I'm from South Australia and have surfed for 45 years and still on a shortboard and live at least an hour from any 'decent' surf. I've watched the lineups get progressively packed over the years. There are many factors as to why this has occurred. Population growth in surfable areas, access to cars, surfing equipment ie: Legropes, wesuits, jetskis etc has played a large part but the biggest change IMHO is the Internet. For the first couple of decades of my surfing you bought a newspaper and looked at the weather map and made a call based on that. Now, a press of a button gives me and thousands of others 10 day swell maps and surf cameras. The cameras at all the best places around the world have taken the guess work out of a surf check. SA still has some remote places that still have the adventure, discovery vibe but the tide is turning, and I'm gettin' older!
Love the "looked at the front pages of the newspaper"!!! I was born in 1960, born and raised in Hawaii. We had a beach house right at Ehukai Beach/Pipeline! I've been surfing my whole life, since age 5. My surfing experience has run the full gamut, especially in Hawaii, from long boards, "Tankers", and of course no surf leashes (remember the first ones, from bungie cord to black rubber tubing with the coiled nylon rope inside, that were very dangerous for snapping the board back at you, or getting dragged by your board underwater so long and often nothing you could do but hold your breath and watch w/ your eyes open) through the progression of surfboard shapes and new materials etc. My father grew up surfing the big redwood boards with no skeg, toe turning with Duke Kahanamoku and friends around Waikiki and nearby areas! Yeah in the 70's we would look inside the Honolulu advertiser on the Inside of the front page and look at the small square showing the islands and the approaching cold fronts and position of the lows and high pressures, including the ridge placement and learned to correlate that with our watching the weather outside to see the wind direction, and with time got good at predicting when the conditions would likely be favorable for good to nearly perfect for surfing the "country"/north shore of Oahu in the winter' surf season. It was my love of surfing, in particular, tube riding, and the quest for those perfect conditions with straight offshore winds, that got me interested in meteorology, early in high school, to understand the mechanics of weather and wind direction and changes with approaching cold fronts, and positions of high pressures and ridges to predict and know when the perfect offshore winds would be blowing, especially for the "seven mile miracle", along the north shore of Oahu. We had a beach house out in the country, but lived on the south side of the island where I went to high-school, so when I wasn't physically at our beach house with eyes on the surf right there, I could understand when to drive out there, skipping all or part of a day of school, to get it when it was really good, which is just incredible!! I'm truly blessed to have grown up surfing during this era before the crowds of today!! We basically had it to ourselves for a long time and I surfed alone in perfect conditions at spots often!!! Not the case anymore!!! Yeah that newspaper weather map, model!!! Meteorology was not offered in my high-school back then, so I just leaned it myself, reading and making regular visits to the Honolulu national weather service office at the tower building at the HNL airport, where I would spend hours learning from friendly meteorologist there!!! We had it before the crowds and then the web and later surf cams, which changed everything! Stoked and blessed, because it's never going to be like that again!!! Younger north shore surfers today, who are some of the best and good friends, just love to hear me tell them about surfing perfect Pipeline with only a handful of us out surfing it back then!!! But the level of surfing today, with the surfboard design now is amazing!!! Aloha from beautiful Hawaii!
Tru dat - crowds are a challenge but your video reminded me just to be grateful for being able to get out on the ocean on a board regardless of the conditions.
In the seventies there were half the people in this country that there are today and not very many surfed. Consider yourself fortunate to have had your fun then.
Every surfer should spend time learning to bodysurf. I mean really bodysurf and that means both getting vision in shorebreak as well as paddling out past the break for some pocket rides. It is one of the single best ways to improve your surfing skills across the board while at the same time it allows you to catch/utilize waves in a variety of conditions. I have had multiple sessions where a spot was more crowded than I felt was worth it so I just decided to bodysurf off to the side or in the shorebreak and I ended up catching more waves than everyone else on a board. It’s also very fun. I’ve never not been stoked after a bodysurfing session
Great video! I've been struggling with surfing in the modern day and you've put some of these issues into perspective for me. My last surf was in tiny 1ft waves. I couldn't catch anything. But it was a nice day, I was the only guy out and a pod of dolphins decided to hang out with me. A beautiful day at the beach.
