Surfing Waves

Hi all!

I'm a beginner, I've only been surfing ~15 times, and I'm making the progression from white wash to green waves. Today I was surfing for the first time in an actual lineup instead of going where no one else is. I read up on surfing etiquette before heading out, but I messed up SO bad today that the whole lineup moved away from me.

I kept paddling out after surfing in, and I thought the coast was clear, but right as I was sure no one was coming, some local on a shortboard was headed right at me and had to swerve out of his way. I felt so bad and really wanted to apologize but I just got dirty looks. No one said anything to me or threatened to beat me up (I'm a girl?) but I know even though they would have been liable for hitting me, I shouldn't have been in their ways.

What are you supposed to do in that kind of situation? Cheers in advance!

swellchaser wrote:I messed up SO bad today that the whole lineup moved away from me.

unlikely... you were just probably a little off the peak.

swellchaser wrote: had to swerve out of his way. I felt so bad

not much of a drama... minor irritation, nothing worse.

swellchaser wrote:I know even though they would have been liable for hitting me, I shouldn't have been in their ways.

Er... no, it would have been your fault, not his.

swellchaser wrote:What are you supposed to do in that kind of situation?

Options in order of preference...
Not be there in the first place.
Get out of their way, even if you have to wear the breaking wave on the head. Go behind the surfer into the whitewater.
If you can't go behind them, indicate where you're going to go (point, and then start paddling straight away. Hard).
If you've nowhere to go, make sure you're not going to lose hold of your board.
Apologise profusely, forget about it, make sure you absolutely rip on the next wave.

In short, paddlers are responsible for trying not to be in the way of someone surfing

What should happen, ideally, is that you surf to the end of the wave, hop off then paddle straight out until you are behind the wave, then paddle sideways (behind the wave) across to the take off point.

What will get you into trouble is if you paddle diagonally across to the take off point, thus being in the way for most of the time, or you paddle straight out from the beach to the take off point. For example, as a beginner you might be surfing just straight to the beach rather than across the wave - then you try to paddle straight back out and will end up in the way at some point.

Sometimes if you fall off you will be in the way and there is nothing much you can do about being in the 'wrong' spot, but here you should (a) hang back and wear some waves until you know that no one is on a wave and then (b) paddle hard to get over the empty wave as fast as possible and then be out of the way (then paddle across until you are back in the take off point)

Wherever possible, if a surfer is coming towards you, paddle to the inside of the surfer (ie toward the direction the surfer has come from - as DBB said, into the whitewater/breaking wave) rather than away, because if you paddle in the same direction as the surfer is heading you stay in the way for longer! However, also as DBB said, signal or make it clear which way you are going, otherwise the surfer might turn the way you are going

If things just go completely haywire and you are going to get hit, I'm not sure what the accepted protocol is - for me, roll away and get my board between me and the surfer. But I've actually never been close to being hit, at least while I'm paddling out. Helps that I dont surf in big croweds I guess.

Er... no, it would have been your fault, not his.

Really? I was taught that whoever did the hitting was at fault. I guess you're just not supposed to be in people's ways anyway, kind of like a precaution.

I'm an awfully weak paddler, and most of the time I can't paddle out of the way in time to clear the surfer's path. Would it be better to get out of the water entirely, then re-enter where there is no one in my way?

Great suggestions about pointing in the direction I'm going, and surfing into the whitewater.

Thanks to both of you!

swellchaser wrote:

Er... no, it would have been your fault, not his.

Really? I was taught that whoever did the hitting was at fault. I guess you're just not supposed to be in people's ways anyway, kind of like a precaution.

'Fraid so. In surfing terms, you just pulled out in front of someone as they're travelling down the highway

It's more than just a precaution, it's the etiquette - that surfer flying down the line may be having their wave of the day, or they may have been waiting for ages for it, and you're suddenly in their way. It probably won't be dangerous if it's a competent surfer, but the ride will likely be ruined.

