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I wish surfing culture wasn't so hostile. Unfortunately, there are a finite number of breaks and waves each day. So as the number of surfers increases, it ampl

I wish surfing culture wasn't so hostile. Unfortunately, there are a finite number of breaks and waves each day. So as the number of surfers increases, it amplifies the tension in every lineup. It's like biker culture -- if there were only a handful of roads. The only way I've been able to enjoy surfing is by paying an instructor to help me navigate the lineup and actually catch a wave.

nnd 9y ago
Not every place is hostile, from my personal experience surfing all around the world (Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Philippines, etc) I only experienced hostility in SoCal. So maybe it's just the US thing.
- slg 9y ago
  If scarcity is really the problem than I imagine it is a function of the number of surfers over the length of viable coastline. Is there anywhere in the world that has a higher density of surfers than Southern California?
  - orthecreedence 9y ago
    Not higher density, but Santa Cruz definitely gets vibes depending on the spot and the waves. It gets bad after a dry spell, like during summers. People are jonesing =]
  - noknockers 9y ago
    Been to snapper?
- IanDrake 9y ago
  Been to any point breaks in C.R. in the last 5-6 years? The locals have gone from "what's surfing?" to "go home gringo!" in about 20 years. I've never had a problem in SoCal, but then I've only been to a few breaks.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - nnd 9y ago
    Good to know, now I'm definitely skipping Costa Rica :)
    - johankmagnusson 9y ago
      I've been to CR a couple of times the past few years and the beach breaks are great and people are super nice. I've never experienced any hostility in the water there, or elsewhere in the world either for that matter. Being considerate of other surfers goes a long way and should someone act like an ass just move a couple of 100m up or down the beach. There is always another ok break close by.
      - IanDrake 9y ago
        That's true. I still like playa grande.
- azernik 9y ago
  Hostility from other surfers or from local property owners? State ownership of the coastlines is deeply resented and constantly undermined by shoreline homeowners.
- mark212 9y ago
  you've never been to Hawaii, apparently
  - awl130 9y ago
    who downvoted this? can confirm, hawaii ultra localized.
  - nnd 9y ago
    Nope, but it's definitely on my bucket list ;)
danielharrison 9y ago
I might be able to provide some insight here. I live at one of the most crowded and user-friendly surf spots on the planet. There's constantly hundreds of people in the water fighting for waves. The one thing I noticed mostly is how many people come here and just cannot get waves, while there's tens of kilometres of empty beach within 5 minutes drive. They could literally go anywhere and get a few waves but they choose here and get nothing (except annoyed). It either comes down to not knowing any better or thinking they're better than they are... often both. My advice is to go exploring and find a less crowded spot. You may not need to go to the most popular spot to find waves.
- ljf 9y ago
  The problem is - good surfers are like magnets. People see them catching a wave and assume that there is a good reason they are surfing there rather than up or down the coast. Also people get burnt by bad decisions - after a few weeks of surfing I struck out on my own to find new beaches and swiftly learnt the reasons they were empty - and wasted good days at bad beaches. I also think the 'pecking order' is made out to be far worse than it is. As soon as most people see you in the water for at least a couple of weekends, and know you are trying, they aren't dicks - especially if you talk to them both in and out of the water and ask their advice. If you just barrel around on a board without talking or understanding the beach then there certainly will be stress as people worry they are going g to have to spend their day either looking after you, out for you or rescuing you.
  - noknockers 9y ago
    100%. Depends on where you surf though. All these questions and answers are completely location dependent. If you're at a super crowded break (like where I live) it's every man for themselves. Your best friend will burn you if they see you falter for even a millisecond.
  - fapjacks 9y ago
    This completely. Even in traditionally hostile places, if you show up enough times and get to know the regulars, you'll be totally fine.
TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago
Imagine if somebody built a tow line on a popular break. Then surfing could be more like skiing or snowboarding. Snow sports don't demand that you walk up the slope every run, we have machines to do that for us. And you don't have to have great timing and a lot of experience to pick a ski run. Anyway, I'm terrified of sharks. So I'll stick to the snow.
- johankmagnusson 9y ago
  We use rip currents as tow lines so we don't need those ;) Around 5 times more people die from avalanches alone than from shark attacks each year so sell your skis and buy yourself one of those foam boards instead!
- goodnews3879 9y ago
  > Imagine if somebody built a tow line on a popular break. A good rule of thumb is a person should not surf a spot which they could not swim without a board. This keeps people from getting in over their heads and drowning.
Dylanfm 9y ago
The hostility depends on many factors. Some areas are more hostile than others, and individual spots. Here are some things that could lead to a negative atmosphere developing, from the point of view of a non-local surfer arriving in the lineup: - snaking (cutting in line) - dropping in (taking off when someone is on the wave) - sitting at the main take off with the locals (many spots it takes time to earn a place there - years where I live) - arriving with more than 2 other people - hassling people, putting on pressure, being too hyped up (chill and wait your turn) - having photographers if it's a sensitive location - just paddling out at all if it's a sensitive location - getting in someone's way (when paddling back out and someone is riding an oncoming wave, paddle into the whitewash rather than paddling towards the shoulder) - being loud (for many folks surfing is a bit like meditation) - wasting waves - being out in waves that are clearly beyond your level of experience You don't even have to do this yourself. Someone else can and then you cop the flack. It really depends on who is local to the spot and what they're like. If the vibe gets negative then just head in and paddle somewhere else. If there are particularly grumpy locals, other locals will probably understand your position if you're cool about it.
- peterwwillis 9y ago
  Sounds like a sport for assholes
  - mark212 9y ago
    no, it's the opposite. Arrive with an ego and an attitude and you'll get an adjustment
  - jacobolus 9y ago
    I’m not a surfer, so I imagined that Dylanfm was describing driving: Here are some things that could lead to a negative atmosphere: –tailgating, –slamming on your brakes for no reason forcing everyone behind you to stop, –swerving in front of someone, –running stop signs, –stopping in the middle of the lane to unload passengers, –turning without signaling right in front of an oncoming car, –driving the wrong way down a one-way street. If you think folks rebuking people for antisocial behavior and not following simple community norms are “assholes”, I imagine you must find an abundance of assholes in just about every aspect of life.

