Surfing Rules

[Henx]

So, Mod, feel free to move this post if it happens to be the wrong part of the forum to post in.

Anyways. I've been reading up about the rules of surfing and i've gotten the Don't drop in, no snaking, watch where you're paddle out, down. I think. What i don't get is if it's the surfer further out or the surfer closer to the shore who has the right of way.
Usually at my break here in sweden there's a peak you can surf by yourself, so you don't really have to worry about who has priority or not.

I've read somewhere that it's the surfer that sits further out who has priority. But that doesn't seem fair if it's longboarders and shortboarders who share the break. They have different take of zones right? I'm guessing it's "give some, get some" that applies here?

Also, what if people position themselves right in front of you?
This happened to me at Kuta beach, in Bali last year. I paddled out into a crowded line up, waited patiently for my turn to get into position, then some other dudes and dudettes paddled out and positioned themselves right in front of me. They where french people, so not locals in that sense. I moved to another peak, but they followed me and kept position themselves in front of me, so i couldn't paddle for anything without running them over. This happened several times. So I asked them politely to not be in my way, but they just laughed and started talking smack. So i paddled for a wave, dropped in forcing one of the dudes to ditch his board. There were some shouting after that, but then they left. So...who was in the wrong here? Me, them, or both?

[jaffa1949]

There are rude and clueless you were not in the wrong ! They thought numbers rule, without getting to nasty some nationalities don't know or follow the rules in their own country, then export that behaviour.

Give one get one is a great way to go! Furthest out doesn't necessarily apply, if a Longboarder is being a wave hog , paddling back and going straight to the inside is bad manners, the rules are unwritten , but written about, there are heated discussion here on the forum about surf manners. Good vibes can turn bad with just one self entitled idiot paddling out. Have a read it can be difficult!

[Big H]

Hahahaha.....welcome to the zoo!!!

In a crowd like Kuta (my home break) there is an order but at the same time Darwin's laws are the underlying rule....you have to be able to take a wave; no one is going to give it to you. I wrote about this exact thing about a month ago and got a lot of stick here because the blocker was a hot girl in a bikini. It's a common dirty technique and the best way to beat it is to take the wave while running right down the side of them. If you can't safely then they win and you have to find another way in. If you hit them it is 110% your fault since you're the aggressor.

[Big H]

Learning to paddle better or being on a better paddling board or both helps a lot too. Next time you are being shadowed, time the sets then drift out of position in between....just before the next set is due paddle hard to get back in position. Odds are if someone is using you for position or just spitefully trying to block out some of the competition, they aren't sharp on positioning and you can fake them out IF your paddle is strong.

[Big H]

So i paddled for a wave, dropped in forcing one of the dudes to ditch his board. There were some shouting after that, but then they left. So...who was in the wrong here? Me, them, or both?

Anyway, you were wrong. If you ran at him so hard he had to ditch you're out of control. I watch the Indonesians here; they fake people out get deeper, take off early or late and the good one are incredibly fast on a shortboard and can catch out with the longboards or as the wave is breaking....they would handle your situation by paddling deeper at the last second and taking the wave then running on the top right under their noses as they tried to drop in. Point I'm trying to make is to work on your skills to better handle crowds....paddle strength to get in early or make an end run, technique to snag one that went through the lineup, getting in late just before it breaks. You won't get perfect looks at waves where everyone lays back; just doesn't happen.

[oldmansurfer]

In the breaks I have surfed at those surfers would be in the wrong but I guess what Big H is saying is that is an accepted tactic in Bali. Each break or perhaps area has it's own set of rules. For the most breaks they are all similar but there are differences. This is perhaps one of them. In my mind if you didn't contact their board or them then all is well on your part however Big H say different and he surfs there so he should know.

[jaffa1949]

Noobs often throw away their boards at the thought of a collision, making two targets, if they couldn't surf then they are the ones creating the problem. The person riding the wave has right of way over people paddling out. But they don't necessarily know the safe route to paddle out! The rider should take care to do everything to avoid collision. When you said you dropped in Henx ? Onto the wave or in front of someone else?
Bali is a zoo and chaos ensues!

[oldgrom22]

On priority for the furthest out, I like "take a wave, give a wave," but depending on where you're at that doesn't always work(especially at a crowded break). That's also based on the theory that those out furthest show good etiquette and aren't d-bags.

Sucks you had to deal with the group blocking you. I'm curious if there isn't more to it than them just being jerks(not to say you did anything, but maybe something happened that you thought nothing of, that they got slighted over). In the end you were more than justified but still in the wrong in that situation. That's a struggle for me personally as well. Haven't had any batant issues like you experienced, but had to deal with my fair share and dish out "lineup" justice. However all that usually happens is I end up in a bad mood(ruining my session) and usually the kook is oblivious and has no idea what they're doing.

[Big H]

imagine a crowd of 40-50 waiting for 5 set waves.....rides are not terribly long so the whole lineup is reset and waiting for every set....you have the foamie riders just inside the breaking waves with their instructors; they are wrong to stand there but it's understood that you avoid them as they are doing their business....then there are the floaters just outside of the breaking wave standing or floating in the water next to their board...they jump on as the wave is coming and NEVER look over their shoulders......then you have assorted noobs at various distances from the shore, all inside the lineup.....they are waiting for waves that are mid sized because the ones out back are too big....thing is if you catch one out back you have to thread you way through boards shooting up left and right because the noobs are getting wiped out.....then there is the lineup, and every kind of clean and dirty jockeying goes on including the blocking thing....I guess in other countries people strong-arm lineups and are confrontational.....not the Balinese way....they just ignore those that are being jerks, catch (all the) waves and spray the offenders right under their noses, then gang up and proceed to block the offenders off until they leave....none of the blockers would ever get a clean wave; dropped in on for sure if they weren't stuffed even before trying to get up.

