Kooks dropping in.

[BaNZ]

Over the weekend, a kook on a longboard keeps dropping in on surfers who are already on the wave. Eventually he got into an argument with another surfer when they collided. It was just two of them arguing, I swam towards them and also joined the argument. The kook kept insisting that he was right and its a crowded beach with people of all sort of skills. If it was you guys/gals, would you just turn a blind eye to it?

[oldmansurfer]

I would surf some other place (with less surfers)

[oldgrom22]

I would have probably done the same thing as you and call him out at the least. However, as you found out, most Kooks just don't get it or are just straight up dbags. Sometimes it's best just to move on and paddle to different peak, not worth it ruining your session(which it probably did).

[BaNZ]

I called him out but he totally ignored me. After a couple of minutes, it becomes a heated debate. I was so aggravated that I'm ready to runover the guy if he drops in on me. The icebreaker was that I spotted a child getting swept out next to the jettis while they kept shouting at each other. I pointed it out and the shortboader turned around immediately to swim towards the kid while the kook in longboard just sat there shouting at the SB telling him to take the kid away from the jettis.

[waikikikichan]

First: You can't reason with STUPIDITY. No matter what you say, he won't get it.
SECOND: Don't get involved unless you can deescalate the situation. He'll just feel he's being ganged up on and he'll get even more defensive. ( if there's over-whelming force, like a group of you surround him, then he might get the point )
THIRD: Take that opportunity to catch waves those two guys aren't.

A kook once told me the "Rules" , that the person in front has priority since he CAN'T see the rider behind him, and that the person behind shouldn't run into the rider in front which is dangerous and should kick out, cause he CAN see. So instead of arguing, i said " Oh, I didn't know about that rule, thank you for letting me know ". Then I proceeded to ride in front of him on every wave for the next hour.

[Big H]

Burn him a few times and he'll get the point.

[RinkyDink]

I was out last weekend riding some ankle slappers. Silly me, I was following classic etiquette and not dropping in even though everybody at the spot was taking off simultaneously on the same wave and going straight. So a wave came in and the guy I had been chatting with said, "party wave," and I figured I might as well takeoff and practice my popup. Of course, I take off and another surfer comes down the line and we gently collide. I apologized and he was cool about it since it was pretty much a free-for-all, but I realized that I just don't enjoy "party waves". It feels all wrong to me to be the kook dropping in on another kook dropping in on another kook . . .

[waikikikichan]

So a wave came in and the guy I had been chatting with said, "party wave," and I figured I might as well takeoff and practice my popup. Of course, I take off and another surfer comes down the line and we gently collide. I apologized and he was cool about it since it was pretty much a free-for-all, but I realized that I just don't enjoy "party waves".

The thing about "party waves" is it's okay to be called out by the party GIVER, not the party CRASHER. If you're at the peak and want everyone to join in, go ahead, call out "party wave !". Means everyone can go for it and you don't mind. But if you're outside everyone on the shoulder and yell "party wave !", you are des-respecting everyone inside of you. You've crash the party.
So where was the guy you were chatting with in position compared to you in the line up ?

[BaNZ]

First: You can't reason with STUPIDITY.

That should be the first rule to everything.

[RinkyDink]

The thing about "party waves" is it's okay to be called out by the party GIVER, not the party CRASHER. If you're at the peak and want everyone to join in, go ahead, call out "party wave !". Means everyone can go for it and you don't mind. But if you're outside everyone on the shoulder and yell "party wave !", you are des-respecting everyone inside of you. You've crash the party.
So where was the guy you were chatting with in position compared to you in the line up ?

The guy I was talking to didn't shout "party wave" to everybody in the lineup. He just said that to me because on that day every wave that came through was obviously a party wave. It was all beginners on foamies for the most part because the surf was crap. There was no etiquette on that day that I could see. I had actually paddled out because I didn't feel like lifting weights when I could go paddle around for a couple of hours instead. My only point was that I can't enjoy Biarritz style party waves.

[jaffa1949]

Rinky if you know the etiquette, don't be tempted by the wisdom/stupidity of another kook.
It just doesn't wash, no matter what is said YOU are responsible for what you do!

[RinkyDink]

Rinky if you know the etiquette, don't be tempted by the wisdom/stupidity of another kook.
It just doesn't wash, no matter what is said YOU are responsible for what you do!

