The Rules for Surfing
As in any sport, there are also rules for surfing! These rules must be strictly adhered to, so that one does not unnecessarily endanger oneself and other surfers or makes enemies in the line-up by a wrong behavior in surfing.
The most important rules for surfing
The right of way rules
Of course, the most important thing is the right of way to avoid risking dangerous accidents and not to take the wave away!
- The surfer, who is further inside the breaking edge of the wave, has the right of way in general.
- The surfer, who has started further away from the breaking point of the wave, must let the surfer, who has started further inside, get the right of way and immediately exit the wave to the rear over the wave crest. When paddling a green wave so always keep an eye on the inside of the wave, if there next to you still another surfer starts inside, which would then have the right of way. In that case, you can better exit directly from the wave, or stop paddling the wave so as not to unnecessarily waste your energy with it.
- If a surfer, e.g. a longboarder already has the green wave a little earlier than you, e. farther out, caught and this wave already leaves in the green area, so he got this wave first and thus also has the right of way. So you can not start later on the breaking edge of the ridge and drive the other surfers afterwards. Let it be better not to risk a collision.
- When a surfer "rides" a wave, this one always has the right of way before paddling surfers. The surfer who paddles straight out and runs the risk of getting in the way of the departing surfer in the oncoming wave, therefore always has to avoid the surfing surfer to ruin the ride and to avoid again a dangerous crash. If you come in such a situation, you see that you quickly avoid the scurrying surfer, where you can dive as fast as possible with a duck dive as deep as possible under the wave and so you go out of the danger bean out. Of course, how fast and in which direction you dodge is situational in the moment to decide, depending on how far away the surfing surfer is still away from you and how fast he comes closer in your direction.
Avoid the following beginner mistakes!
By no means just stay rooted in the water and wait and see what happens after the motto "He will dodge and surf around me". No, he will not, because it is his wave at the moment and you also have a limited field of view when fast rippling a wave and sometimes see the obstacles very late. Just stay where you are, when you can clearly judge that you are still far enough away from the oncoming wave and the surfer, so he can still drive past you.
And not just continue paddling in his direction, because you think you can do it over or under the wave even before him. Unless you clearly see that he is still far enough away from you, that he has definitely already passed you by when you arrive at the wave.
More important surf rules
- If you are an absolute beginner, it may be better to practice solitary spots, or next to the regular lineup where enough small waves and white water will still arrive for you. There you can practice in peace and focus only on it and also avoid that you are other surfers in the way around and it can even come to a crash.
- Watch the spot where you want to surf for a short time from the beach and try to analyze it first before you go into the water.
- Know your limits and do not overestimate yourself! This can end dangerously for you.
- Respect the ocean and know the dangers of the sea, for example by currents, storms and the tides.
- Avoid the paddling and the take-off in a wave, if you have someone directly in front of you and in front of the wave in the water. not in time to get away from you, or just fell into the water on his ride.
- If you are facing a really big wave, then let your board go if you are quite sure that there is nobody else in the water behind you and in your immediate vicinity, where your board could throw you through the wave and fatally injure you could. Only when you are sure that there is no one, you can let go of your board and for once even without a board under the giant wave. If someone should be near you or behind you, then you can only try to dive as fast as possible with a deep duck dive under the wave.
- In a line-up that is very busy and many other surfers are in there waiting for your wave, you have to line up in the line of waiting surfers, that's why it's called "line-up". At such a spot, you can not just paddle out and "board" the lineup and immediately grab the next wave as a new surfer. You can do this only if you are sure that none of the other surfers waiting for this wave, because you significantly better at your position will break. Under these circumstances, you can make an exception to this rule and then take that wave, as it would be a pity if a good wave is simply let through and no one takes you.
- Also, be sure to respect the locals. It is your surfing area where you are experienced and at home. Avoid necessarily "snatching" a wave from a local! That only gives bad blood and you certainly do not want to make enemies in the water.
- The next point should be self-evident: Behave yourself in the water and on land like a civilized person. Respect your fellow human beings and make no unnecessary noise, do not leave garbage, and be friendly to non-surfing people. Especially for surfers, the karma principle applies. So "Do good and you will recover good".
- You love the sea and the surf, then use the time before or after surfing and help with every time to get rid of the garbage on the beaches. Even a handful of garbage already helps and you make sure that this garbage is not blown back into the sea by the next storm. Of course, you will achieve even more if you get together with your people in groups, organize the most tear-resistant garbage bags, and then do a real garbage collection campaign with your friends. This definitely brings you many good karma points to your account and helps our environment. In addition, you make such an action other people attention, bring you to think about the bad garbage and plastic situation in the sea and in the best case, you animate you so even sometimes even to make such a garbage-collecting action.
Understand and follow these rules of surfing and there will be nothing in the way for a good surf!
