Surfing Waves

Hi all, found this forum to ask about something that keeps happening when I'm surfing. I'll paddle out to an empty section and position myself where I want to be. Then someone will come and position themselves directly behind me (on the outside of me). They'll either tell me to get out of their way, or when a wave comes they'll paddle straight at me. It's led to a fair bit of aggro. I've had to ditch and dive under people a couple of times.

To my mind this is just queue jumping. Is there something I'm missing?

To be clear, I never put myself directly in front of someone who is already there - that's obviously a dick move.

Cheers

Let’s get a basic set up to base our answers on.
Empty peak, no issues at all!
Directly behind you, that’s clear, are they choosing bigger waves?
Out side of you? Further out? closer to the peak? or on the shoulder side of you further away from the peak?

When you say an empty section do you mean another peak or further down the line of the wave?

Ditching your board among people is a no go!
How capable a surfer are you, that too will determine how you might be treated at some spots !

Another person coming to a empty peak where you are then assuming priority or entitlement is not etiquette !

jaffa1949 wrote:Let’s get a basic set up to base our answers on.
Empty peak, no issues at all!
Directly behind you, that’s clear, are they choosing bigger waves?
Out side of you? Further out? closer to the peak? or on the shoulder side of you further away from the peak?

When you say an empty section do you mean another peak or further down the line of the wave?

Ditching your board among people is a no go!
How capable a surfer are you, that too will determine how you might be treated at some spots !

Another person coming to a empty peak where you are then assuming priority or entitlement is not etiquette !

Hi, thanks for the response. These guys are going for the exact same waves as me in the same place. Only difference is they've got bigger boards so are able to start paddling for them further out....although we would all pop up in the same place if you know what I mean. You know how bigger boards travel further before the pop up. They'll position themselves between 2 and 5 metres behind me.

As for me I'm not the fittest right now but I know my onions. It's not like I'm letting loads of waves go by.

Agh the longer boards from outside issue and they are paddling through where you are sitting . Head deeper towards the peak, if you are capable then you will b taking off earlier and deeper right now further outside has priority and they are prepared to bluff you.
First to feet sometimes has priority, think about why Imasked you the questions, and if you are not fit, you will be lower down the pecking order, in their mind!
claim your wave being further inside!

rocket1039 wrote: Then someone will come and position themselves directly behind me (on the outside of me). They'll either tell me to get out of their way, or when a wave comes they'll paddle straight at me. It's led to a fair bit of aggro. I've had to ditch and dive under people a couple of times.

rocket1039 wrote:They'll position themselves between 2 and 5 metres behind me.

1) are you saying "they" are around 6 feet to 15 feet set up behind you ?
2) if "they" are on the outside of you ( and not deeper inside of you ), would they pass by you when they get up as you would be positioned further back ? Are they fading back from the shoulder into you on the take off ?

rocket1039 wrote: Only difference is they've got bigger boards so are able to start paddling for them further out....although we would all pop up in the same place if you know what I mean.

May I asked what size board you are riding ?
What size board are "they" riding ?
What is the percentage of "Their" boards sizes compared to you board size out in the line up ?

Sounds like localism to me. I always let the locals go first. Are you paddling past them to get to this empty peak? What I might try is to reposition deeper in the lineup forcing them to have to go deeper

oldmansurfer wrote:Sounds like localism to me. I always let the locals go first.

Sounds alright to me, I can see my house from the line up!

oldmansurfer wrote: Are you paddling past them to get to this empty peak? What I might try is to reposition deeper in the lineup forcing them to have to go deeper

No, not paddling past anyone. Waves that come in peak in 3 or 4 places at the same time. Peak 1 is bigger than the others so generally more crowded, so I leave that alone unless I'm first in the water. Instead I head to Peak 2, 3 or 4.

When you say deeper do you mean further away from the beach, or do you mean closer to the peak?

jaffa1949 wrote:Agh the longer boards from outside issue and they are paddling through where you are sitting . Head deeper towards the peak, if you are capable then you will b taking off earlier and deeper right now further outside has priority and they are prepared to bluff you.
First to feet sometimes has priority, think about why Imasked you the questions, and if you are not fit, you will be lower down the pecking order, in their mind!
claim your wave being further inside!

Yeah man, my best guess is their rule is "outside always have priority" regardless of who was there first. I could get a super high volume board and beat them at their own game but it's just not cricket is it?

Choose the board for how you want to surf! Get paddle fit and be fairl and competitive for your rightful,waves

waikikikichan wrote:

rocket1039 wrote: ( and not deeper inside of you )

rocket1039 wrote:Yeah man, my best guess is their rule is "outside always have priority" regardless of who was there first. I could get a super high volume board and beat them at their own game but it's just not cricket is it?

Honestly I have a lot of issues at a certain mildly (or I mean wildly) popular surf spot where folks just basically don't follow any etiquette at all. I've chewed people out for dropping in or refusing to get off a wave I'm on. But when it comes down to it, you can either go with the flow or try and be the enforcer.

When I go surfing the last thing I want to do is get aggro so my advice to you is: get cunning. And no I don't mean get a bigger board. I mean beat them at their own game. You came to surf. So surf. If that means dropping in on them or snaking them then maybe that's what they need to better understand the line up.
Or you can have an engaging conversation about etiquette in the car park.
Or you can surf somewhere else.
I think I've covered all your options!

Good luck!

rocket1039 wrote:

oldmansurfer wrote:Sounds like localism to me. I always let the locals go first.

Sounds alright to me, I can see my house from the line up!

oldmansurfer wrote: Are you paddling past them to get to this empty peak? What I might try is to reposition deeper in the lineup forcing them to have to go deeper

No, not paddling past anyone. Waves that come in peak in 3 or 4 places at the same time. Peak 1 is bigger than the others so generally more crowded, so I leave that alone unless I'm first in the water. Instead I head to Peak 2, 3 or 4.

When you say deeper do you mean further away from the beach, or do you mean closer to the peak?

So are you saying you surf there all the time and this happens to you? So you are saying you paddle inside to get the next wave? If it's smaller then it breaks inside of the first wave. I don't know tricky situation but if it were me I would be trying to figure out why with the surfers involved over there. They must have rules you are unaware of if it is a consistent situation.

Totally get where you're coming from. For me though, being aggro is something I try to avoid. Surfing is supposed to be fun, and I’ve found that it’s way more rewarding to stay calm and focused on enjoying the waves rather than getting caught up in confrontations.

There are some places online that really advocate for this kind of vibe, and I appreciate them a lot personally — communities like Gliding Barnacles, Surfcasual, and Rhythm Livin. They all about a more respectful, chill approach to surfing, which I think is the way to go. Hope things go smooth for you!