nnd 9y ago

Not every place is hostile, from my personal experience surfing all around the world (Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Philippines, etc) I only experienced hostility in SoCal. So maybe it's just the US thing.

slg 9y ago
If scarcity is really the problem than I imagine it is a function of the number of surfers over the length of viable coastline. Is there anywhere in the world that has a higher density of surfers than Southern California?
- orthecreedence 9y ago
  Not higher density, but Santa Cruz definitely gets vibes depending on the spot and the waves. It gets bad after a dry spell, like during summers. People are jonesing =]
- noknockers 9y ago
  Been to snapper?
IanDrake 9y ago
Been to any point breaks in C.R. in the last 5-6 years? The locals have gone from "what's surfing?" to "go home gringo!" in about 20 years. I've never had a problem in SoCal, but then I've only been to a few breaks.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- nnd 9y ago
  Good to know, now I'm definitely skipping Costa Rica :)
  - johankmagnusson 9y ago
    I've been to CR a couple of times the past few years and the beach breaks are great and people are super nice. I've never experienced any hostility in the water there, or elsewhere in the world either for that matter. Being considerate of other surfers goes a long way and should someone act like an ass just move a couple of 100m up or down the beach. There is always another ok break close by.
    - IanDrake 9y ago
      That's true. I still like playa grande.
azernik 9y ago
Hostility from other surfers or from local property owners? State ownership of the coastlines is deeply resented and constantly undermined by shoreline homeowners.
mark212 9y ago
you've never been to Hawaii, apparently
- awl130 9y ago
  who downvoted this? can confirm, hawaii ultra localized.
- nnd 9y ago
  Nope, but it's definitely on my bucket list ;)

danielharrison 9y ago

I might be able to provide some insight here. I live at one of the most crowded and user-friendly surf spots on the planet. There's constantly hundreds of people in the water fighting for waves. The one thing I noticed mostly is how many people come here and just cannot get waves, while there's tens of kilometres of empty beach within 5 minutes drive. They could literally go anywhere and get a few waves but they choose here and get nothing (except annoyed). It either comes down to not knowing any better or thinking they're better than they are... often both. My advice is to go exploring and find a less crowded spot. You may not need to go to the most popular spot to find waves.

