Comments on: Surf Etiquette, How to Handle Your Surfboard and NOT Piss Anybody Off.

By: Gladys

Gladys — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:15:52 +0000

Excellent post however , I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Thank you!

By: Luc Stokes

Luc Stokes — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:22:26 +0000

@Caleb- Good words. Thanks for your contribution.

By: Caleb Wechsler

Caleb Wechsler — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:57:40 +0000

Great article!

Definitely hits the key points of surf etiquette…

I myself am classified I guess as a “local” at most surf spots in South San Diego..most notably Blacks. San Diego through Huntington are known quite well for our loud mouthed locals, so I thought I’d share a few tips:)

1. EVERYONE is new to a break at some point in time. Period.
2. Get to know the locals, it earns respect if you come and talk to us while paddling out, don’t just surf the break and leave.
3. Surf etiquette goes a long ways, and if you do drop in, intentional or not, a sincere apology usually gets the job done. No harm, no foul.. believe it or not, we apologize to new guys all the time.
4. Don’t get in verbal arguments with locals… as much as you may be right, there are more of them than you, and coming back to a break where you have a bad reputation is not fun. Believe me, when I first surfed lower trestles, I got mad for someone dropping in… Now everytime I go back there, I get verbally abused. Sometimes its better to kiss ass.

I understand this may sound conceited, but locals are a centralized breed of surfer, so respect goes A LONG ways.

By: Don

Don — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:16:28 +0000

Hey Luc, I’m enjoying all of your articles and photos.
I just saw ‘Riding Giants’ for the first time ( a neophyte grom for sure,
not to be confused with a neoprene grom ).
I was blown away by it. It was very inspiring.
Much like your website. For someone starting out,
there are a lot of forks in the road, and you’re helping
me to make sense of it all. Again, if The Surfing Gods
Decree that I win…a NextGen Ultimate Longboard,
I will abide.

By: Luc Stokes

Luc Stokes — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:44:35 +0000

Good thoughts Rob. Thanks for sharing.

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:53:33 +0000

I have to interject about ‘locals’. Surfing has never been about ‘locals’. And there are a few breaks where ‘locals’ antagonize themselves (Anyone ever surf Huntington Peir up in OC?). Everyone starts out as a kook, and everyone drops in on someone, paddles out in front of someone, and fails to yield at some point in their career. As long as it’s unintentional, it should (and usually is) let go with a grain of salt. Surfing isn’t about elitism, it’s about the smile on your face. Dana Brown once said that the best surfer in the lineup is the one having the most fun. I firmly believe that is the paramount means of determining how much a surfer belongs in the lineup. I don’t care how good you are, if you are paddling around angrily, you don’t belong out there. I’ve been surfing Socal for over 6 years now, and have rarely seen any notable problems, most of which have all been in tourist breaks, where the ‘locals’ get a bit big for their britches.

And a story tying that soapbox to having a leash:

I was surfing Huntington Pier last week, and caught a fun little backside left. A ‘local’ (I have been surfing HB daily since I moved up here in July) dropped in on me, and I had to run so hard so fast to not plow him over that I threw myself off of my board, and my board ended up ankle biting him and we both got washed in. I wasn’t mad about the drop in, and wanted to make sure he was ok, so I started paddling in towards him when he flipped me off and swore to ‘beat my ass’ when we went in, and told me to ‘go back where I came from’. Now, it was at this point that I noticed not only was he not surfing with a leash, but he also probably got what he deserved. I stayed out until hi tide, and he waite din the parking lot for me. When I came out of the water, I must have looked a bit bigger than I did with only my shoulders out of the water out in the lineup, because he promptly left without saying a word.

It’s been my time and time again experience that the surfers who consider themselves ‘locals’ give the rest of us a bad name.

And if you surf without a leash I hope a shark eats you. Someone could get killed by a loose board hiding out in the whitewater.

Pretty good article though.

By: Luc Stokes

Luc Stokes — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:41:04 +0000

You’re gonna need to role it unless you’re really heavy. I’ve seen it done, but at 180lbs I don’t have a chance in… well you get the idea.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:53:11 +0000

Thinking of buying the NexGen 9’6″, was wondering, when you hit the whitewater getting to the lineup, do the longer boards duckdive as well as shorties or do i need to turn it upside down, like in the old days?

By: Luc Stokes

Luc Stokes — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:06:59 +0000

Being in the white water, the only time you will have the right of way will be if nobody is on the wave you’re wanting to paddle for.

By: Cat An

Cat An — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:48:46 +0000

Hello.
At my usual surf spot(point break) waves can get pretty big, like +6ft.
On days like that I prefer surfing in the white-water section. Most surfers are waiting a little further out at the breaking section.
The question is, when do I have right of way?
Please answer & have a nice day