Surfing Etiquette
Surfing Etiquette
Surfing Etiquette is the most important thing to learn before you set foot in the surf. These rules are not so much “rules” as they are a proper code of conduct designed to keep everyone in the water safe and happy. People who repeatedly break these rules are often given the stink-eye, a stern talking to, yelled at with obscenities, or just flat out beat up.
Don’t worry, if you accidentally drop in on someone they aren’t going to beat you up. However, there are rules of the road out there and this is the real world. If you’re constantly stealing waves or not being respectful, you’re going to have a run in.
With the growing popularity of surfing, the number of people in the water is on the rise and unfortunately surfing etiquette is gradually eroding away. The ocean is a dangerous place, and without proper thought to safety it can become deadly.
New surfers should memorize these rules, and even veterans should take a refresher course now and then.
Rule #1: Right of Way
The surfer closest to the peak of the wave has the right of way. This means if you’re paddling for a right, and a surfer on your left is also paddling for it, you must yield to him or her. There are a couple variations to this rule:
If someone is up riding a wave, don’t attempt a late takeoff between the curl/whitewater and the surfer. If the surfer who’s riding the wave wants to make a cutback she’ll run right into you.
Just because the whitewater catches up to a surfer riding a wave doesn’t give you permission to take off down the line. Many talented surfers can outrun the section and get back to the face of the wave.
A-Frames or Split Peaks: If two surfers are on either side of the peak, they each have the right of way to take off on their respective sides. It’s not generally accepted to take off behind the peak unless there’s nobody on the other side. These surfers should split the peak and go opposite ways.
If a surfer riding a wave gets closed out with an impossible section or wipes out, the next surfer down the line can take off. If you’re a very new beginner I’d hold off on doing this anyway until you have a bit more experience.
If a wave is breaking towards itself (a closeout) and two surfers are taking off at each other, yes both have the right of way but this is a perilous situation and it’s advisable to kick out early to avoid a collision.
Rule #2: Don’t Drop In
This is related to Rule #1. This is probably the most important part of surfing etiquette. Dropping in means that someone with the right of way is either about to take off on a wave or is already riding a wave, and you also take off on the same wave in front of him or her. This blocks his ride down the line, and is extremely annoying, not to mention dangerous. If you are tempted to drop in remember this: no matter how good the wave is, if you drop in on someone you’ll feel like crap, the other surfer will be pissed, and the wave will be ruined for everyone.
Rule #3: Paddling Rules:
Some common sense surfing etiquette rules that people don’t seem to realize are important. Don’t paddle straight through the heart of the lineup where people are surfing. Paddle out through the channel where the waves aren’t breaking and people aren’t surfing. Sometimes at spread out beach breaks this is hard, but usually there is a less crowded area to paddle through.
When paddling back out, do NOT paddle in front of someone riding a wave unless you’re well, well in front of him. You must paddle behind those who are up and riding and take the whitewater hit or duckdive. You’ll appreciate this the next time you’re up on a wave.
Sometimes you’ll just end up in a bad spot and won’t be able to paddle behind a surfer. It’s your responsibility to speed paddle to get over the wave and out of his or her way. If you don’t do this, he or she might just run you over!
Rule #4: Don’t Ditch Your Board
This is important, especially when it gets crowded. Always try to maintain control and contact with your board. Surfboards are large, heavy, and hard. If you let your board go flying around, it is going to eventually clock someone in the head. This means if you’re paddling out and a wall of whitewater is coming, you don’t have permission to just throw your board away and dive under. If you throw your board and there is someone paddling out behind you, there is going to be carnage. This is a hard rule for beginners, but if you manage to avoid picking up the habit of throwing your board you will be a MUCH better surfer.
Rule #5: Don’t Snake
“Snaking” is when a surfer paddles around another surfer in order position himself to get the right of way for a wave. He is effectively making a big “S” around a fellow surfer. While not immediately hazardous to your health, this is incredibly annoying. You can’t cut the lineup. Patiently wait your turn. Wave hogs don’t get respect in the water. Also, being a local doesn’t give you permission to ruthlessly snake visitors who are being polite. If they’re not being polite, well…
Rule #6: Beginners: don’t paddle out to the middle of a packed lineup.
