10 Surf Terms You ABSOLUTELY Need To Know
February 24, 2020
2 Comments
Surfing is a hard thing to pick up—and the very cliquey surf community makes it doubly so. Here are a few terms you’ll stumble across when you hit the lineup or walk into your surf shop of choice.
yard sale (yahrd-seyl):
To fall limbs flailing, in the most undignified manner possible.
use: “Hey is that guy leaving already? The waves are just starting to go off!” “Yeah, if you’d just thrown half a dozen yard sales in a row like he did, you’d probably be on your way out, too.”
shred (shred):
To surf a wave in a flashy, flamboyant, and skillful manner.
(syn: rip, killin it) use: “Whoa did you see that 360 air? That old dude is legit shredding, brah.”
rails (reyls):
The left and right edges of your
surfboard.The bevel on your rails help determine how your board will turn, with “harder” rails granting you tighter snappy turns.
use:
“Wax your board, nose to tail and rail to rail.”
potato chip (puh•tey•toh chip):
A thin (read: comically small) performance shortboard.
use: “The waves are tiny, mate. Leave the potato chip at home, today.”
grom (grom):
A
young surfer typically under 15 years old. Shortened form of grommet. Typically reserved for particularly skillfull or irritating young surfers.
use: “
The traditional tousling of the hair and baby talk are considered mandatory as part of the grom greeting ritual.”
stick (stik):
Your board. Also used by skaters and snowboarders
(syn: shred stick) use: “There’s a sweet swell coming in. I can’t wait to take out my stick tomorrow and gnar up some waves”
kook (kook):
A non surfer. Esp. one who’s posing as a surfer, hitting the lineup, and carrying his mint condition Al Merrick around the beach instead of surfing it. Heavily derogatory.
use: don’t.
hollow (hol•oh):
Well-formed tubing/barreling waves. Y’see they’re hollow inside so they…yeah.
(ant: mushy) use: “I wish we’d get some hollow surf around here so I could freakin use my shortboard.”
snake (sneyk):
To catch someone else’s wave. Heavily frowned upon.
use:
“If he snakes my wave one more time, Imma send him a VERY strongly worded fax...”
the line (thuh•lahyn):
Describes the most ideally surfable portion of the wave. The goal for every surfer is to ride the line for as long as possible.
use: “Watch the way he plays with the line, you can tell that guy is a total pro.”
2 Responses
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in Degree 33 Surf Blog
August 22, 2023
Continue Reading
February 22, 2023
Everyone knows how to paddle their surfboard, right? Well it is one thing to paddle and it is a whole other thing to paddle effectively. In fact proper paddling technique is one of the quickest ways to become a better surfer. Paddling correctly can help you move faster with less fatigue, catch more waves, surf longer, and be more comfortable in the water. Plus, when you’re catching more waves, that’s more opportunity to improve your surfing!
Continue Reading
November 08, 2022
There are literally hundreds of different brands of surf accessories out there but there really is only a short list of items you need to go surfing. This is one of the most amazing elements of surfing is the simplicity of the lifestyle. Basically a board and you and you are all set but there are a few things you want to have ready before you paddle out.
Continue Reading
Rob
May 07, 2014
Hey thanks for the feedback, man! If you’ve got any other ideas for articles you wanna see, let us know!