Whose wave is it anyway?

Share the joy!

When you are out in the line up most people question who has wave priority.

Here on the Gold Coast we have some of the most crowded waves in the world and it’s becoming a bit of an issue :article here

To be honest, sometimes I still wonder what the right thing is to do. At Snapper, where even Kelly Slater complains about the crowding, there is almost a feudal system in place for catching waves – you have to be a warrior to get a chance! The most experienced surfers, out behind the gnarly rock, get the first choice cos that’s where the wave first breaks. Then it just trails down with different peaks that different people may have a chance to catch. But what if you’re surfing and a little grommie wants a go and drops in on you? Easy, let them go – if you think they deserve it! Older groms should always let the little groms get some waves.

Sometimes adults are out there pushing their kids onto waves. Sometimes it’s adorable and they only take what is given. But sometimes adults push their kids onto every wave that glides past even if there’s already someone on it. They need to learn some surf ettiquite!

Another thing I’ve noticed is that guy surfers can be extremely protective of their waves. They need to learn how to behave like gallant knights in shining wetsuit armour! Girls, most of the time, have a softer heart and let people drop in on them without getting crazy agro. When it happens to me I yell ‘yep, yep, yep – oi!’ But sometimes they don’t listen and I lose the wave, give them the death stare and paddle back to the line up.

Maybe because guys have more testosterone, they can get furious after someone has dropped in, especially if they haven’t had a wave for a while. I’ve seen yelling battles – but nothing too bad.

I’ve also seen people come out bleeding because they’ve been hit by someone’s board who either dropped in on them or just got in the way…Surfing can be a dangerous sport!

But the joy of riding a wave is worth all the pain and risk. In the end there’s nothing quite like it and the more people who discover this amazing feeling the better – let’s share the joy!

PS. Thanks to Kelly Tandler for the pic!