ljf 9y ago
The problem is - good surfers are like magnets. People see them catching a wave and assume that there is a good reason they are surfing there rather than up or down the coast. Also people get burnt by bad decisions - after a few weeks of surfing I struck out on my own to find new beaches and swiftly learnt the reasons they were empty - and wasted good days at bad beaches. I also think the 'pecking order' is made out to be far worse than it is. As soon as most people see you in the water for at least a couple of weekends, and know you are trying, they aren't dicks - especially if you talk to them both in and out of the water and ask their advice. If you just barrel around on a board without talking or understanding the beach then there certainly will be stress as people worry they are going g to have to spend their day either looking after you, out for you or rescuing you.
- noknockers 9y ago
  100%. Depends on where you surf though. All these questions and answers are completely location dependent. If you're at a super crowded break (like where I live) it's every man for themselves. Your best friend will burn you if they see you falter for even a millisecond.
- fapjacks 9y ago
  This completely. Even in traditionally hostile places, if you show up enough times and get to know the regulars, you'll be totally fine.

TheSpiceIsLife 9y ago

Imagine if somebody built a tow line on a popular break. Then surfing could be more like skiing or snowboarding. Snow sports don't demand that you walk up the slope every run, we have machines to do that for us. And you don't have to have great timing and a lot of experience to pick a ski run. Anyway, I'm terrified of sharks. So I'll stick to the snow.

johankmagnusson 9y ago
We use rip currents as tow lines so we don't need those ;) Around 5 times more people die from avalanches alone than from shark attacks each year so sell your skis and buy yourself one of those foam boards instead!
goodnews3879 9y ago
> Imagine if somebody built a tow line on a popular break. A good rule of thumb is a person should not surf a spot which they could not swim without a board. This keeps people from getting in over their heads and drowning.

Dylanfm 9y ago

The hostility depends on many factors. Some areas are more hostile than others, and individual spots. Here are some things that could lead to a negative atmosphere developing, from the point of view of a non-local surfer arriving in the lineup: - snaking (cutting in line) - dropping in (taking off when someone is on the wave) - sitting at the main take off with the locals (many spots it takes time to earn a place there - years where I live) - arriving with more than 2 other people - hassling people, putting on pressure, being too hyped up (chill and wait your turn) - having photographers if it's a sensitive location - just paddling out at all if it's a sensitive location - getting in someone's way (when paddling back out and someone is riding an oncoming wave, paddle into the whitewash rather than paddling towards the shoulder) - being loud (for many folks surfing is a bit like meditation) - wasting waves - being out in waves that are clearly beyond your level of experience You don't even have to do this yourself. Someone else can and then you cop the flack. It really depends on who is local to the spot and what they're like. If the vibe gets negative then just head in and paddle somewhere else. If there are particularly grumpy locals, other locals will probably understand your position if you're cool about it.

peterwwillis 9y ago
Sounds like a sport for assholes
- mark212 9y ago
  no, it's the opposite. Arrive with an ego and an attitude and you'll get an adjustment
- jacobolus 9y ago
  I’m not a surfer, so I imagined that Dylanfm was describing driving: Here are some things that could lead to a negative atmosphere: –tailgating, –slamming on your brakes for no reason forcing everyone behind you to stop, –swerving in front of someone, –running stop signs, –stopping in the middle of the lane to unload passengers, –turning without signaling right in front of an oncoming car, –driving the wrong way down a one-way street. If you think folks rebuking people for antisocial behavior and not following simple community norms are “assholes”, I imagine you must find an abundance of assholes in just about every aspect of life.