I started surfing almost 60 years ago and was lucky enough to surf at heaps of spots around the Aussie coast, Biarritz, Ala Moana, and Alexishafen, Papua New Guinea. In New Guinea, I surfed with a guy who lent me his wife's board and told me that that was the first time in 8 years he'd ever surfed with anyone else! (Imagine his/my surprise when 2 other guys showed up - and no, I didn't tell them about this spot!) I also surfed Ulu Watu, Bali in the late '70s and on our first surf there, there was only THREE other guys out - one of them was Jeff Hakman. I got some of the best tubes of my life. But now when I see photos of the lineup there and other surf spots around the world, what a bloody nightmare! I haven't surfed since the start of last year and if I recover enough to surf again, I just might not - just to give the newbies more of a chance, gawd knows they need it. It's also great to see more women surfing too. Surfing is the only sport where there is only one rule: Don't drop in! That rule worked, even on days when there might be a coupla dozen guys out. Too bad it's not even considered now.
I've always surfed away from everybody else. I'll take 2nd rate waves just to have them by myself. Even at my home breaks when it's crowded with tourists and people who can't surf. Sometimes when I'm surfing, I get all by myself and distance myself from the pack. Then, after I catch a couple waves, I'll see a couple people paddle over and basically be right in the same spot where I caught the wave, as if it's that's the magic spot. So I'll just move away from them again or go back to where they came from. Some people just don't get it. Surfing today is just a reflection of the me me me culture we live in. One time, as I continually moved away from the crowds that kept trying to line up 5 feet away from me, I caught a wave and this guy who I didn't see stand up on a wave the entire session say to me "Share the waves." Learn how to surf man. So the entitlement that we see on land is definitely making its way out into the lineup. I have in 30 years, accidentally dropped in on other people. I can count the amount of times on 1 hand. I can't count how many times I've been dropped in on. Hey sometimes you just don't see them or the wave has a bend where you can't see them, but whenever I drop in on somebody, I get off the wave as soon as I can and put my hand up as if to say sorry. Nowadays, people drop right in on you and just don't look back and just don't care. When I take surf trips to Costa Rica the people who are the most disrespectful are the other American tourists down there. The rich snobs who think they are special. It gives us a bad name. That's my take on it.
The only way to get a wave these days is to be patient and wait for those rare days when the beach breaks are pumping, waves everywhere and most people are too gutless to paddle out because you're guaranteed to get 20 waves on the head before you even get out the back. I love those days!!!
When I first learned how to serve 40 years ago, I was taught etiquette. The one closest to the peak has the wave dropping in was a big no-no. You were considered a snake. This still holds true today I agree with you. There is no respect, and there is no etiquette, that’s why you see so many childish fights
Great video! Things have changed for the worst as egos have swelled bigger than some of the swells we dream of to break for the perfect ride. Avoid the crowds. Go when most don't. If you see a wave hit, avoid them. If they keep it up, you'll know what to do. Not advocating violence but some jerks need to be taught a good lesson in respecting other's rights too. Ride on dude! 🌊🏄🏻
I regret to say that the solutions you propose are not going to bring back the original surfing stoke. The internet played a part, especially the surf forecasting/surf spot companies. But the main offenders by far for ruining the sport are the so-called “surf industry” companies such as Billabong, Rip Curl, Quiksilver, etc. who commercialized the sport, and promoted it to the masses to sell more clothing. For the surf industry manufacturer's association (SIMA) members, surfing is just another money-making business despite their efforts to sugarcoat what they do. The second main offenders are the numerous surf schools run by surfers who, under the guise of doing what they love or "sharing the stoke", have swamped the lineups.
