it. But i still got out of it just to prevent a collision. Funny thing is, that guy didnt paddle back out to the peak for a while, so I figure he realized he was in the wrong.

Yeah I've surfed there ages ago and it was pretty busy - I was not super experienced at surfing at the time and was poised to take the drop on a overhead set wave but decided not to go even tho I was on point cos there were loads of peeps just sitting inside me and there was barely enough gap to go through and that was if you made the drop and was in control - anyway I didn't go for safety reasons and this guy next to me says, "what you didn't go oh my god !",
and I had to explain the situation to him and he still wasn't totally happy!


When I surfed windansea digi cameras didn't exist !

surf patrol wrote:Shortboarders as well as longboarders.

Yeah, snaking seems to be mostly shortboarders. Seems like a lot of shortboarding groms do it too, which doesnt bode well for the future

Broosta, that looks like a really nice day at Windansea. Is that post on the right, part of the little hut with the palm branches on top of it?? Really cool to see someone else knows what im talking about!!

Yep January '91.