Surf Rage, what would you do?

General Discussion
1

OK… let me paint the picture…

We have driven 1.5hrs to get wet at a break we go to pretty much every weekend and taken a friend along for his first surf ever. Im on a 9’4", good surfing buddy on a 9’10" and newbie on 9’2".

its 38 degrees, light northely and very small inconsistant surf. When they come they are clean but only 2ft, 2 or 3 to a set and 10 minutes wait between.

The break is just off the beach with a 40-50m ride before youre on the sand (or rocks!)

We paddle out and are catching the ones we can, there are two short boarders - one newbie and his body builder type mate on about a 6’2 thruster kind of thing. They are paddling for everything but getting nothing… hardly enough in the waves for a mal let alone a fish/thruster.

So my mate (good surfer) catches maybe his 8th wave or something, body builder on the thruster is paddleing in infront of him and when my buddy passes (already stepping up to the nose) the thruster guy pushing him off his board with both hands to my mates chest and apparently says "stop catching all the “fn” waves “wnkr”

I dont see this - Im about 50m away. I see them having words after the push etc but figure they’ll sort it out.

Body builder then padles directly towards me nearly bumping into me and says

“you Fkn D1ckhead mal rider”

what would you do?

2

There’s no excuse for that sort of hostility. But can’t help noticing that 2-3 wave set every 10 min and your mate has gotten 8 waves adds up to he’s been on every set for 1 1/2 hours leaving 1, maybe 2 waves per set for the other 4 people. I’d have likely had words with him sooner. More polite words, but something about the concept of sharing.

3

i’d laugh…and maybe throw in a “jealous much?” with a big smile. then, paddle to the other side of him, and when the next set comes, you can both go for it…this time with him having priority. when he misses it, you make it. do this a few more times. then, hang heels, and while you’re turned around, look at him and give him some sort of “what’s the problem?” kinda hand gesture…and a big smile. then turn back around and enjoy your wave.

i live in south florida, and a lot of times it’s just a longboard only kinda day. shortyboarders are frustrated with themselves, and they take it out on the people who are actually having fun on the same ripple of a wave. can’t let other people’s shortcomings get in the way of your fun.

4

yeah…

I had a crack at him for being on a short board in 2ft surf.

what kind of muppet does that?

anyhow… we were giving him and his buddy priority on probably 30-40% of the waves that came through… on the bigger ones (2.5ft) we’d paddle onto a glide and wait to see if they would make it then give two more paddles and pop up… they had no hope… body builder was up to his chest when sitting - sinking his stick big time… his mate was a little better but couldnt get his position when the ripples came along (newbie)

He did get kinda upset when I called him a “blow in” and called me a few names but we figured it was the steroids messin with him and it did make us whoop a little louder on the noserides/spinners etc we were playing with and grin a little wider at his futile paddling.

Ive had a knife pulled on me once in the surf on the Gold Coast and Im still not sure what that was about I think it must have been mistaken identity because I had just paddled out and was in no ones spot (I often sit out for a set or to when I paddle out just to look around and enjoy the moment) that was a long time ago - But it did give me a fright. I just dont understand how someone can get so angry in such a beautiful surounding.

in the words of the late James brown:

“who stole the soul?”

5
Quote:
can't help noticing that 2-3 wave set every 10 min and your mate has gotten 8 waves adds up to he's been on every set for 1 1/2 hours leaving 1, maybe 2 waves per set for the other 4 people.

that is rude.

6

Apologize, and move to the inside. (closer to the beach) Then, proceed to pick off everything after the other surfers have had first chance. That usually solves the problem. Or you can flip out, and engage in a 1/2++ hour yelling match, leading to raised blood pressure, lots of anger and even worse, some sort of physical confrontation. Your choice, although recommend the first. I’ve tried both methods. :slight_smile: -Carl

7

“Rage” is overstating your little episode. I think it was more like those guys were frustrated and you guys weren’t aware - or could care less - that you were getting a lot of the meager pickings. And the way you describe your words and actions, you were stokin’ the fire (…when I called him a “blow in”…we figured it was the steroids…and grin a little wider at his futile paddling). Take a few, give a few more.

8

punk ass attitudes feed on punk ass attitudes

greedy stingy one upsmanship confrontal

interscholastic surf meetings are less fun.

Give the guy on the short board

an offer to use your long board

to get a wave or two make a freind.

ha ha ha bullship

is not freind ship

or sportsmanship

it is a pain in the

asp where the ship comes from

two for me none for you?

surf some place where

the sun dont shine

join the football team

enter a horse race

race cars or some other terminally degraded activity

to make others frustrated adversaries.

I’m glad I wasn’t out

I would rather surf the krappiest waves creativly

than surf with wave boars

{thats hog when in a pen ]

5 guys out? cant be helpfull?

who’s your mom?

is she proud of you?

who taught you to act like that ?

not me.

punk ass attitudes infest the world

there should be respite and shelter from such

in 38 degree conditions

I guess not.

give a short board guy a wave and he may take two sets to paddle back out

you are not the only person in the world.

the guy that does this hoggery to your detrement will make the smirk drain from your face.

it’s coming arround

that fat guy will return with a vengance on a board that floats him and…

not share with you…get it?

find the guy and appologise before it’s too late

santa claus wrote this whole incident down

dont be a prick.

