Right of Way Question

[LOLRuss]

A set is coming, I turn and lay down on the board and am about to start paddling for one two back. A guy then paddles around me such that he can get a longer ride, and paddles for the wave. I drop right in on him without regret. He pulls out, I do not apologize.

Is that bad manners? If he had been positioned so that he would have had a longer ride before I was going for the wave, I would definitely have pulled out. But since he re-positioned himself that way once the set was coming and I was committing, fleshin' to that. Drop in I go.

Thoughts?

[RJD]

Snaking in, bad, if you have position and are going for it its your wave.

[garbarrage]

well within your rights.... text book snaking!!!
do it to my mates all the time.. he he he

[kitesurfer]

Last time somebody did that to me my board went across the deck of theirs leaving a 2 inch single fin slice right in the centre of his rail. He wasn't happy but he didn't say anything as he knew what he'd done.

KS

[justloafing]

Nope, your good to go. Freakin snake. I don't know if I would have dropped in on him the first time he did it but he would have known about it and told the next time your gonna drop in on him. You were within your rights for sure.

[drowningbitbybit]

He's brave. He's snaking an out-of-control man-mountain on an oil tanker!

(Sorry, but thats the mental image you paint)

You'd have been completely in the right to just land on him.

[the.ronin]

As far as I see it, if you started paddling well before he began his repositioning maneuver to get the inside lane, then you had the right of way. Your wording though might (*might*) suggest that he began to reposition before you even started paddling (“... am about to start paddling ...”) so it could be argued he repositioned before he could tell you were committing. In that sense, you may have committed The Cardinal Sin.

In the end only karma will tell I guess haha.

[garbarrage]

snaking is worse than dropping in IMHO... at least most of the time when people drop in they're not looking at you and can be forgiven.... but snaking is just dodgy tactics which people more often than not do consciously... which is why its way more fun to do to your mates as it winds them up way more... unless singing the "i'm dropping in on you" song as you do it - which will also work quite well!!!

but in normal situations i think that the benefit of the doubt should be given to the guy who may or may not have dropped in.... if it happens repeatedly then... well, back to the beach and get a hammer for the next time...

[LOLRuss]

As far as I see it, if you started paddling well before he began his repositioning maneuver to get the inside lane, then you had the right of way. Your wording though might (*might*) suggest that he began to reposition before you even started paddling (“... am about to start paddling ...”) so it could be argued he repositioned before he could tell you were committing. In that sense, you may have committed The Cardinal Sin.

In the end only karma will tell I guess haha.

I can't really accurately say now if I was already paddling or not. Its possible I was in the wrong, but just the fact that he paddled around me after the set was coming meant I don't feel bad. I was in the pefect spot for the bowl we were surfing, so I was next. fleshin' him.

Anyway, I suck at surfing and have only been here 4 months, so people always mess with me at the pier and if the crowd is big I can't even reliably tell if someone is on a wave and not drop in on someone. I stay away from the pier when its crowded because I cause problems/get into trouble. I'm a kook and I know it, I often have to apologize for doing dumb crap or getting in the way, but I do my best to be courteous. I just don't have the radar or respect for a crowd.

But there were only 4 of us out, so I wasn't putting up with that xxxxx.

[Beachbum]

This guy pulled this move on me as well but I should of dropped in on him. Paddling back out and decides to go behind me to ride deeper and to get the right of way.... Dam snakes! Just muttered a "nice" compliment as he got the wave and enjoyed the rest of my session.

[CHarvey]

I had a guy do that to me this weekend. Except he positioned himself right in front of me so I almost speard the SOB up the butt. He got out of the water right after. Should have run him over.

[rich r]

have to be a bit conservative along the.ronin's comments. If he kept doing it, then, well, he's an ass. But if everyone was looking at the set coming and and started to move around the same time to find a good spot for a takeoff, well...

I hate giving up a wave for someone I *think* is going to go for it, just to have them let it pass through them because they were out of position and weren't really committed to it.

[the.ronin]

Ok I had this type of thing happen to me over the weekend ...

I was sitting out maybe 5 ft away from other dude. Wave was coming in and I made a deliberate point to start paddling into reposition. I could have just sat there waiting for it, but the purpose of the reposition was as much to let the other dude know I was committing. I guess mister kookmeyer was out to lunch when they taught surf etiquette because sure enough, he’s heaving his longboard and paddling for it. Worse, he is repositioning in a spot leaving me with the right of way?! WTF?! I get up, barney barnhold gets up ... friggin travesty I tell you.


[edit] Oh I forgot to mention, it took the barnmaster several hours to finally get up on his feet. How does a 6’2” potato chip out paddle a 10-kajillion foot long barge??? Friggin kook-a-doodle doo.

[garbarrage]

keep puttin dings in it and he might have a chance the next time lol!

sorry... know how much you love that board but couldn't resist!!

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

Some guy just did that to me last week. I don't know if it's worse than dropping in...both suck pretty much equally when happening to you. There are a lot of jerks out this summer. I almost want to get a SUP board to dish out a little back to the same people.