As a Southern California surfer, I’m not sure that we have exactly the same exponential overcrowding problems as in Hawaii just because Hawaii is specifically a surfing destination. We certainly do have big crowds, but I remember crowds being a challenge all the way back when I first started surfing in 1999. Have the crowds grown more? Maybe, but not like the rate of inflation. Surf etiquette is key. But also kindly communicating with new surfers if you see them breaking the rules goes along with reasonable expectations of Surf etiquette. One thing I try to do when I get out in the lineup is getting stoked on other peoples waves as if I were watching a surf video. It’s amazing how much giving peeps some hoots for a good wave can change the attitude of the entire lineup. Or especially for lower intermediate and beginner's a little or spotting and incouragment can be very useful to them I've been thanked many of tiimes for something like "paddle little to your left you can make it!" It's a real cook indeed who can drop in on you after a nice comment like that. I will however call out people who are trying to paddle into a wave in front of me. I used to just give a woot and be more low key but now I actually call “my wave” or “No no no” because those words cannot be misinterpreted. Especially if I’m already to my feet, smoking down the line it is clearly as much for their safety as it is my own. I think just expecting someone to know that you’re up and going leaves too much to be denied if something does go wrong. That being said, I also try to give away a lot of waves since I am at a skill level that I can usually get my fill on any given day anyway, it might take an extra half an hour to an hour to get there, but so what I’m in the water!
@@jessematheny3636 Lowers is one of my local breaks. I'm older now so I surf Church or Middles 20 to 1 over Lowers but I'm not sure you exactly got my meaning. I'm not denying the crowds in the slightest and I'm not denying the cooks I'm just not sure the crowds are growing that much locally. I remember Lowers being packed to the gunnels years and years ago and I don't know it's gotten that much worse. For fucks sake that's why Bruce Brown made Endless Summer back in the 60's there's footage of Malibu that could easily be any regular crowd today.
I used to surf Doheny back in the mid 60s. I used a 9’ 9” Ramsey Jay. Big beast, lots of stringers, big skag, heavy as hell. We would go after classes in high school and then college. Sometimes we were the only ones there. There was this kid that showed up and started cutting all of us off. He had one of the new light, short, boards, no stringers. A real hot dog, until he cut me off at just the wrong moment. That big old Ramsey Jay sliced right through that little potato chip like butter. We never saw him again. I went back there a couple of years ago, we’ve been in the desert since the 70s, I couldn’t believe the difference. They destroyed Dana Point, and Doheny was more like Disney. I watch surf videos all the time, trying to bring back my youth I guess!
@@1949rangerrick There are still days where the crowd can be light at Doho but not usually 3-4 guys on a good day. It can be a very diverse crowd too, with the best of the best and the beginneriest of the beginners and not alot inbetween. My start there was in '99 so I can't speak to before that. I do know that the harbor ruined one of the true gems on the coast the likes of Lower, Malibu, Rincon etc. Which is a shame but the nice thing about Doho for alot the beginners is that certain sections of waves can support multiple surfers on one wave without sectioning out the following surfer. I generally tend to give the beginners alot of latitude where I'll be more quick to call out someone I know knows better. Im guessing there's a much more colossal difference between 70' to 2000 then 2000 to 2025 however. I can only speak authoritatively to my experience which is what it is.
Well engineer ocean reefs and more wave pools. I'm 63 and we figured out ways around the crowds...secret spots or surfing away from perfect pt breaks etc Today I'd imagine how bad it is. Kooks should be prohibited from surfing the best spots until they learn to surf and to learn surf etiquette. Create more spots lessening the crowds and less fights
Spot on, I'm one of those guys to stopped surfing. I used to yearn for those glassy days paddling out taking great pleasure in seeing the wake peeling from the nose of your board in anticipation for a great ride. As the years went by I began to feel more and more out of place because of the aggressive crowds which slowly but surely I didn't feel like competing with for a good wave anymore. I can't believe I'm 65 already. Now I look at my boards as I pass by them; they've become a port hole to my wonderous days of catching a wave to feel on top of the world. Power to old timers who keep on surfing!!!
