ok guys I dont post often but need some clarification here. I have been surfing for 25 yrs and I am well aware of the ettiquette rules. I could count how many time I knowingly snaked someone on one hand and it was almost always in retrobution. Todays story is a little different and I need some honest opinions. 4 guys out sitting on my fav jetty. I suit up say to myself I want to charge it today dont let any of these guys take all the sets I want to be in the game. I have a tendency to either find my own jetty this time of year or be too polite and not end up with many set waves. So I paddle around the jetty so the current puts me right on the best peak I watch a set go by others guys grab the waves I catch the next one. Stoked! fun waves I paddle back out wait my turn and or paddle against current back into position. Surfer#1 gets a nice waves I hoot. Surfer#2 paddles into the pocket as surfer#3 is paddling away from peak #2 says go man knowing this guys isnt going to pull out # 3 missies waves and says thought you had it? WTF is the look on #2 and I just shake my head. Few waves go riden by all nice set comes #2 again is outside andpaddling away from peak I am in perfect position so I paddle into the peak I go to get up and see #2 on top of me I am on the inside I save my self and board and pull out and get worked he misses wave exchange looks and I put up my hands you going to surf on my back? #2 sits on shoulder out of picture for a while I am thinking he is little defeated cause he tried to snake two guys and hasnt had a good ride yet so he is off to the shoulder then #4 pulss same **** to make a long story shorter... If a guy is in position but then paddles out of that position and now I am in the inside in the perfect take off spot under the lip type take off can I go? even if its clear that this other guy is paddling for the waves already. one time is no issue I pass up plenty of waves so I see him going for it I let it go if I am in position but if its happening often is it wrong to spin and go under a guy. <br />Sad thing is not a word was said to anyone on a fun day in Dec. like it was silent! I hooted a few tymes and that was it. I left to find my alternate jetty breaking with no one out and I paddled out with another guy exchanged pleasantris and we shared waves I would get a good set wave and paddle out we wait when another set came even if I am on the inside thats all you man ywew! lloks like a good one back and forth. isnt this how it should be with a few guys out?
Yeah, that's how I think it should be. Today was a perfect example. I paddled out at a spot in Rhode Island and there were 10-15 guys out, all riding logs. I sat off the main peak at first since I'm not a local and it's their home break -- don't want to step on any toes. After a while, though, they were chatting me up and giving props when I'd catch a nice one. Everybody had a great time and caught plenty of waves. On an unrelated note, I wish we had reefs and points in MD/DE!!
Bauer I know where you are coming from... It is definitely a grey area as far as i've ever seen. I've been surfing for 13 years and I have been in this situation many times also , and also without clarification lol. In a crowded lineup I usually do a couple courtesy yields to the person who is paddling first, even if they paddle themselves away from priority. I guess that technically it would be in adherence with etiquette to take the wave if they paddle out of priority, but out of courtesy I usually let them have it one or two times... but if it continues for the whole session, then it gets to a point if theyre wasting good waves by paddling away from the peak and shoulder hopping then theres a point when one might step up and go for a deeper takeoff. It's still a grey area as far as I've seen. Does anyone else have any views? But when its just a few guys out in late december, there should be a mutual respect for anyone willing to put in the time in the middle of the winter, and people should have a lot more good will towards eachother. As long as everyone's respectful to eachother, everyone should take turns letting eachother have waves like you said. Once someone starts getting greedy and taking more, and hogging, if theyre paddling away from the peak I would absolutely go for it
I see what your confused about here and truthfully don't think there is a right and wrong answer. In my opinion i think whoever starts on the inside has the wave, they are just putting themsleves in position to drop in where they are most comfortable. At least thats what i usually do because im still somewhat new to surfing and oftem more comfortable droping in on a shoulder instead of the dead peak where it could be a little steep at times.
I see it like this... If a guy is too deep and paddles all the way around you to get better position, I call that paddling around to drop in, and bad etiquette. Others may argue that the guy with priority has the wave and get's to decide whether to chase the peak or not. However, if the guy paddles over, and is still outside of you, you must yield to him, and get out of the way. You don't try to take off under another guy. Closest to the peak who can still make it, or furthest outside, gets the wave. Personally, if I'm too deep, I don't go, and give the next guy down the line the wave. I don't chase a peak around another guy, just because I have priority. But that's just me. I'll give the, "all you brother" and take the next one. On a side note, Thursday after work I got out just as the tide was getting deep. Only the set waves were still breaking, but they were still solid chest to shoulder high and clean and glassy. A bunch of local rippers were killing it at the best spot in town, so I went out one jetty south, with only one other guy out. I waited on the beach for him to catch a good one, then paddled out along the jetty and got into position. Feeling like the intruder, I started up the conversation... "blah blah blah... nice one you just got... blah blah blah." We surfed till dark, trading waves and stories. Just being polite can get you a lot of waves.
