Surf rage

I admit to raging on occasion. Mostly when it has been a real flat summer and I just want to get some rides but kooks just overpopulate the lineup with SUPs and get in the way

 

i dont understand raging if the guy apologizes (sincerely) and it was a one time thing. it just doesnt make sense. now if someone cut me off and then didnt say a word, then i would shout over to him to watch it next time. if they do something more than once, then im gonna let em know and probably tell them to move down the shore or something, but no rage still. 3 times? then youve got a problem because its probably on purpose.

i just dont feel like 1 wave is worth all that trouble and nonsense. you arent surfing a world-class break and you two arent pros; relax and enjoy it. sometimes they make genuine mistakes and need direction. its until they are ruining the day for me that, i rage (and even then i just get pissed off and tell them to get the hell out of our area).

 

Guy dropped in on me consistently for 2 years. They called him Kamikakee Pete. I finally spoke my mind a couple weeks before. Then the next time we surfed together he did it again in a dangerous spot. Really gave it to him verbally. Next day I was in the barrel and he dropped in on me! I ate it on purpose in order not to eat his fins and we came up tangled together. I no longer said anything as I was holding his head underwater. I figured if he was going to try to kill me, I would return the favor. We got separated by guys in the water and took it on to the reef. I punched him once split his eye open and he went to hospital. NEVER DROPPED IN ON ME AGAIN.
Everyone has their line... after 2 years and nearly killing me more times than I could count he found mine.

 

Yeah, habitually dropping in on someone (especially on good/dangerous waves) goes way beyond normal disrespect... It crosses over into disregard to everyone's safety and property in the water, and I can see where a punch can be deserved. Luckily I've never been in a position where the person didn't quickly apologize (or the other way around), but if someone caused me to get hurt or take a chunk out of my board, I'd be more than willing to square off with them on the beach.

 

I have been on both ends of surf rage over the past few years. I was working in Manhattan and living in the Rockaways from mid 2009 till mid 2011. The lineups are infested with kooks who are completely unfamiliar with surf etiquette. I was dropped in on, had boards ditched at me, and had people take off on top of me with no control of the board and no chance to make drops. When I felt that people would endanger me in the lineup, I typically reacted with 5 minute verbal tirades. On occasion it resulted in some jarring on the beach, but never anything too physical. \r\n\r\nMy reaction may not have been the best, but it seemed to work. I often saw people I had chewed out in the lineup later on being respectful and giving me a friendly wave when both checking the surf. In cases where people violate surf etiquette b/c they simply don\'t know the rules, I think regulating is the right thing to do b/c it will make the lineup safer and can even breed people into \"locals\" who regulate a spot rather than make it dangerous.

I have since moved to Ocean City, NJ as I no longer had work in the big city. I have since been on the receiving end of \"surf rage.\" It turns out that a few older locals, whose surfing ability is mediocre at best, think they own surf spots because they have surfed them the longest. I first learned this when paddling out at a certain spot on the north end of the island on a chest high day. I got dropped in on by the same local about 4 times. I wasn\'t hassling him, nor had I disrespected anyone, and I took the drop ins silently. Finally I got fed up and decided to race him down the line. I caught him about 30 yards down the line and as i passed him, he grabbed my leash and we both went down. He started yelling about how this spot was not a \"democracy\" (I think he meant meritocracy) and demanded to know my name and where i was from. I told him it was none of his business and he came at me and slapped me in the face. I was taken aback, and decided to just paddle back towards the peak. He hasn\'t dropped in on me since.\r\n\r\nI had a similar altercation surfing the same spot with a friend of mine. A different older local dropped in on my friend, and my friend hollered, letting him know he was there. The older local did not cede the wave, and on the way back to the lineup started talking smack, telling my friend to shut his mouth and that it was HIS Jetty. Being in earshot, I calmly told him that he snaked my friend and he has no reason to complain. The local told me it was his jetty and I should go home. He then paddled right up next to me and sat there. Then a wave came and I got shacked off my gord. He doesn\'t drop in on me or my buddy anymore.