This is kind of open to interpretation, but it still stands: if you’re a beginner you should try to avoid paddling out into the middle of a pack of experienced veterans. Try to go out to a less crowded beginner break. You’ll know you’re in the wrong spot if you get the stink-eye!
Rule #7: Don’t be a wave hog.
Just because you can catch all the waves doesn’t mean you should. This generally applies to longboarders, kayakers, or stand up paddlers. Since it’s easier to catch waves on these watercraft, it becomes tempting to catch them all, leaving nothing for shortboarders on the inside. Give a wave, get a wave.
Rule #8: Respect the beach
Don’t litter. Simple as that. Pick up your trash, and try to pick up a few pieces of trash before you leave even if it’s not yours.
Rule #9: Drive responsibly
The locals who live in the residential areas near the beach deserve your respect. Don’t speed or drive recklessly.
Rule #10: If you mess up
Nobody really mentions this in surfing etiquette lists, but if you mess up and accidentally drop in or mess up someone’s wave, a quick apology is appreciated, and goes a long way to reducing tension in crowded lineups. You don’t have to grovel at their feet (well, unless you did something horrible). Honestly, if you drop in on someone and then ignore them, it’s pretty stupid.
* * *
This might seem like a lot of stuff to remember, but in time it will become second nature. Most surfing etiquette rules are common sense anyway.
Have fun in the water!
Good stuff! think you should email your ‘Surfing Etiquette’ to a few of the blow-ins which crowd Snapper Rocks every summer…
I committed Sin #3 just yesterday. Paddling out, someone jumped up and came straight at me, I couldn’t tell which way to go, one of those awful slow motion moments when everything goes wrong. We didn’t collide, and I did apologize to that guy, who replied with cold silence. But worse, another guy who I see out there alot and who I respect gave me a sideways look about it and I felt like an idiot (I’m not but I sure looked like one).
Thanks for the tips. New to surfing and learned a lot from your commentary. I will be in the know the next time out. Definitely don’t want the “stink-eye”.
the ’stink eye’, much less painfull than the ’stink fist’.
Very helpful tips, thanks.
cool stuff. a friend of mine is teaching me to surf and is getting into all of this, but it is great to have it all in one place
Cheers for that. I’m a newbie surfer who broke most of those rules yesterday. I was aware of a few but was just too inexperienced to avoid them. Think i’ll surf away from the serious surfers for a while…quite an intimidating place to be.
haha,i would stay away as well. but i havnt even got to surf yet, but i will try it for sure this summer, i will try to use a foam, fishboard with a fish tail. wish me luck!:)
Thanks for sharing us the rules! It really helps to us.
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”
Good job explaining.
I especially like that you included:
Rule #7: Don’t be a wave hog.
Many longboarders like to ignore this one.
I find myself in the situation where I’m paddling in a group around a bigger wave that is breaking too far out for me to catch it(and the others in the group too) and someone a little in front decides to go straight at me without looking, when they could easily avoid me. It happened twice yesterday. Am I in the wrong place or what? Is there etiquette for looking before you try to take off?
Good words on etiquette, also I thought your readers might be interested in a book titled “The Basics of Surfboard Design” check my website farbeyondsurfing.com
I just wish the more expereinced surfer will listen to rule #7; Don’t be a wave hog.
Sometimes, even if there is only like 4 people out, if they are good, you have no chance of catching anything that is not so small that you end up on the rocks…
As a newbie this is very helpful thank you very much!
much appreciated. Ive been a bodyboarder for quite some time and a few years back just picked up surfing. Nothing worse then watching another surfer wipeout on your screw-up. very informative. Thanks!
You may want to amend Rule #5 Don’t Snake to include taking off in the white water behind a surfer up and riding already. These are usually either beginners or just mal contents who then accuse you of dropping in. Either way, it makes me seriously want to disregard Rule #4 when the are in the immediate vicinity
Aloha
Great site and great info – I’m a newbie too (second time around – did some surfing back in the early 80’s down on the French Atlantic Coast) but now decided to get back into it in my 30’s.
Us newbs don’t go out of our way to purposely piss off the experienced surfers, but even the experienced surfers need to remember they used to be newbs once….