Very true.

[kookRachelle]

BaNZ, was this on Sunday?

Honestly, I'm a kook through and through, but I admit it and I don't get all agro. BaNZ saw me on Saturday - I didn't drop in on anyone but almost hit two people who were in front of the wave and just sitting there (still practicing my turns), but I just jumped off to avoid colliding. Actually, a kid dropped in on me and almost collided, and he was cool about it, apologized, asked if I was okay, all good.

I don't get what the big deal is, personally. I guess it's aggravating but why be so aggressive? I feel like it probably happens to everyone - both dropping in accidentally and being dropped in on accidentally. Now I suppose if he kept taking my waves (on purpose or not), I personally would just paddle to a different spot rather than confronting some stranger who is just bound to get defensive.

Now watch, it will happen to me tomorrow constantly! haha

What a dick though, not caring about the kid getting pulled into the jetty!

[Big H]

WKK I believe got a broken leg from a drop in. Sometimes it's accidental, sometimes it's accidental because the dropper has tunnel vision and doesnt see who is on the wave....sometimes they don't care to see and just go regardless....sometimes they see and go anyway because they are going to burn you and take the wave for whatever reason. In all instances you can be hurt, board can be damaged (fin gouges, fins broken off, board snapped because due to the drop in you had to go off your line and you take it on the head).....I got cleared clean off my board by a drop in the other week when they dropped in and wiped out sending their board flying into my temple.....it was a longboard and duffle a couple of variables and I could have been killed.

Judge case by case and in small waves on a learners beach the situation, consequences and expectations are entirely different than in OH waves on a hollow reef break where there is one reckless greedy kid that takes every wave he can, and a range of grey areas beteen those two poles.

[BaNZ]

kookRachelle, I think so. As I would've pointed it out to you if you were there!

Also the line up that you were at is full of beginners on their lesson so they are expecting to be dropped in. But if you go near the jettis where there is actually a nice rideable wave. Then I think you will be able to smell the testosterone in the air.

Of all the years I've surfed, I've never seen a guy get pissed at getting dropped in by a girl.

[dtc]

Was out the other day and an older guy on a longboard kept dropping in on this 11 year old girl (who was out there with her dad). What happened is that they would both start paddling for the wave, and she - still learning and this tiny little thing - would see the 100kg old guy on a huge board on her inside and just stop paddling. There werent many waves so she wasnt getting anything

Her dad went over after about the 3rd or 4th time to the guy and said 'hey, dont drop in' and the other guy said 'what do you mean, she wasnt going to catch the wave anyway, if she did I would have pulled off'. But obviously the girl stopped paddling because she wasnt very assertive (not unexpectedly). For me thats still a drop in - albeit that you only get the concession of stopping paddling when you are young.

The old guy paddled back to the line up and started whinging to his mates - 'hey, that guy got stuck into me because his daughter cant surf' and 'dont know what he expects, you have to stick up for yourself in the line up' and basically giving everyone the stink eye. But what I really liked is that one of his friends just quietly said 'hey, you are dropping in and she is only 11. Give her a bit of room, there will be another wave'. The guy stewed for about 10 minutes then went over to the dad and shook his hand and apologised and the tension in the line up just went.

So...dont know what that story means other than if your first thought is to get aggro and defend yourself, maybe take a deep breath and think about what you did. If you were wrong, admitting it will be much happier

[jaffa1949]

And that is the way it should happen! Good on the mate for calling the guy out too!

[BaNZ]

That's a happy ending. I was expecting a UFC with surfboards when dad and childrens are involved.

[saltydog]

That's a happy ending. I was expecting a UFC with surfboards when dad and childrens are involved.

Yes, that had a potential to become very, very dangerous. Moral of the story: follow the unwritten rules of lineup. It's there for the safety and fairness to all.

[dtc]

I heard the dad say to his daughter 'I'm going to say something about his dropping in' and the girl saying 'no, it's ok, please don't'...poor girl.

I like to think that where I surf it's almost always sufficiently relaxed and uncrowded that no one gets too worked up. A bit of give and take perhaps is needed, but it's pretty welcoming - although when the big city boys (from Sydney) come down over Christmas it gets a bit more crowded and cut throat

Plus once you get to 40+ yrs, having any kind of physical conflict is just embarrassing.