I think the the lesson of this all is that regulating when people don\'t know any better might make you look like an ass, but it actually does keep things safer. When old entrenched locals try to intimidate people out of the water, and claim the waves are \"theirs\" even though they don\'t want to work for it, it\'s important to just stand up for yourself. Those guys are typically cowards and don\'t want to actually fight. They\'re just looking for a way to pad their waning egos. The cream will always rise to the top.

 

trying to regulate 90th in rockaway is like throwing a cup of water on a forrest fire.

 

One time when I was in the water I noticed a couple of kids no older than 14 surfing. and one of the groms dropped in on an older dude by mistake knocking the guy off his board. the older man in his 20's decided to get in this kids face and the kid look liked he was about to cry. I paddled over there and told the older dude to chill out. the older dude than began to take the kids board (still on leashe) and walk the kid to the beach yelling the whole time. Later did that dude know was the groms older brother was on the beach just got back from Marines and punched the dude right out. kid went back surfing and older guy was never seen since. it was awesome

 

Sounds like Waverly. Dont understand why EVERYONE on the island surfs there.....and all who do have some kind of rage issue...

 

So true. I rarely surfed 90th, only on big days when the drift kept the kooks off the peak. The spots in the 60s are better anyway when it's less than 6ft.

 

"Sounds like Waverly. Dont understand why EVERYONE on the island surfs there.....and all who do have some kind of rage issue..."

You nailed the spot obv. The funny thing is it's really only 2 or 3 locals that have the rage issues. Most of the guys who paddle out there, even the older locals, are super cool. After surfing lefts only for 3 years in AC and NYC, scoring reeling Waverly Rights is worth dealing with the few A$$holes. But there are definitely other spots in the area that can get all time.

 

hey stayabovethe weather-
do you know that older lady that surfs either waverly or 2nd street in OC? well, thats kind of broad, but she works at Heritage in OC and... i think is the meanest lady I ever personally met. I was upstairs at the heritage OC boardroom and I was checking out Dane's new neckbread surfboard (the one with the cut off tail) and I was simply talking to my friend how weird i thought it was (its weird as hell). This lady comes up to me and tells me that its like a longboard, and I told her thats simply not true. She then begins to badger me about how I don't know what I am talking about. Then she calls me a kook, and says that "I have no idea what the F*** I'm talking about" and that her friends are some of the best surfers in new jersey. She then talks about how her friends can go off the lip and fin wafts on a longboard, and well baffled by this, said thats highly unlikely. This is a late 30's-mid 40's lady yelling at me mind you, so I was kind of taken back. Secondly, I know who the best surfers are in OC, I think everyone does. Third, she was wrong, and as a south jersey native from an island south of OC, I can very much hold my own around those guys and I know an unhealthy amount of surf knowledge. So heritage in OC, I will never go back to your store again due to the meanest lady I ever talked to. You'd think a worker would try to appease the customer, but instead she made me want to punch her in the face; I was fired up. How dare she? Again, I was kind of all over the place in my story because it happened about a year ago.

-I've been holding this story since last spring to vent about it on this damn website.
and yes, I'm still ticked off. Another reason why OC sucks (that and it being dry)

 

I had to redirect some rage away from all the jellyfish that were dropping in on me last week. Some organisms just don't respect the rules of the lineup! What jerks!

 

My second year surfing, I had just gotten a board and there were shoulder high waves. Back then I was about 13 so it felt like head high or a foot overhead so I was stoked to be out in the lineup. I was always respectful in the water but at that time, I didn't know where to paddle out. So I paddled straight out into the middle of the lineup like an ignorant little grom. I'm on the shoulder and this 50 something year-old dude comes flying down the line right towards me from the peak. I know I'm in a bad spot but not knowing any better, I paddle further toward the shoulder as hard as I can to get out of his way. Obviously he wanted me to paddle toward the peak instead so he keeps pumping until wham, he crashes into me. When everything clears, he comes up and starts cursing me off, telling me I'm a piece of sh1t and what the f*** is wrong with me.

I'm 13 so I get nervous and I'm about to cry. I had to get out of the water because there was a 6 inch deep gash in my rail from the collision. So there I am riding my bike home, short of breath, saying to myself I never want to go surfing again. That dude went nuts on me and almost ruined surfing for me, but I got back out there, and eventually he apologized and explained what I should have done. All in all, I'm grateful for that lesson, but in no way is it ever appropriate for a grown man to curse off a child.

