why do some guys in the line up act so weird? like say when u paddel out then say wasup to guys already out there and they give u a crazy look! hate that especially when you know you would drop them if you were on land!
umm...really? you have to ask?? in the off chance that you're serious...maybe its b/c some (dare i say most?) people aren't out there to have a conversation w/ a random stranger... & why does it have to get violent just b/c someone doesn't want to talk to you? are you that insecure? i might suggest growing up a little...
I try to wave and smile to see if they are friendly cause Im not an ass in the water .. hell, sometimes Im glad if someone else joins me just so I have some company. But there's no reason to snub people... you wouldn't be that rude to people on the street would you? I mean on the street, aren't people doing the same thing you're doing... walking to their destination? Aren't we all out there to ride waves? It definitely cuts tension and makes for a better session when people are decent to each other in the water. And by decent I mean at the least acknowledging other people and not acting like you're better than others. Ive had some excellent sessions with complete strangers, cheering each other on and trading waves. Its fun you should try it sometime!
Maybe that why they dont say hi back to you . Cause they dont know you and they take you as a safty risk to the rest of the established group. To them you are a liaibilty until you prove your self other wise. I kinda dont blame them type of people when you go right up to them . Would you go right up to a complete stranger on the street and say hi and sit next to them ????? If you sit off to the side wait your turn and kinda show everyone you know what you are doing and maybe you wont get such a cold shoulder.
Yeah, Im not saying I go up sit next to them and try to talk to people or chit chat.. I will wave cause most people are a few dozen yards down.. just a simple wave of acknowledgement when its only you and one other guy out, good waves, its cold/nasty, but you and him are stoked. Friendliness keeps the world going 'round
I give a nod with the head, nothing more nothing less. Im out there to catch something good, not to miss a set because I was too busy talking about non sense...
a head nod and whats up normally im surfing around work so i got to get it in when i can cant waste it talking to everyone that paddles out esp in vabeach i would never get to surf i would spend the session saying hello
The whole lack of hearing with the hood and the way the hood skews your face shape could be a factor here...
this is what i do in a strange lineup: keep the distance and be EXTREMELY respectful of everyone for at least an hour or so, and talk to none. Simply let the surfing do the talking, and infiltrate up towards the peak/ best take-off zone. AFTER establishing non-kook status, IF something awesome happens, i'll compliment another surfer, or remark on the quality of the last set, coldness of the water ext, ext. whatever, blah blah.... IF the other surfers are responsive, we make fast friends/whatever happens, go with it. you cant expect to just paddle out and start chatting with unknowns.
wow. i feel like its awkward if i dont wave and nod. i always do that because i feel a connection, especially in the colder temps, that we are a community. today, for example, is exactly what i mean. me and my buddy were the only ones out there today until an older dude came out a half hour after us, but surfed a jetty down from us. we ended up leaving the water the same time and tho we were too far to say anything in the water, i made eye contact with him walking back to my car and asked how his session went. i almost always say hi to people i paddle near just because its like we are in our own thing compared to landlubbers. also some older guys are epic to talk to (great stories and such)
You have to be seen at the same spot by the same guys a few different times before you can really chat it up. I am nice to everyone, but I am not going to strike up a conversation with a guy who is only at my break for a day. If I see you once a week for a bit or something, we may have a nice conversation in the parking lot or lineup.... But honestly, people get different responses. I am more aggressive than most of my friends when we all go out together, and no sh**, every time, guys are eyeing me up and sh** as I am out there, mean while, my buddies are over shaking hands and shooting the sh** with complete strangers acting they they were college room-mates. I mean, maybe its something about my face, or demenor or whatever, but some people just get friendly responses. Some don't. It's weird. I get dropped in on and ding my board, it ends up in a yelling match. My buddy gets dropped in on, and this is a true story. The dude got out of the water, took my friend to the local shop and put a $600 quad Merrick on his credit card and him and my friend are all buddy buddy now. Im like, WTF???? I just get the ice cold stare when im out unless I actually know people. And sometimes if its just firing, and everyone is getting great waves, the conversations just naturally happen. I mean, if I see a guy get pitted on a backdoor wave in the winter, I am for sure going to let him know how sick that was. Respect when respect is due...
i almost always nod or say hello in the winter when the water is 39 degrees. everybody deserves at least a little bit of respect if they paddle out in freezing temps. but in the summer, forget about it
talking with people can make the session especially on those sh*tty days. i was out a deal last summer and the waves were maybe only waist high and me and a buddy took out some long boards. it ended up being too much fun, we started talking to the other surfers out there and by the middle of the session we were having 5 guys on one wave (3 going right 2 going left) and there was no problem with it. so pretty much i try to talk to people and if they give me a weird look its not a big deal, ill find someone else to talk to
Winters different than summer. Like someone else said anybody that paddles out in freezing temps deserves some respect unless he's a total kook. Summer time is a different story. I always try to respond with a friendly nod but some people take that as a invitation to be their best bud. I had a dude tell me his whole life story and how his marriage sucked and so on. I couldn't get away so I just left after a while. When I'm in the water on a good day I'm there to surf - we can talk later - some people don't understand that. Getting into a conversation can screw your mindset and take you out of your element.
Once I get out, I usually do the head nod and/or whats up. I don't have conversations unless I'm out with friends, which is the case usually. My spare time to surf is limited, so I try to just "get to da bizness".