There is just too many from too many places with no local investment or cares....those who don't snake at their home break do here because "what happens in Bali stays in Bali"....seems to bring the worst out of people but that's just how it is IF you decide to surf at one of the zoos. (Canggzoo is another).

[Tudeo]

I don't completely agree with the Bali Zoo analogy, in a Zoo there still are rules. In many breaks in Bali it's more like a Jungle, every man for himself.
.
In those crowded situations were people don't respect each other everything can happen, I try avoid those breaks as much as possible, I can't enjoy the surf that way.

I much rather surf an uncrowded wave of lesser quality than a crowded better wave. Also at my lower end intermediate level there's still plenty of unharvested stoke to be had there.

[Big H]

I just can't find any around my part of the island.....except for one spot...

[Henx]

Lol! I forgot to click on the notification button and forgot about this post. However, i'm reviving the thread since i just got back from Bali.
Surfed mainly in Batu bolong, and had a few sessions in Kuta. All in all i had a blast and got a few really good waves.

But, Batu...after two weeks i developed some kind of love/hate relationship with this place. I love the break, since it's slower, smaller and fatter. perfect for longboard and if you sit at the right spot it gives some really nice and clean lefts.

But the people man. At worst there were 40-50 people out and there was absolute carnage in the line up. The amount of people dropping in, shouting, beginners who threw away and ditched their boards just because some white wash was coming their way, was insane.
I can only conclude that many people seems to have different takes on the rules. Some people surely go by the "the person who stands up first has priority", some go by "the closes to the peak" and some just doesn't seem to give a xxxxx and just drop.
So all in all i love the wave and the break, but not so fond of the crowds.


But! Regarding the issue i described in my original post i realize that both me and the french people where noobs. They probably shadowed me for positioning and just didn't care if it ment blocking or not. Or maybe they didn't even realize that was the case.
I learned during this trip, now that i'm a little bit more experienced, that there are ways to deal with these types without being confrontational or risk running them over. Big H had some good advice.

But in a place like batu bolong i'm surprised that more accidents doesn't happen.

[dtc]

Huh, we were just talking about Batu balong

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26173&hilit=Whose+wave

[waikikikichan]

Henx, at Batu Bolong, I hope you werent't wearing a black long sleeve and gloves.

[Henx]

Henx, at Batu Bolong, I hope you werent't wearing a black long sleeve and gloves.

lol, no i wasn't. Surfed most days in a rashguard. But who surfes in batu with gloves?

Huh, we were just talking about Batu balong

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26173&hilit=Whose+wave

Saw that clip and also noticed a lot of comments on the FB page "Bali, buy and sell surfboards" suggesting that it was the guy in the rashguard had priority....

[RinkyDink]

Henx, at Batu Bolong, I hope you werent't wearing a black long sleeve and gloves.

I doubt that because he's more than likely a sock puppet.

[Big H]

Henx, at Batu Bolong, I hope you werent't wearing a black long sleeve and gloves.

lol, no i wasn't. Surfed most days in a rashguard. But who surfes in batu with gloves?

Huh, we were just talking about Batu balong

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26173&hilit=Whose+wave

Saw that clip and also noticed a lot of comments on the FB page "Bali, buy and sell surfboards" suggesting that it was the guy in the rashguard had priority....

.........which helps to explain the general carnage....

[Big H]

Henx, at Batu Bolong, I hope you werent't wearing a black long sleeve and gloves.

lol, no i wasn't. Surfed most days in a rashguard. But who surfes in batu with gloves?

Huh, we were just talking about Batu balong

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26173&hilit=Whose+wave

Saw that clip and also noticed a lot of comments on the FB page "Bali, buy and sell surfboards" suggesting that it was the guy in the rashguard had priority....

.........which helps to explain the general carnage....

[BoMan]

I much rather surf an uncrowded wave of lesser quality than a crowded better wave. Also at my lower end intermediate level there's still plenty of unharvested stoke to be had there.

Well said!

Northern California is nothing like Bali but there are days when it's more fun to escape. Schooner's Gulch is COLD and blown out in the afternoons but not bad for longboards in the early morning. My price of admission is a 3 hour drive compared to an hour and a half. Check out the crowded day last summer!

[oldmansurfer]

I am fortunate to live next to Wailua beach with usually very few to no surfers. Oddly when I grew up right next to the same beach all the surfers used to hang out there but I discovered Kealia beach which had more consistent and better waves (4 miles north). So I surfed most often at Kealia where there were no surfers most often back then. Now Kealia is the beach to go to and it is most often crowded but Wailua has no surfers so I go there. The surf may be challenging but most often there are good waves to be caught if you can figure out the lineup and you can handle taking a few waves on the head. It's just a 20 minute walk from my house although I take my truck because I am time limited. If you just take a glance at a typical day at Wailua it looks like chaos but if you keep watching there will be a wave with a nice wall break right in the middle of all the chaos. On more than one day I have been alone surfing then caught that nice wave in the middle of the chaos and suddenly 4 or 5 surfers come out to join me. LOL I guess they were checking out that wave too. There is a surfer who is older than me and surfs a big longboard who used to be a frequent partner there but lately I haven't seen him. He can't handle the chaotic days as well unless the nice wave is on one side or the other of the chaos. But I am time limited so big crowds are out of the picture for me. Even at it's most crowded Wailua has multiple breaks and I have been able to find a less crowded peak to catch.