surfing ettiquette

I feel you.

I think I may have been where you are talking about. However I did not paddle out due to pulled neck and back muscles from last week. I was watching and it was a free for all demending on your position. I would have tended to go later in the day becasue everyone tries to get out early. If you could hold your own the poiont would have been the place to be sitting where the notable surfers were. There was a defined lineup that was being followed and prlenty of waves to go around. About 25 yards north was a free for all, crash up derby, where 1/2 the people out should problably have not been out. I ended up driving around checking out some of the older surf spots that were good prior to the beach replenishment. Its good to wonder and check other spots sometimes because there were some really nice sand bars breaking without a single person in sight. Be adventurous and and don't always follow the routine of going where you know it will be breaking because everyone else knows it is going to be breaking there. Good luck to you and all we can hope is that the swell warriers don;t hurt someone before they realize to be aware of their surroundings!!!!!!!

 

Yeah, ranting about it on here could relieve some of your tension, other things could do that as well , but it's not going to change anything.

Advice - go to another break with less people.

 

Not to try to sound aggro or bad ass, but the only way etiquette will be fixed is if it enforced by the other surfers. when i started in the late 70's if someone went out at a crowded spot and dropped in, collided, or whatever, they got their ass kicked by the locals plain and simple. you know what, we rarely had issues back then because everybody towed the line. those who were just starting usually found a deserted break or went to assateague.

 

Everything u say is so true. i've pretty much given up on the two main spots in DE until cold midweek winter sessions cut the crowd. i've called people out up on that stuff up there but i just can't do it with diplomacy when i'm pissed so it always ends up being confrontational. Plus 40-50 year olds trying to surf with wives and kids on the beach have way too much ego at stake to ever admit ANY infraction. The last time it happened the guy who blatantly dropped in loudly gave me the F-bomb at least 5 times and i later saw him standing on the beach with his son. And their kids have picked up the bad surf etiquette so now its x 2. Screw it...I just surf in OC and assateague until it gets cold.

 

If it's the place I think which is not a big secret any more than yeah it is out of control, I had the same girl drop in on me twice hitting my board both times, and she was a greeny just startin out on chest to head waves "why", needless to say the second time i got hit my 9' single fin epoxy sliced a nice chunk out of her board, basically leaving their board useless, lesson learned on her part hopefully.

 

Follow your own advice pops. Oh, how hardcore Maryland must have been in the 70's!

 

I like the "This sport is supposed to be fun" part. Good luck dude!

 

at the longboard spots that aren't so critical, you are going to get guys of all different experience levels. The less experienced, not necessarily knowing how to handle their boards in the bigger surf.

 

Yeah, I had a bad incident occur in DE on Sunday. I went to surf around a guy who was paddling out and the threw his board and ducked under the wave. The nose of his board pierced my board, went straight through the bottom and out the top of my new Six Star board that I got in Cali. Wasn't happy to say the least but I guess I knew what I was getting into and the skill level out there. I'm going to start selling board insurance, lol.

 

Yea I saw them shooting too. I know they were shooting stuff at some of their friends joking around but didn't reallize they were going after the rats with wings to. They are down there all the time. Sunday I stayed out of the water. Looked like alot of fun but their were just too many out there that had no business being there. People really need to learn and follow their limits. And just starting out you should be far off to the side staying out of the way. If you can't control fully where you are going stay out of the crowd. Also if you can't duck a wave or roll; hold onto your board with dear life take the beating and you will learn real fast how to duck or roll to get through. I am no angle and my board gets loose once in a while but I fight like hell to prevent it and I also paddle out and around and not straight threw the path of surfers and where there break is.

 

Waves for the heavy...

I found that if you go to north side, you will have to surf with kooks and it will always be that way. Even in the dead of winter on tuesday afternoon. The reason is the wave is pretty relaxed. The cove can get racey but there is no problems down there because the people that surf down there are usually looking for that type of wave. Another thing that works and I "rarely practice" myself is to educate the kooks. Talk to them and show what to do with there board when they loose it and the proper way to paddle out at northside when its descent size (ie: down the jetty to help the line up role.) Northside is not a secret and the crowd factor will not get better. So you all need to deal with it. I would just rather surf a wave with more consequence and you all know where I speak of. It seems all week long that I surfed there not one person dropped in on me or my friends. Thats because people know you are locked in and someone is going to get drilled. Secondly, know one really wanted the thickies except for the spongers and some crazy surfers. Anyways, I had great sessions all week and went to a crowded spot last night and the vibe just sucked. Instead I should have been smart and went to a spot that was breaking as good if not better and I didn't and it turned into a session with surfers paddling around starring everyone down like it was a ufc match. No fun and I was guilty as sin for paddling out there. So the point is, don't even paddle out in a spot that takes the fun away. Surfing was created for and stands for pleasure. If its not fun, your doing something wrong. Aggressive is ok when its put into your surfing, not other people. I am ranting blah blah blah....

 

Your exactly right. The two popular long board spots in DE are soft smooshy waves that are good for learning. So when you are learning that is where you go. And really the only way to mess up, learn, and get better is by getting into the water. Giving pointers to those in need is always a great thing to do.

 

I'm not calling anyone out on *****ing or complaining but I just don't get that there are a lot of us on here do just that about crowded spots and people who don't know how to surf or shouldn't be out there, well we have over 1,000 miles of coastline on the East Coast... get in your damn vehicle, bicycle, or whatever, and go to another break. Find one that isn't what you are describing!!

Cheers!

 

hahahaha

hahahahahahahahaha thats sooo north side

 

solution = dbl overhead or early AM

yeah brah, I agree that in alot of spots there is just no eitique or respect and it sucks I wish it was like it was back in the old days where if you screwed up you got you as kicked, but it just isn't like that... So unless I'm at a point I tend to keep my distance from the pack as there are sandbars all up and down the beach. I also notice that the people out at like 7am seem to have alot more eitique and skill; thus, I just try to surf way early in the day and avoid all the BS....

Of course I never seem to have this problem on the real big days, geuss it is something do with the fact that the kooks can't make outside on those days

 

OMG!!! LOLLLL!

 

Worth 1,000 words.