I agree with LBcrew. But... yesterday was a little weird, guys way inside the jetty would go and the wave would mostly close out on them with no where to go - nice drops, no ride. But if you paddled wide off the jetty (away from the original the peak) the wave walled up a "second" peak and then you could go down the line. And in another way it was weird - everyone played nice.
If you are in the peak postion then its your wave . If the others move out of postion then shame on them
Well it's only your wave as long as you stay on the priority side of everybody else. Paddle around someone else to get a safer take off you then you loose priority. But if you are much further out and somebody is way inside then you can do what ever you want. Because I ride mostly fish shapes with little nose rocker I shy away from the steepest drops if there is someone down the line (within say 30 feet) with a better chance of making it, in that case I let it go. If know one is around I will risk the late take off and if I eat it it doesn't matter.
I agree with what you just said, but what happens when you are in position on the outside and you are forced to paddle for the shoulder because the guy on the inside is in your way ? In that situation, I'd say that you still have priority and the guy inside needs to get out of the way. And what do you do if the guy on the outside has to paddle 45 strokes just to stand up in the same spot you can you can stand up at with only 5 or 6 strokes. Should the guy on the inside yield to the guy who is out to far ? This etiquette stuff gets complicated when people don't play nice.
another ****ing post about ettiquette....post that **** on the end the previous gazillion thousand million other threads about this subject...you're wasting swellinfo's space. If you are in the inside it yours, if not then it is not your go...reguardless of where you just were ect ect ect especially at a jetty where there really is no confusion on who has the inside.
I think you run in to these problems less and less as the water gets colder, lately I haven't really had any problems with people paddling around or being wave hogs. Last Thursday I was out for about 3 hours and didn't have one problem with any of the other guys out. I gave a few guys waves when I was in better position just because I could see they wanted it and they returned the favor, giving me a few as well. Surfing is so much more fun when there's a good vibe in the water.
I just let em have it if they're paddling for it. Then you can go. Its less about rules and more about learning to play nice. I hate this ettiquette crap. everybody surfs different, some people like to paddle alot and get it early some people like to take off late. If you miss it, its up for grabs. You could just put yourself in that position if you know someone is going to miss it. It would be better to make lemonade out of lemons than try to make lemons into oranges. This stuff makes me feel like I need to bring a lawyer with me to the beach. Dont be that guy. Seriously, Im not condescending, but you might as well paint white stripes and your wetsuit and bring a whistle.
I admit I needed a flow-chart to get a picture of the entire scenario. Nonetheless, I think surfing with a crowd is kind of like merging onto a busy highway. Regardless of the rules, someone is going to bypass them, there are going to be bad drivers etc. When it comes to our precious commodity you've sometimes just got to do what comes natural. Sometimes letting another guy have a wave, getting dropped in on and not saying anything or stuffing someone because you've run out of patience. After almost 20 years of surfing I opt for the less crowded break to keep my sanity in check and blood pressure down. I love surfing alone whether it be a beach break in Virginia or an outer reef in Hawaii.
Good call. I hate when the boys are too deep and do the last second pull back without telling someone to go. Wasted wave for everyone. I have the flaw of giving folks the benefit of the doubt as far as making it & it takes a lot before I'll burn anyone. If your not gonna go or make it don't be a d!ck tell someone else to go.
Exactly! I do the same thing. Then, I get tired of them wasting waves, so I finally just go. Then I end up dropping in on the fool. I'll give someone two chances. After that, you need to just move down the beach a bit.
Its simple whoever has inside has the right to go. Whether he was out first or not. If your gonna shoulder hop than don't expect every good wave. That's how I see it, And that's how I react
Today I had a similar situation. I was sitting out about 20 yards further out then this group of dudes. A left is coming in... The group behind me is not on the inside. But one guy starts paddling to the inside while still about 15 yards closer to shore from where I am. By the time I'm up and going he is now on the inside but still paddling for the wave. I'm into a bottom turn and he finally stands up and then cuts back into the foam ball as I continue riding on... And he was behind me closer to the peak. It could have looked like I dropped in on him... But I don't see it that way. I see it as he was trying to snake into the the inside priority spot even though he probably knew I would be up before he was. His waste of energy... My ride.
