Newbies in the lineup

Do I become a crazy agro surfer brah? No.... Do I take more waves than normal? Yes, definitely yes.

 

I supposed one must make some distinctions. For one, there is a difference between a kook and a newbie. A kook has zero respect for etiquette and creates dangerous situations. So in that case I have no problem taking more waves. A newbie who is respectful, follows the rules and is safe should be allowed their share of waves (of course not at the first peak or the sets), but I'm not going to snake a new surfer because he or she is just trying to learn. We were all there at one point. Nor do I think it is fair for "established surfers," to rip on new surfers just because they are learning. Those people are straight up kooks and should have no place in the lineup.

 

No aggression at all. I actually smile when I see anyone out flopping around having a good time. But in the summer, if you are a good surfer, your surfing speaks for you. No words needed, no aggression. The first time they see you take off 200 yards down the line, then as they are dropping in, they see that you are approaching them at mach speed, then you do a big change of direction under the lip, fanning them as you cut back.... Pretty much after that, everyone down the line will be well aware of where you are and if you are taking off of not. Now, if they are blatenly dropping in and not paying attention, maybe a little reminder... And I don't even get pissed is someone unintentially drops in way down the line. I hoot at them, and pop out at the last second, getting just close enough, that even a non-surfer understands that they just ruined your wave. No words needed.

People with normal human instinct get it. Its always they guys that arent very good that are out there yelling and getting agro. Running their mouths.

But yes, you always get a ton more waves when its the newbies out. Its just a numbers game. No newbie is going to sit deep in the lineup, taking off trying to back door the barrel, so really it is not rude at all to paddle right past them everytime. Because we all know that newbies who are over hawking the shoulder are always out of poisition. And the rules of surfing dictate that if you are not a moving member of the lineup who is moving into position as other guys take off, you are forefitting every wave that the guys deeper are taking off on....

 

Well stated Jettyface and Zach...couldn;t have said it better.

 

x2

Personally, I tend to adjust my attitude around the way the lineup behaves, regardless of skill level. I think most people do.

 

im way more aggressive when the lineup is filled with good people than any other time. typically if its pumping newbies can't make it out anyway so its hard to get pissed off at them when they mess up your waist high wave of the day. i prefer to find the more uncrowded spaces but when a kooker is in the water they are usually going straight with blinders on so i try to sit on the side of them where i wont be cut off although avoidance is preferable. if they arent going down the line or i give them a nice set wave or two and they mess it up i usually yield little caution to dropping in/snaking them. i also freak out when i take a wave and turn to paddle out to find the kookermonger flopping his way straight towards me and or bailing his/her board when im close. i usually say something then. if you surf well. people will see and they will get out of your way. if your in a situation where the majority is good. you really have to fight for position and be super agro to get the waves...i hate that. so no..i dont find myself getting aggressive when kooks are in the water...its usually a small summer day anyway.

 

There's this guy who looks to be in his mid 40's who shows up at the beach I surf in Lavallette about 4 or 5 times every summer. If the conditions are good I'm out scouting around for a good bar, but if it's just average I'll walk up the street to this beach. Anyway, the guy always shows up with his 2 kids. He rides a pop-out Canyon, but I've never noticed what the kids ride. If I'm out alone, which usually I'm the first one out, he will paddle out with his kids right on me. There's usually about 4 football fields of empty peaks and beach, but he must follow that sheep mentality. Then he will attempt to paddle to my inside to get priority and never waits his turn. Then he will yell and hoot his kids into waves where I obviously have priority. Now it's really not the kids fault that they have douche bag father who is not polite and has no concept of etiquette. They are out there having fun. So I usually let them go and I'm happy for them that they got a good ride. I'll just take the next wave in the set. But the father, I'll burn him and drop in on him if I have to. He acts like he's some hot sh!t on a pop-out because he catching all the 2ft waves on longboard day when everyone should just be spreading stoke. So that right there is the perfect example of the difference between a newbie and kook and how to treat them both. Unfortunately one day those kids will probably grow up to be like their father. Hopefully they don't.

 

Yea I can't stand guys like that. They sit way outside on their funboards or longboards and surf right at you then paddle out past you again and repeat the process, when in reality they would be just fine sitting in the lineup with the rest of us.

 

Give the newbies set waves once in a while. They'll respect you forever. A local kid who surfs very well said to me, when he was about 16, "there's more to being a good surfer than just surfing good." Wisdom beyond his years. Being a good surfer is about helping the kids learn the skills, etiquette, and social norms of how to behave in the water. Newbies need these "good surfers" to guide and inspire them. And sometimes correct them if they're wrong.

Kooks need to be handled differently, and this is another way experienced surfers can help everybody, including the newbies, out, which is by letting them see how kooks get treated.

 

I don't get pissed at either, but in both cases I'll definately take more waves than usual. The only thing I do differently for newbies is give them a few tips and be friendly to them. Who knows, it's the newbies that usually end up being the good surfers. I'll crowd around a kook and keep him as uncomfortable as possible.