Been new in the sport this is very helpful info. Will keep in mind! Great site.
The only agro in 15 years!
I’ve been surfing for 15 years and had a really annoying situation the other day. I was surfing at a local beach and an on duty lifeguard who was catching loads of waves on his paddle board in a crowded line-up paddled for the same wave as me. It was the best set wave of the day and I was on the peak, about 20ft down the line the lifeguard was paddling for the same wave. He had already called me off one wave earlier which he ended up going strait on anyway, so as I caught up with him further down the line, I cheekily sprayed him and said “I wish I was getting paid to drop in”. When he paddled back out he told me to “watch were I surf and stay out of my (his) area” I retaliated and told him not to drop in on surfers and so on. The other surfers around me who had seen what happened backed me up and insisted that he dropped in on me. He insisted that he was up and riding the wave before me (which is quite possible considering he was paddling for the wave on his knees and riding the wave on his knees) and told all the surfers in the line up to read the book on surfing etiquette. I have a lot of admiration for lifeguards and the job they do but on this occasion feel very disrespected and let down by them. To further exacerbate the problem, the off duty head lifeguard came up to me and verbally threatened me with physical violence in front of holidaying families.
Basically I think you should amend the section in Rule #1 to say “If someone is up riding a wave, don’t attempt a late takeoff between the curl/whitewater and the surfer. If the surfer who’s riding the wave wants to make a cutback she’ll run right into you. Unless they are an on duty lifeguard taking of at the same time 20ft down the line on a 14ft rescue board and are already hogging all the waves”.
Happy surfing!!
im feeling very guilty right now
I go surfing maybe five times a year, and I’m pretty old, so I’m never going to be good. I think these rules are stacked against beginners, so that veteran riders won’t have to share the limited resource of good waves.
I’m lucky if I can catch one in five waves that I go for. When I also have to constantly worry about keeping clear of the veterans who catch most waves they go for, then I simply never get a ride.
I’m an expert skier. I stick to the black diamond slopes, and let the beginners have the green circle runs to themselves. But if I do go on to a beginner slope, I believe it’s my responsibility to keep clear of beginners, because I’m the one with the skills to do so. If a beginner cuts me off or whatever, I don’t get mad. I recognize that when someone is struggling to learn a new sport, it’s really hard to also keep track of everybody else around you. I don’t see why the same isn’t true of surfing.
If the waves are big, then I won’t be out there, and the veterans can have their fun and police themselves. But if the waves are small, and good for newbies, then the veterans should back off and be nice. They could even try being helpful. And if someone ever had the nerve to punch me, then he should expect a visit from the police.
Heya, especially jrw. I first surfed N. Carolina, then worked ski patrol everywhere from Banff to Whistler. Surfing’s MUCH harder, way more dynamic. Adjusting to downliners on the slopes is a snap…in a crowded lineup it’s not even comparable. Keeping track of your environs IS true of surfing…I have several scars from idiot newbs who DIDN’Y know the difference between the black diamonds and bunny slopes, and years of days ruined by longboarders intent on getting everyone else’s waves. I’m pondering starting a version of Curtis Slewa’s Guardian Angels in surf lineups…calling them ‘Surf Patrol’.
I broke rule 1 once, and got a board in the face, follow these rules, they could save your life, I’m ok BTW
Great rules. I’d add an important one: even if somebody breaks the rules, which they will, probably everytime you go out now, try not to be a dick. Inform them of what they did wrong, but don’t vibe them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen guys give attitude to some newbie, then turn around and break a rule themselves. surfing could do without the righteousness!
really enjoy your blog. I recently moved to SoCal and have been surfing a lot. This etiquette page is great for any new surfer. I tried to go by common sense and had some run ins with people (quick apology usually sufficed), but in general i learned the rules quickly by just being out there. I have met a lot of nice people out in the water, BUT, what i have learned, is that there will always be a couple of real DOUCHEBAGS at every break that think they run things. I try to move away from those people, because their attitude ruins my session, but given the type of break you may not be able to get too far.
Everyone just wants to go out and have fun, if everyone is being safe, there is no reason for people to be a dick. There will be more waves rolling right in behind the one you are arguing about.