Surfing Rules

The Surfing Rules are the most important thing you MUST learn before you set foot in the water for the first time. The surfing rules otherwise known as surfing etiquette is a set of rules that all surfers must abide by in order for all water users to get along, have fun, stay happy and reduce the risk of injury. If you enter the water without learning these few surfing rules then chances are you will tick someone off, get shouted at and possibly told to get out the water and beaten up. Without knowing the correct surf etiquette you could also injure yourself or inflict injury onto another person without meaning to.
The surfing Etiquette guide is like the Rules of the Ocean so that everybody can enjoy surfing with no aggravation or problems.

With Surf popularity on the rise it is now more important than ever to memorize surfing etiquette. The ocean is a dangerous place, and without proper thought to safety it can become deadly.

THE RIGHT OF WAY RULE

The surfer closest to the peak of the wave has the right of way. This means if you’re paddling for a right, and a surfer on your left is also paddling for it, you must pull back and let him or her have the wave. There are a couple variations to this rule:
If someone is up riding a wave, don’t attempt a late takeoff between the curl/whitewater and the surfer. If the surfer who’s riding the wave wants to make a cutback they will run right into you.
Just because the whitewater catches up to a surfer riding a wave doesn’t give you permission to take off down the line. Many talented surfers can outrun the section and get back to the face of the wave.

A-Frames or Split Peaks: If two surfers are on either side of the peak, they each have the right of way to take off on their respective sides. It’s not generally accepted to take off behind the peak unless there’s nobody on the other side. These surfers should split the peak and go opposite ways.
If a surfer riding a wave gets closed out with an impossible section or wipes out, the next surfer down the line can take off. If you’re a beginner and not very confidant just yet, hold off on doing this until you have a bit more experience.



If a wave is breaking towards itself (a closeout) and two surfers are taking off at each other, yes both have the right of way but this is a perilous situation and it’s advisable to kick out early to avoid a collision.

 

DON’T DROP IN

This is related to Rule #1. This is probably the most important part of surfing etiquette. Dropping in means that someone with the right of way is either about to take off on a wave or is already riding a wave, and you also take off on the same wave in front of him or her. This blocks his ride down the line, and is extremely annoying, not to mention dangerous. If you are tempted to drop in remember this: (a) no matter how good the wave is, if you drop in on someone you will feel bad for doing it. (b) The other surfer will be pissed at you and quite rightfully so (c) You wont make any friends if you drop in on people and you will have a pretty bad reputation in no time at all. And (d) If you do drop in on someone the wave will be ruined for everyone and no-one is a winner. There are no excuses what so ever for dropping in. Just Don’t Do It!! If you do find yourself in a situation where you did drop in on someone and you honestly did not see them and it was an accident, kick off the wave as soon as you possibly can and then when the person paddles back out after the wave make sure you apologise to them and apologise good!

PADDLING RULES

Some common sense surfing etiquette rules that people don’t seem to realise are important. Don’t paddle straight through the heart of the lineup where people are surfing. Paddle out through the channel where the waves aren’t breaking and people aren’t surfing. Sometimes at spread out beach breaks this is hard, but usually there is a less crowded area to paddle through.

When paddling back out, do NOT paddle in front of someone riding a wave unless you’re well, well in front of him. You must paddle behind those who are up and riding and take the whitewater hit or duckdive. You’ll appreciate this the next time you’re up on a wave.
Sometimes you’ll just end up in a bad spot and won’t be able to paddle behind a surfer. It’s your responsibility to speed paddle to get over the wave and out of his or her way. If you don’t do this, he or she might just run you over!

DON’T DITCH YOUR BOARD

This is important, especially when it gets crowded. Always try to maintain control and contact with your board. Surfboards are large, heavy, and hard. If you let your board go flying around, it is going to eventually clock someone in the head. This means if you’re paddling out and a wall of whitewater is coming, you don’t have permission to just throw your board away and dive under. If you throw your board and there is someone paddling out behind you, there is going to be carnage. This is a hard rule for beginners, but if you manage to avoid picking up the habit of throwing your board you will be a MUCH better and well respected surfer.

DON’T SNAKE

“Snaking” is when a surfer paddles around another surfer in order position himself to get the right of way for a wave. He is effectively making a big “S” around a fellow surfer. While not immediately hazardous to your health, this is incredibly annoying and heavily frowned upon. You can’t cut the lineup. Patiently wait your turn. Wave hogs don’t get respect in the water. Also, being a local doesn’t give you permission to ruthlessly snake visitors who are being polite. If they’re not being polite, well…

BEGINNERS: DON’T PADDLE OUT TO THE MIDDLE OF A PACKED LINEUP.

This is kind of open to interpretation, but it still stands: if you’re a beginner you should try to avoid paddling out into the middle of a pack of experienced veterans. Try to go out to a less crowded beginner break. You’ll know you’re in the wrong spot if people start starring at you giving you dirty looks.

DON’T BE A WAVE HOG.

Just because you can catch all the waves doesn’t mean you should. This generally applies to longboarders, kayakers, or stand up paddlers. Since it’s easier to catch waves on such watercraft, it becomes tempting to catch them all, leaving nothing for shortboarders on the inside. Give a wave, get a wave and earn respect from your fellow surfers in the process.

RESPECT THE BEACH

Don’t litter. Simple as that. Pick up your trash, and try to pick up a few pieces of trash before you leave even if it’s not yours.

IF YOU MESS UP

Nobody really mentions this in surfing etiquette lists, but if you mess up and accidentally drop in or mess up someone’s wave, a quick apology is appreciated, and goes a long way to reducing tension in crowded lineups. You don’t have to grovel at their feet (well, unless you did something horrible). Honestly, if you drop in on someone and then ignore them, it’s pretty stupid and is only going to cause friction in the lineup, and its usually aimed at you.
This might seem like a lot of stuff to remember, but in time it will become second nature. Most surfing etiquette rules are common sense anyway.

It dosnt matter if you are the best surfer in your area, if you don’t have common surf etiquette no-one will look at you as a good surfer, just a disrespectful **** who is too selfish or unwilling to obey a few simple rules that will allow everyone to get along better.

Have fun in the water!