I think if it was so crowded that the only way I could get waves was to drop in, I’d just find somewhere else to surf. Even at Malibu I can get waves without dropping in on anyone. Every now and then a “party wave” comes where I see five guys paddling, so I figure, “What the hell…” and throw myself into the mix, hoping I come out without a ding. I call it “the last man standing” syndrome. The last man standing might get some fun turns in by himself down near the pier…
But really the only justification I could see for dropping in is if that person had dropped in on me earlier, especially if it happened more than once. Unless the guy has 50 lbs on me and a nasty disposition, I’m going on him.
dropping in is justifiable to me when:#1- the person has deliberately dropped in on me(regardless of the person’s size or fame) #2-it’s a person who is hogging waves,paddling all the way back past everyone waiting for a wave,not letting any one go by,regardless of equipment(stand up,longboard,boogie board or shortboard) #3-it’s a friend,and we agree to share the wave,so it’s not really dropping in!
“We’re all pushing and shoving, jockeying for
position, and If I get the wave first—if I’m in the best position— then
I feel I deserve it. So, when someone catches a wave I’m involved
with—when he takes off in front of me—well, he’s stealing my wave.
He puts me in a position of either losing my board or going on the
rocks. So, if he’s in my way—well, he gets tapped.”
Dropping in on someone cause they dropped in on you, creates problems and solves none as I see it. If someone drops in on me…I take note…if they do it again, we have a conversation…and I try to come to an understanding that if I am on the wave…unless I yell at you to go(if I dont think I can make it)…then stay the hell off…
Now…if I start dropping in on all these guys… then people now think I am a drop in and they will do the same to me…it just perpetrates the problem
Sometimes it is good to make them understand loudly…tune the whole crowd at once! Create expectations for the future…
This stategy is employed mostly at my home breaks…When on the road or in Hawaii…I am a guest and mostly keep my mouth shut.
This one dropped in on me half way down the line and we caught him on film. Recognised him instantly, as he was the owner of our hotel and that was like a prison camp. Later he tried to rip us off and finally he managed to steal our shades. That was Quique of ‘Lobitos Natural Surf’…
If your mad, it should be at yourself. You had your chance for retribution the second you saw him paddling for your wave. Your photo shows that you were in perfect position to do a number of things to the kook burning you instead of turning down and letting him take your wave. Me, when I’m in the position you were in and I see a guy that’s going to burn me on purpose I choose to T-bone the guy! I get as much speed as I can and then I run right into him at full speed. If I can’t pull that off I push HIM off! If I can’t do that then I’ll kick my board at him. And if for someone reason I can’t do any of the above I catch the next wave and run the guy over as he’s paddling back out. What’s he going to say? “Hey I burned you and you hit me!”
And if your worried about conflict because your in a foreign country then after you run into him apologize profusely and say you didn’t see him. You’ll know the truth!
Most people assume that others will act like civilized human beings while in the water, even when they are doing you wrong, but the truth is while some of us are timid sheep a few of us are violent psychopaths that should be given a wide berth. People who want to burn, snake, steal should remember that.
If you’ve previously pulled back on a wave I could have gone on or if you’ve blown a wave I could have gone on, next time I’m not looking back. Catch up to me if you can. I’m just going.
At a spot with a some familiar faces when there is a working rotation with everyone getting their turn. It only takes one person to funk that up so you put them in line by always dropping in on 'em.
An eye for an eye sometimes works… paddled out with a local at a lesser known break between LA and Ventura, only to get snaked by a non-local immediately in a four man lineup. I returned the favor and when he hassled me about it a quick explanation that I wont stuff him until he does it to me turned the session around. The guy actually turned out to be good conversation between sets. There are a lot of guys though I wouldnt bother to try that with.
The exception being wave hogs who take advantage of over-sized equipment. (kayaks, SUPs, 11’ longboards.) There used to be a yakker who frequented some local spots here. He’d cruise way outside and glide into set waves long before surfers had a chance in hell of catching it. He’d never let one pass, and just plough through the lineup in his boat. I had words with him and he didn’t seem to get it, or give a shit. So, I told him he was going to see me in front of him on every wave he caught. I would blatantly drop in on him and look him right in the eye. Fade left before going right, and laugh.
Gave the same treatment to an SUPer, and the guy said something to me about it.** “Didn’t you see me”? My reply: “Yes, I saw you. You are using a boat and a paddle at a surf spot. You have no rights, here.”**
A few winters back I had a gnarly looking local (teeth missing burly ripped loco expression sorta dude) blatatly drop in on me at Sunset one day. I stalled a bit and followed right behind him a while then punched out, paddled back to the lineup.
He got spat out a long ways down, came paddling out, right back to me (like 18 inches away) and stared at me like “got beef?” I just sat on my board and gave him a wee bit of stinkeye… he laughed, apologized, said his name – and then made sure nobody else got in my way for the rest of the session.
If I'm blatatantly burned on a REALLY good one I paddle up to the guy and express my disappointment and let him know that I will remember the incident and will return the favor sometime. That "sometime" may be years later. I just like to keep 'em in the bank :-))
At a point where I'm sitting super deep and waiting patiently for the right one and someone paddles out, sits behind me and goes and doesn't make it. No more for him regardless how deep he is.
Someone out of rotation will be put in their place properly.
General conditions:
First drop in warrants a dirty look paddling back out. Second drop in warrants words. There usually isn't a third.
Having to be agressive towards other surfers in the water totally ruins the experience for me but sometimes there is no choice.
I don’t drop in on people !!! this is why I choose spots that have no one out of very few, I’ll take quanity over quality to save my sanity.
I was out at Warm Water’s one evening, alone, when another silver back paddles out on a fun shape, he promtly drops in one me 3 waves in a row, game on PAL, after the first drop in by me, he paddles away.
We were the only 2 people on this break, how far up their asses do some folks have their heads.
The newer generation of surfers are Bully’s and Pussies at the same time, grab every wave they can, at anyone elses expense and if they get called on it or the simplest of threat, “my dad is an attorney”.
The Ding King is next door to me, I see the results of this everyday, the “I’m mad as hell and won’t take it anymore” genration is extracting vengance on these slithering bastards