 

I am not familiar with this lady but one of the "older locals" that I spoke of in my previous post also has affiliation with Heritage. You would think that, as a slinger of surf gear, you would want to be pleasant and drive traffic to your breaks, and thus your surfshop. Instead, everyone I know from Heritage is an A$$hole who tries to intimidate the very surfers that put food on their plates and a roof over their head. I too will never step foot in Heritage. F-ck that place.

 

Wow, just wow...
Localism in the lineup, sure, but as an employee in sales??? She should be fired. No questions.

My first board was a Heritage, bought it from Dan & Barb in SIC in 1975, I was 12. Dan is rolling in his grave.

Personally, I'm not a rager. I've given a few "mandatory lessons in etiquitte" out to groms who obviously didn't know better, but I'm happy to say that I've not given nor received any sort of rage attack in my years of surfing.

 

Just last Thursday night I paddled out to my usual Jetty at the beach about a mile down the street. Noticed some guys I had never seen before (about 3 guys already out when I got off work, and they all knew eachother).

Waited my turn in the lineup and was finally on the outside. Mini set comes in, start paddling (first day in the 4/3 and on a new board that's much more narrow/thinner than my beater) and I end up being too late/wave too weak to push me and get into it. Guy down the line huffs at me. Paddle back out the 15 feet or so and continue to wait. Couple sets go by, I get a couple, he gets a couple then we're both back out there, I'm on the outside and I go for the next one. Guy down the line also paddling.

Mind you, this is a right, I'm goofy and this guy is regular. I drop in, see he's paddling hard and I call him off. He drops in on me he takes off down the line, I follow for a little and then call him a Kook turn into the white water and paddle back out.

He comes out to me, yelling and raging(this guy is on the older side so I'm a little caught off guard). "You call me the Kook?! Let me tell you something, you're the kook!!!!!" Screaming. Then he tries to tell me his reasoning. Apparently, since they were there first I should not have paddled out to my usual spot at all. He said I paddled right through the lineup which was not true, as always, I made a point to wait my turn. Then he topped it off, he said I'm the kook and what it came down to was that I missed that first wave so that gave him the go ahead to drop in on me for the rest of the session.

I said, I could understand if I was timid and not dropping into anything while on the outside but I missed one wave so I don't think that gives anyone the right to drop in. I calmly told him guys like him ruin the little time I get in the water. I told him that was my usual spot and I had never seen him before he insisted on knowing where I was from and then made it a point to let me know he lives on the beach/waterfront.

Now, I'm not the best surfer out there but I'm usually one of the best at that spot. I was definetley at least on par with this guy and his friends. I started getting the feel for the new board and the rubber and was getting pitted backside and throwing HUGE backside tail slides by mid session.

At one point I paddled back out past him (surfing the middle now) and apologized for calling him a kook. I think he thought I wasn't very good at surfing but when he saw my surfing he may have realized that he had made a bad assumption. He said "no problem man, we don't live in a vacuum." No apology for the drop but I didn't expect one I was just trying not to have my session ruined.

Anyway, guy, if you are reading this. I apologize for telling you to go back to bricktown. Hopefully we can respectfully trade some waves again in the future.

 

Heard that. i'm all about 7th street....I'm even getting vibes from Surfers supplies. what gives. Sun Catcher is cool - too bad its controlled by nazi old ladies. I miss The Boarding House back in the hay days of Avalon.

 

The only surf shops I go to anymore are Wetsuit Wearhouse and Craigslist. Cut out the middle man, retail is a ripoff and I'm done supporting vibing d-bags

 

In my opinion, no matter how green or stupid someone is, especially if it's a one-time mishap, there's no need to be throwing the word "kook" around. That said, of course it's easy to get upset with someone for putting their / your / everyone's safety in jeopardy, but keep it civil out there, guys. Be the bigger person, take a deep breath, and walk (paddle) away. Then re-engage in the situation once calm and do some teaching. That's all it really takes to make the water safer for everybody. We've all done stupid stuff, so try to remember that the next time somebody else does.