Grew up surfing on a neighbor island. IMHO, it was the advent of leashes that caused crowds in the water to explode in the late 70s. Not having to swim for your board allowed total twerps to crowd up the line ups.
This is a great video and right on time as I was just thinking of that in the last few days. I think what it is happening in the line ups and the surf spots can also be linked to a greater scale, because the bitterness, the lack of courtesy and kindness is everywhere. Perhaps there is something that, our society as a whole is doing, and the result is see in the line ups. The w Question is what's going on in this planet?
@@gregoryray9920 hypocrisy surely, and perhaps the "idea" that there are two sides, "right and left" divides populations, after that hostility is bound to happen. It is a world divided...
I first started surfing in the early 70's - tankers, then short boards with single fin (skegs we called them, only kooks called them fins back then); used to surf some days with no one else out and the waves were great - South Shore, Oahu. I grew up about a mile and half from the beach and used to surf everyday when there were waves - even ripples. My high school ('79 grad), had only about, maybe 20 surfers - with a total school population of a little over 600 students (10th - 12th grades). There were only about three or four of these who would surf the Country (North Shore) regularly - not me. I only surfed there a few times on not big days - V-Land, Haleiwa, Rocky Point, Ehukai Beach, Laniakea (I was a goofy foot so most of those were rights, of course). All with hardly anyone out - although there were the locals. Joined the Army in 1980 and was stationed at Fort Ord (Monterey). When I went to the local surf shop was the first time I saw a "Thruster" in person. That was my first "tri-fin". I know it was being developed in Australia, I think in the late 70's; one of my last boards in Hawaii was a beautiful blood red tinted, 6' 8" rounded pin, Dick Brewer (forgot the actual shapers name) with single fin (skeg). I don't think there was anything but single fins in the shops back then (late-70's). Anyway, back to the question of crowds - in the old days you would take your turn in the pecking order and know if you lost your board you'd be swimming for it - or a buddy would bring it out to you if you were lucky. You wouldn't take off on waves unless you were pretty confident in making the drop at least - usually. And, you had to be a strong swimmer. My generation was the last to start surfing without cords. We used to shy away from them when they first came out - called them "kook cords" - we used to think they were dangerous as we thought they'd bounce back and hit you in the head. Also the first ones were actual bungee cords and you'd have to drill a hole in your skeg and tie a knot on one end. They later came out with the urethane ones and then plugs for them. So - long story short I would have to say cords added a lot of folks to surfing. Now with cords any kook gets in the line up and takes off on whatever, knowing they are tied to their board. Not saying cords are a bad thing - so many places before with rocky shores you'd have to stay away from or be very conservative at, or risk dinging your board.
Being from SoCal, we would simply do Dawn Patrol. Get up super early before the tourists - drive and park in the dark and be suited up and in the line up the second there was enough light to see and drop in. It felt great to finish up by 7am, take a shower - eat a monster breakfast burrito and then just chill the rest of the day at work or play.
Very good. !!!! I am an old school surfer that tells those that don’t follow etiquette they ruining it for others. Quite often makes me look bad cos I tell someone “”” don’t do that or you can’t do this”””” often arguing with the EWS ( every wave syndrome) surfer. When in reality I’m all for watching someone get a great turn, tube or even a beating from being in the wrong place. Unfortunately at 60 still on a high performance board. I get one look from the younger surfers. Can see it in their eyes “””” this old guy can’t surf I will just go next wave “””” despite being better surfer then these people will ever be. !!! I try to educate that everyone has a better time in the sea if everyone obeys the rules. We ran a campaign few years ago. Previous local champions, lifeguards, tourism and our local paper ran a four page article.. it worked. If everyone globally starts telling people what they doing wrong we as collective can put the good vibes back into a sport, way of life for some we love so much.
