Hey, I've got a priority/right of way question for you guys...
There's the obvious "deeper guy / closer to the peak" gets the wave
rule. I've been under the impression ( perhaps wrongly so ) that the first guy riding on the wave trumps the guy paddling in deeper. So if I'm already on the wave then someone dropping in behind me is bad form. Now I can see this being obvious when someone's up and riding, already putting the moves on the wave and someone drops in behind... but what about when its much closer? When there's a peak and someone catches it a second or two before the deeper guy? Is there an unwritten notion of "Well... when's its kinda close you should just yield to the deeper guy even though you may have caught it just before him... give the guy with the chance of a deeper barrel priority..." ( I'm not talking about wave hogging or a guy on a longboard that's catching everything a few yards out from the rest... I'm talking about two people equal boards...yada yada yada )
I ask because I've had this happen a couple of times in the past year, where I was the guy catching it first but the deeper guy said I dropped in on him. If that's the unspoken rule then I shall abide...
- schlumpf
Great question sloan-
"A" and "B" both on similar shortboards sitting side by side in the lineup
the first wave passes under them, exposing the next wave to them at the same time
it's clearly only a right
"B" is the deeper guy
"A" paddles a few strokes out to meet the wave
"B" sits
Just before the wave "A" turns shoreward, takes a couple strokes and he's up before the wave breaks
second later the wave comes to B, who cocks his board for a no stroke take off under the lip
who's wave?
Olly Posted: 24 Jan 2005 12:36 pm
interesting question... in competition the deeper guy has priority, even if the other person caught the wave first... i think?
but I reckon it's a sneaky thing to do if everyone's just out there for fun.
i got shouted at one time for surfing behind someone...('if you ever surf behind me again i'll pound your face you clown')
we caught the wave at the same time and he dropped in on me. i guess he thought i caught it deeper after he caught the wave, since he didn't bother looking he wouldn't know. he got really agressive and probably would have dropped in on me if he'd seen me or not.
I think the first person standing should have priority, but it depends on whether i'm going to get my face pounded
sloan wrote:
When there's a peak and someone catches it a second or two before the deeper guy?
Blahlah Posted: 24 Jan 2005 12:41 pm
The problem is that people don't always respect the "rules."
A few years ago at Bowels a guy dropped in on me, cut back into me, dinged both of our boards, and then demanded that I give him money to pay for his ding (like I carry my wallet in the water or something). Evil or Very Mad I just told I didn't have any money and paddled away - no sense talking to someone that out there.
Yesterday at Ehukai I was paddling for a right and a tough looking local guy was paddling for it inside of me. I didn't go because it looked like no matter what he was gonna going too -- no matter how deep I or how much earlier I would have gotten to my feet.
As for the specific situation you are referring to, there are a lot of factors to consider, like how long the person you take off in front of has been waiting for a wave. Probably not cool for you to go then.
Also, if the person paddled inside of you (snake), I think you are totally justified in going, even if he was up first.
But what I have found is that everyone's concept of "surf etiquette" is not always the same, and some people just don't care, they'll yell at you no matter what. The "surfer's code" (cf. Nat Young) only works so far as people abide by it.
So a lot of times I think it isn't worth it to push the issue about following the "rules," especially in close calls.
Like my Tutu Man used to say, "Would you rather be wrong or dead right?"
Sloan Posted: 24 Jan 2005 12:57 pm
I think the first person standing should have priority, but it depends on whether i'm going to get my face pounded
[i]hehehe... yeah, the first this happened to me was at baby haleiwa on one of the big south swells last summer. I was on a bodyboard, I caught the wave and was dropping down when a guy dropped in 15 feet inside me. I quickly pulled off the wave cause right or wrong I didn't feel like getting pounded by the wave or the guy. Then my buddy paddles up to me and says "Dude... you know who you just dropped in? That was ken bradshaw..." I disagreed with the fact that I dropped in on him, but I... uhhh... still paddled up and apologized to him... just in case...
Yesterday at Ehukai I was paddling for a right and a tough looking local guy was paddling for it inside of me. I didn't go because it looked like no matter what he was gonna going too -- no matter how deep I or how much earlier I would have gotten to my feet.
Same exact thing happened to me yesterday. I was in perfect position for a set wave, a nice peak that had big barrel written all over it. I start paddling for it, I'm ready to drop in and commit when I see a surfer 30 feet down the line paddling for the wave. He never once even glanced to his left to see if someone was already catching the wave. I knew he either didn't see me or didn't care. Either way I figured if I dropped down I had two choices - straighten out right away and get no ride, just a pounding, or drop down, pull into the tube, run into him and get speared by his board as we go over the falls. I opted for the third option and quickly pulled back from the wave before dropping down, letting him have it.