 

i really hate that *** kooks that always mess u up on a wave, i try to judge weather they will even catch it to drop in onme and most of the time ill go cause i know they wont.
what i cant stand is when u have the inside, they paddle(on surfboard) to drop in on you, catch the wave and i backout, but they dont even drop it, just stand at the top fall backwards and are right back waiting for the next set so they can c0ck block my gnarection again. And they think there the **** still cause there on a surfboard. at least most of the bodyboarders will catch it and ride it. but the surfers, if ur gonna do that, get out of the water. ur just a hazard everyone out there. There are some surfers that im fine with tho, the ones that are actually good and respect the rule that the person on the inside gets the wave. But even that rule sucks for the surfer kooks too cause the paddle for a wave that hey wont get out of but im in a better spot farther down on the wave.

 

just out position them in the lineup. paddle battles are fun!!

 

I notice alot of people who sit inside right before where the waves breaks and they hop on there boards infront of me and do like 3 pumps and fall over. Or there are the ones who think they know it all cause there folk bought them the latest CI or Lost and they try to start paddling for a wave you are already on and they are in the white water well behind you and they hollar at you like you just dropen in on them . That happend to me once this weekend I was already on the wave did my bottom turn and trimed up to the top of the wave and was on the nose and so kid was in the foam behind me yellin at Me. So after I heard that a walked back the the tail stalled and turned outa the wave. The kids said the me , "Yo WTF you dropin in on me for " . I told him if he was paying attention and knew anything about surfing you would have seen that 1 was already up and on the wave while you were still paddleing and 2 that you were in the foam and I was at the peak postion. He did that to 2 other people that day and he got worked hard by some guy on a Keel fin Fish . I guess dome people just dont learn

I dont get all agro or my attitude doesnt change when it crowded or there are alot of there newbs or "kooks" in the water. If you get all hostle or worried about stuff like that your kinda missing out on what surfing is all about

 

I feel as though i surf better when I am surrounded by noobs. If it is crowded with legit surfers and noobs, then I get ancy, frustrated, and agressive. It's an oil water mix which leads to frustration. If you get a noob dropping in and call them off, usually they then realize to look side to side before they take off the next time. It's all a learning process. I also don't get super mad because I was a noob at one point and so was everyone else. It just needs to be a quick learning noob with common sense...( why would I take off on this wave if there's someone already on it...ect. ha)

If a noob takes a wave and has the right of way, I will let him have it because it teaches him the rule and respect. Plus, on that wave he may finally realize how to do a bottom turn or his first cut back.

 

not like I rip or anything but after 25 years I know what I'm doing. When the lineup is packed with learners/beginners usually its because the waves are not what you would call exceptional so I'm always calling people into waves, backing off, etc. When its epic 2-3x a year and my break gets packed with the best surfers in the state, I get called into waves by surfers much better than me, so I act the same. I'm very, very easygoing with teenagers and women, way less so with typical "35 year old men learning on longboards" you see more and more.

 

I was out with some kooks and some newbies yesterday. This 2 guys kept dropping in on me and messing up my waves. So I just burned them a couple times. Then another kid dropped in on me but i knew that he was new so I just told him what he did and he didn't drop in on anybody anymore (except for one of his friends). After that i was calling him into waves and cheering him on whenever he had the peak on a set. But even with the waves I called him into, I still got a lot more waves than usual.

 

maybe they don't know any better...

some guys are jackasses, but some are just ignorant. it's hard to make a jackass understand that he's a jackass, and even harder for him to stop being one even if he realizes that he is one. but some guy who just bought a board and is out there trying to figure it all out, floundering around and getting in the way, probably doesn't even know that he's doing something wrong.

so it's not that he's selfish or intending to screw up others' times out there, he just doesn't realize what the rules are, where he's supposed to be/not be, what waves he paddle for/let go. sadly, because most people are non-confrontational and don't really want to take the time to get involved, these guys who don't know any better will continue to get in the way, drop in on others, miss waves and paddle out right through you line until and unless someone explains to them (kindly and pleasantly the first time, at least) that what they did isn't really the way things are supposed to work out there. when i started, i would try to be as deferential to the guys tearing it up, and thankfully some of them explained a few things to me here and there, preventing me from being a nuisance everytime i paddled out. a few kind words can go a long way; not just towards keeping the energy and feelings positive, but maybe even more importantly, to teaching new guys (whether they're 13, 35 or 50) what's expected of them, and how to avoid having the others groan everytime they see you getting in the water.

 

agreed. it's when you try to nicely help somebody and then they get ignorant that the bad stuff happens.

 

Summer = newbs in the lineup

My general stance is, if they can catch the waves then I won't drop in on them. If they're going to miss the wave or ride it straight in, I'll take it all day. Since we're not talking kooks here, I won't mention all the jacka$$es that have been dropping in like its nothing lately.