The thing I miss about the 60 and 70's that somehow has been lost in the line-up when a rider has priorty he or she usually yelled "coming down" or a simple "yep" allowing time for paddlers cutting off priority rider to back out avoiding collisions (dings). Surfing etiquette is a learned behavior not sold with the surf board so even some old guys need a lesson too.
Just a quick whistle usually works. I read this whole thread before someone pointed out it was old What happened to that surf shop wild ocean?
Yeh! Agro is so uncool! a couple summers ago an older guy who hasnt surfed in 20 yrs had a colission with one of our best surfers at Chinco. Started a fight in the water but was held under water until he cooled down. Ha Ha. We were all appalled cause that just doesnt happen in Chico and not allowed. needless to say, He was blackballed for disrespect. However we did tell him to surf down the beach. He never came back. Respect the locals. Dont just try to sit on the peak and expect everyone to bow to you. It takes time to reach that level at any break.
One thing I'll never get is why we should give the best waves to the locals, who surf there every day. Seems kinda greedy and backwards doesn't it? Why should it matter where someone commuted from before they entered the water. When I surf, I don't give a **** where you came from. Everyone gets the same level of respect from me whether they walked into their front yard to surf or flew 5,000 miles. I'll paddle out to the peak and sit in the lineup, waiting my turn with anyone regardless of whether I live or have surfed there before.
the nice thing is they tend to congregate at one spot and there are way better breaks now if you know where to look.
they aren't yours to "give" - if they're truly a local then they'll have the spot wired to the point where even if you're a better surfer they'll still be able to get way more waves then you. Hard to just show up at a spot one day, look at it for five minutes and get a read on the wave that will enable you to compete with someone who surfs there all the time, going back many decades.
If we are talking about beach breaks, this couldn't be more true. Unless there's a major disparity between the local's overall skill/knowledge and the newcomer charger's lack of familiarity with the break. Because if he's been around, he's seen a lot of beach breaks come and go. Patters are very recognizable by the keen eye and even the most bastardly of beach breaks still exhibit at least some level of discernible pattern. Well, if it's serious chop maybe not so much. Gotta give the nod to the old geezah in the end! If any of you brahs have ever worked construction or trades, you'll have come up on a real pickle of a situation with no solution in sight and the old geezah supermaster tradesman will walk in with the ciggy hangin from his mouth (having not ashed it since lighting it but ash wad doesn't fall!) and non-chalantly grunt as if you're a lower form of life and cognition as he pulls some old school trick that only works specific situation at hand and you're sitting there like "shwhatt old man?!?!?!?!"