…ambrose…

an hour and a half away from home

nobody can hold you accountable that far away from home?

good luck .You might need help with a flat or some gas

is this guy gonna help cause you are a surf star?

and rip? go some where the waves are the bone of contention

and struggle with all the struggling puppies

I still harbor resentment after 40 years

to two sponsored hotties

who burned us all day at k-38 and 1/2

I would never support any of their

surfing enterprises because of it.

there were only 5 guys out

they are also selling realestate

9

Ambrose…what an excellent option - “give your longboard to the shortboarder for a few waves!”…

I must admit to feeling sympathy for the shortboarders…as i have also experienced malcongestion…

Altho it’s not your fault that they were using ill adapted equipment for the conditions…I think amrose’s approach is just about perfect

10

I grew up shortboarding (learned on a shortboard), and was naive enough to think longboarding sucked.

It was only after I was in my thirties that I bought my first longboard and thought, “What was I thinking all those years?”

I still shortboard and love it, but only when I am reasonably confident I’ll have a good time. I longboard when I think the waves are too small for shortboarding. I am seldom disappointed because I simply grab the right board for the right conditions.

Those guys on the shortboards were in the wrong spot. Small waves and shortboards are silly.

There’s a video out of Shaun Tompson in Cocoa Beach (from a couple months ago). He is on little three foot waves. He’s ripping, but is wiggling so much and is so squirrely that I can’t imagine he’s having any fun. He looked like he was having a seizure on each wave.

Grab a log and have fun.

11

Yep, I’d let him and his tweeker friend have a few waves. I’d let a few sets go by without even trying for them. More then likely he wouldn’t catch those waves, then I’d just move back to the peak, wink, smile, and say “well I tried to share”

12

multi-fin boards killed shaun’s surfing imho.

13

it sounds like you guys were giving them their chances to make waves-and they couldn’t- due to wrong equipment.ambrose gave the perfect solution-offer up a few on your longboard-probably would have made a surfing friend, or at least a thankful surfer…

14

Rational conversation with an emotionally charged thug is never successful. Unfortunately there are far to many people that seek adversary and confrontation where it is not appropriate. People like these are not ready for education.

Waves aren’t worth fighting over IMHO. It’s sort of like fighting over the morning cup of coffee or a pair of sox --petty, petty , petty.

My action in these situations when there aren’t many waves is to simply say, “If your on it I’m not.”

If the guy screams “F*%* you!” I’m not up for apologies. I just paddle away.

If he wants to start a fight. I just say, “Sorry, I’m not here for a battle.”

My dad always said it takes a much stronger man to walk away from a fight than to engage in one.

Angry people search for targets; don’t be their victim.

No Worries, Rich

15

I agree with Carl, I hate hero spots and avoid them when I can, but if it is surf or no surf, I sit inside and let them fight it out on the outside.

I get very frustrated sitting waiting for sets, I have never been able to just sit around. I’ll take more smaller waves than letting everyone get back into position on the outside in the pack. And body boarders, they are just speed bumps. But no sense of taking a beating from King Kong. There was an Auzzie at Swami’s and he was taking a rash of crap from the vocal ones, later he came up to the factory to see my work, while talking he told me he was a member of the Australian army black op’s special forces and had no problem taking care of hisself, if it turned to that, but why?

Boys just wanna have fun

16

Join a gym. Start taking roids. Workout like your life depends on it. Then the next time you see the guy you can both strip down to your speedos and have a ‘pose off’ on the beach. That should settle it. Mike

17

Loving that post, Ambrose! Funny how obvious in retrospect your suggestion to swap boards is. That’s how it goes w/ brilliant ideas…obvious in retrospect.

I have similar history w/ boorish boars. Mine was a “famous Australian” on Maui. What, 1969? Amazing how it still sticks in my craw to this day. What’s that, 38 years? Part of my “spiritual practice” is to not act on it; not bad mouth that famous mouse when he comes up in conversation, in person or on line as he is still famous and sells,um, products. For some reason I’ve never been quite able to either spit it out or swallow it. HCKKCKKK, ptooie. Ah, that’s better. I’d love to be able to go for a surf with him and detoxify.

18

I have had surfs like this but where there was only me and one shortboarder out. I found that all I had to do was say which one of these waves do you want, 1, 2, or 3? I will take one of the other onces. When he missed his wave he had nothing to say, I had given him his wave and he missed it. When he caught his wave and I had caught my wave we then had something to talk about while we waited for the next set. I always gave him his choise since I felt I could catch any of the waves. I also a few time when he took one of the first waves and missed it yelled at him to go on the next one since he was farther in and could pick it up easier. Surfing is all about fun and when you are out with 4 or 5 guys and sets are coming every 10 min. and there are 3 waves per set there are enough waves for everyone. Just let everyone know which wave is there, and if they miss there wave it is someone eles’s turn to do the same thing.

I surfed a spot one time where there were 4 guys on longboards setting way out side every time a good wave came they would all paddle for the wave and if one of them caught it(which every time one of them caught it) the rest would back off. This was a real bummer for those of us that were setting farther inside since we never got a change to catch one of the better wave, and we were all on longboards ourself. It is not just Longboarder vis Shortboarder, Longboarders can be real jurks, and I only surf longboards real longgggg boards, and I can still say that.

19

Since longboards can catch waves earlier, shortboarders should just sit further inside and go ahead and get the wave if they can, behind the longboarder. Then call the longboarder off. If the longboarder refuses, under some bs “first up” rule, then he’s a jerk. Closest to the curl should always trump first up, and board size should never be used to claim priority.

I ride a 9’0" 90% of the time these days and I still feel that way.

20

38 DEGREES!

Paddle in, go to a bar, wait for summer.