Surf etiquette – rules in the line up

Right of way rules when surfing

Surf etiquette – How do you behave properly in the water?

Surf etiquette, the rules of the road when surfing, are really a super important topic if you’ve just discovered surfing and are making your first attempts at standing up on the board. Or have you already been surfing a few times and are looking for new, green waves? Cool, welcome to the surf community.

So that you can continue to have fun in this community in the future, there are a few rules that every surfer should know and observe. If you deliberately ignore these rules, you won’t make any friends among your fellow surfers. Here are the most important rules that we think are often neglected.

You can read about how we ensure safety here!

Surf Etiquette:

1. surf at spots that suit your level

Safety first – ego has no place in surfing! As a beginner, it’s better to stay in shallow water and practice your take-off and first turns in white water. Only when you have these basics down should you paddle into the line-up with the other more experienced surfers. But even then, you should first look for spots that are suitable for intermediates – preferably not breaking flat over sharp reefs and regularly producing 3 meter barrels. You won’t have any fun at such spots and will endanger the other surfers there. Just be honest with yourself, don’t overestimate yourself and have enough respect for the other surfers who may already be surfing a little better. If in doubt, ask other surfers or local surf schools.

Surf Etiquette

2. have your board under control at all times

This is also about security. The natural reaction of beginners when surfing in the face of big waves is to let go of the board and dive under the waves. Especially in crowded spots, this is extremely dangerous for all the surfers around you. Just remember that you are probably riding a board that is almost 2 meters long. Add to that a leash that is at least as long. So you have a 4 meter radius of action in which you can hurt people with your board. Of course, it takes a while to master the turtle roll perfectly. But try it anyway… turn around and hold on to your board as tightly as you can. If you can’t do a turtle roll or duck dive, or the waves are so big that you have no chance of holding on to your board, you’ve lost nothing at this spot.

Right of way rules when surfing

3. the right of way rule – DO NOT DROP IN!

The surfer who is closest to the peak, i.e. thebreaking part of the wave, always has “priority” or right of way. This surfer can paddle the waves or wait for the next wave. If the surfer takes the wave, he has used up his priority and has to “get back in line” or leave the next waves to the other surfers. The worst word in surfing in this context is “dropping in” – an absolute no-go in this sport. “Dropping in” means taking a wave when there is a surfer closer to the peak who has right of way and also wants to surf the wave. The result is often a broken board or a broken body and trouble for the other surfers. So look left and right before you take a wave. If there is a surfer who has priority, then pull back and wait for the next wave.

The most important thing when surfing: Safety and fun

Surf etiquette – super important for fun and safety in the lineup. We’ve already explained the basics here (insert link). And as we all know, after the compulsory part comes the freestyle part. Do you no longer have any problems controlling your board or, if necessary, pulling back when someone has “right of way” on the wave? Then we have a few other tips for you here to help you move around the line-up in a relaxed manner and make friends.

Surf Etiquette

4 Don’t snake!

“Snaking” – another word from the surfing vocabulary. In our basics we have already explained the right of way rule – the surfer who is closest to the breaking part of the wave has the right of way. Snaking means pushing ahead.

You see the wave, paddle past the surfer who actually has the right of way, closer to the peak and surf the wave – yikes! Don’t do that! Don’t do that! Just wait your turn.

5. let others have a go too

Every surfer understands that surfing is fun. But also think about the other surfers – especially if you’re using a longboard or SUP, which will get you through the line-up and into the waves much faster.

Paddle back into the line-up after a surfed wave and let others Surfers also have to get involved. Otherwise, this can easily lead to a bad atmosphere and aggression in the line-up – and what we do in the water are GOOOOOD VIBES :)

6. out of the way when paddling out – always into white water

If possible, you should paddle around the peak into the line-up. Don’t paddle directly in front of the peak or through the peak where the other surfers are riding waves. Of course, it can happen that you have misjudged or that the current is too strong. So if you see a surfer coming straight towards you as you paddle out, paddle into the white water. Yes, you heard right. Don’t paddle right in front of the surfer and ruin his ride, but paddle behind him into the white water and let yourself be washed. You can find a great summary of the rules of right of way when surfing here!