Don't mean to sound cruel, but if you're paddling isn't strong enough to get out of someone's way, then you shouldn't be out back yet, and certainly shouldn't be in a crowded line-up
Maybe a little longer in the whitewater to get your fitness up

drowningbitbybit wrote:Don't mean to sound cruel, but if you're paddling isn't strong enough to get out of someone's way, then you shouldn't be out back yet, and certainly shouldn't be in a crowded line-up
Maybe a little longer in the whitewater to get your fitness up

I'm sorry to say it by DBBB is correct.
I am in a similar situation to you. I'm okay on the green waves but my fitness is down and therefore my paddling isn't up to much so you just have to stay out of the way. Luckily for me my local break is really quiet, but when I go to Cornwall I don't go all the way out the back to the line up yet. It's frustrating but that's just the way it is.

Think of it like the line up is a starting line of a racetrack and you have just gotten your learner's permit. Until you have the strength and the power to "run with the big dogs" you're just going to have to be patient and work on your paddling. You'll also feel more comfortable and therefore happier in the line up if you know you can paddle (you've also got more chance of actually catching a wave)

Your other potential option is to not surf on the main break, but find a small uncrowded break somewhere else on the beach, and surf there for a while. The wave wont be as nice (thats why no one is there) but you have time to build up fitness etc. without endangering yourself or someone else

Obviously out of water work, swimming, weights etc can be a plan as well

swellchaser wrote:

Er... no, it would have been your fault, not his.

Really? I was taught that whoever did the hitting was at fault.

Let's help you and clear this up quickly.
If you had a collision whilst you were paddling out then the rule of thumb would be that you were the one that stepped in front of the bus.
If the guy assaulted you for him having to steer the bus around you he would be at fault for hitting you. Punch ups are not acceptable for mistakes in the line up!
Apologising is a good thing to do!
There is quite a lot on surf etiquette unfortunately not everybody has read the book!
Here is a couple of pages from the book and posts about the same subject.
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22438
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=16067
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20443
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=17710

Have a read and a laugh, hopefully you'll meet some guys who will encourage you.

Best thing as a new surfer is to always take the long way back to the lineup. I mean, go out of your way to avoid doing what you did. Paddling through like that is very dangerous for both of you and can force the rider to take a dive in a very dicey section in order to avoid running you over--not even a good surfer can avoid you in every situation and often times it's dangerous for them if they try. Remember, the rider has to follow the path of the wave, they can't pull out and hop back on just to avoid you. In this situation, you're actually the one that has options--make sure you choose the option that doesn't put you in that spot to begin with. Don't stress though...etiquette is something you learn very quickly. Chances are, if you've pissed someone off you know what you did and probably won't do it again

BTW, it's always the fault of the paddler. Again, the paddler has choices. It sucks, sometimes you'll have to take a few closeouts on the head to avoid getting in people's way, but that's juts how it goes

I used to surf long ago and mostly now I surf by myself but once in a while the waves entice people to surf there. I find myself caught on the inside of them and while long ago I was good at maneuvering out of their way I find it more difficult. If I get in someone's way I feel so bad I generally go find another peak to line up on so I don't bother them anymore.

This was me last year. It was so close, must be inches from landing on him. If you do encounter someone like me, you might end up with a longboard directly in the face.

Hey swellchaser, it might seem like everyone is getting on your case, but the fact that you recognised there was an issue and sought advice and now know what to do puts you way above a lot of people who just dont care or dont even understand why they did something wrong. So dont feel attacked, feel informed! And we (other surfers) appreciate knowing that you now know what to do

dtc wrote:Hey swellchaser, it might seem like everyone is getting on your case, but the fact that you recognised there was an issue and sought advice and now know what to do puts you way above a lot of people who just dont care or dont even understand why they did something wrong. So dont feel attacked, feel informed! And we (other surfers) appreciate knowing that you now know what to do

Absolutely true, not your case, hopefully encouraging and helping you keep stoked!
Accidents and aggression do not add to a good feeling