- schlumpf
PRS Posted: 24 Jan 2005 03:19 pm
In my book deeper guy always has right away in this senario, even if he is dropping in behind the peak, gonna try to shoot the barrel late and I am almost 99% he wont make the section. I still wouldnt drop in, cause alot of times I drop in on late take off behind the peak waves and 7 times out of ten I make it, nothing pisses me off more than some punk assuming I wont make the drop or section and then drops in on me even when its makeable but hard/ close to but not impossible. I wont do it to others so I demand the same back at my local spots....then again if I'm visiting surfer I do not demand and dont surf as aggressively.
Slap Posted: 24 Jan 2005 03:56 p
.......................I think if the guy can surf and is more than likely gonna make the drop then it's his. It is what I like to call "the gentleman's rule".
I think if you are in front then get off if you can! This is actually a pretty old rule that is kinda forgotten now a days cause there are so many surfers in the water battling for waves. People just tend to go cause they greedy. I always think that another wave is comin.
HMark Posted: 24 Jan 2005 04:01 pm
Good points on the priority subject - Does the dog with the meanest growl always get the wave? Getting pounded or not sure sucks to decide to go or not - Too bad it comes down to that sometimes.
Seems like I been on both sides of the equation - Up first, (yeah, LB problems) but get taken off on inside deeper - (SB problems) I give it up, being that they are deeper - period. I have tried to avoid the problem by trying to get the last or next to last wave of the set, if it is stocked with SB'ers - Cant call me a hog, and the lineup clears out a bit. On the other hand repeated blatant take-offs just to go - with no intent on making it or not - can get under the skin real fast. Even if you are deeper common courtesy in the lineup goes far - lotta times da boys on da SB's will say Go! "you in da spot" or likewise and that in turn, get re-paid back. 'specially when the rippers give you 1 or 2 -
Common sense should prevail? But most times we all find it lacking?
PRS Posted: 24 Jan 2005 05:45 pm
Hmark, the only problem with taking the last or next last wave of a set is then you got to play pinball dodging and weaving around all the morons that are now in the impact zone or swimming across your line: seems they especially do this when your in a critical section or getting barreled.
I also find that hooting up the guys that are the blatant snakes when they catch a good waves, tends to get you some slack when it comes to your wave. Though my personal favorite trick is to congrats them on a great wave/ ride whatever and then introduce myself and ask them their name. This goes along way, as most people find its hard to drop in on someone when that person knows their name and calls it out. Example person A is the snake, lets call him "Bud" , LOL, so here's the situation person B paddles into a wave or is already on it and says to person "Bud I got it" or if they happen to be paddling side by side. Person B might say "Bud you got a great ride last wave let me have this one" This makes it just about impossible for Person A to snake person B unless they are supreme asshole, and I find most snakes to be assholes, but not supreme ones
BammBamm Posted: 24 Jan 2005 07:26 pm
I think that to a certain extent, getting into the wave first carries some priority. At a certain south shore right reef that I'm known to frequent, for example, a good east peak will stand up outside near the channel allowing you to get in early, then the whole wave will shift/swing sharply back onto the deeper part of the inside reef. It's just perfect for a very pronounced, long, deep fade, putting you right in the pit when the wave finally doubles up and starts bowling on the reef. Keep in mind, I'm taking off quite a bit further outside, and right in the peak, not shoulder hopping. But since the whole peak continues to shift deeper onto the reef as it steepens and comes together, I'm often going left for quite a while before finally bottom turning. There's often some joker sitting way inside trying to get in behind me at the last minute. Good luck on that plan.
I guess my point is, it depends who is in the best position to surf the wave the best. Some of the waves out there do hit that "deep & inside" section, and if someone is waiting in there, I assume those are the waves they are waiting for. I try not to bother with the ones that are going to them, and pretty much ignore them and go if they, not being in the best position, try for one of the waves that I am specificially waiting for.
In general, it's usually kind of obvious who is in the best position for a given wave, and it should go to whoever is in THE spot, IMO. While there are exceptions to every rule, and some guys are big, mean or aggro enough to make their own exceptions, I generally go by the "guy in the best postion" rule. As for the guys who are always snaking, hustling, or trying to cover several peaks/sections simultaneously, they tend to be invisible to me, once I see that that's their MO.
Mega Posted: 24 Jan 2005 09:15 pm
i think you guys beat that one to death so here's a more important rule to discuss that usually infuriates me more than the above mentioned.
here's the scenerio:
you and another sitting at the peak. first wave of the set comes you decide not to battle and gladly give the guy unobstructed paddleing room and let him have the wave ....he goes and blows it...doesn't catch it. i would assume that i would have dibs on the next wave. becuase...
if i had been the guy paddleing for the first wave and i blew i wouldn't even think about going for the second wave unless i was sure there was no way the he could make it. that's just courtesy.
so many times you attempt to share the waves in this fashion and the guys goes for the first one, then the second, the third....and so on. missing them all and leaving you and you're cool atitude left out to dry. bullshit man
i of course understand that at the dod eat dog spots nobody is a friend, but when 5-6 guys are out at lesser known spots then i expect this sort of surf ettiquette.
what do you think?