Well said, noone 'owns' the beach or the waves. (To the angry commenters) Doesn't matter if you have surfed for 50 years and this is your 'local' break or 1 day and youv never been here before, you have equal right to be there. Surfing is a fantastic hobby, which improves mental health, provides fitness and brings people together. YOU don't have the right to bar someone else from accessing that, no matter how frustrated that makes you feel. If you are sitting around whinging that there are too many people at your local break and you don't want to share, then quit surfing that break, as you don't have the patience and generosity to share it with others and thats a YOU problem. If you are angry because you didn't get that wave, then it's a great time to develop some humility, patience and generosity. If you can't shake the anger, and are annoyed with other's presence then it is YOU who doesn't belong there, and maybe surfing isn't for you, regardless of your 50 years of localism, your relationship with surfing has become toxic, and the sport isnt for you anymore. We should all be grateful that we can be out there, connect with the ocean and surf it at all, in that alone we are lucky.
I'm not a surfer but love to watch surfing videos. It's a video like this to remind me that I've been remiss in watching a couple of videos about surfing's "rules of the wave". I'd better comprehend videos such as these. My big takeaway from this video is that far too many surfers are in dire need to watch a few "rules of the the wave" instructional videos.
I started surfing back in 1978 and as I eventually earned a spot in the lineup, my main focus was respect and back then, respect came back to you. Back then, people didn't drop in on each other nearly as often as today. Localism was worse and you would pay a price if you got out of line. One particular break in San Diego known for it's localism was never a problem for me for decades until the last 3 years of surfing there, it really became a problem. Frequently getting burned on set waves, people paddling around you to take over position on the peak and threatened with violence for simply paddling for the same wave became too much and I quit surfing there. I have alot of great memories being always the first guy out and frequently having it to myself for a half hour or close to an hour sometimes. It's kinda hard to surf much less quality waves, when it's mostly closed out beachbreak. Hopefully, I will get back in the water again soon.
I got tackled off my board by a New Smyrna local because he was behind me on another wave, so I caught my wave because I was the only one pedaling for it. He pumped, transferred, and then dropped in on the wave I had just caught and came up behind me and tackled me. I wanted to destroy the bastard. But I knew better than to finish a fight with the locals. That was almost 30 years ago and he is literally the only guy to ever do something like that to me. Most of the time surfing new breaks and beaches, the locals are cool. But this guy humiliated me because he knew he could, and if bucked back I'd have 6 or 7 guys stomp the hell out of me. He was the Sunny Garcia of that beach.
I started surfing in 1963 on Long Island. 9’6 logs with glassed in skegs. No leashes back then so lots of swimming . Almost drowned one bright sunny day out with one other guy in a serious hurricane swell in Lido Beach. We would drive out to Ditch Plains in Montauk after work and sleep on the beach and surf all the next day with nobody else there. Surfing was against the law in Long Beach and guys got arrested and put in the clink. We would surf at Azores and if the cops came on the beach and signaled us in we would paddle east out of city limits so they couldnt collar us. We went to Tamarindo over 30 years ago and it was starting to get crowded even then. I’ve been lucky enough to have surfed up and down the east coast, much of southern cal, Baja , mainland Mexico, Nica, Raglan, parts of Hawaii, and over every minute of it even though I never got much better than a high intermediate with occasional sessions that I thought deserved to be on the cover of Surfer. LOL. My hips started to give out awhile ago so I am now on a sponge when I get out there. The guys who are surfing today are amazing compared to us old dinosaurs so everyone keep up the stoke and try to be nice to one another.
My hot take is that crowds at slabs on the east Coast of Aus have got better over the past 15-20 years. (Mainly a comment on SEQ/ NNSW and Newy --> the border less Sydney). Bodyboarding has fallen off so if you go hard its fine. So many solo sessions or 2-3 guys out. Slabby Islands like the Cooks, Tonga and Samoa are also wildly better than when the was a sponsored lid trip every week like there was back then too.
Really love your attitude so much! Love also rainy, choppy days😂. I’m always smiling and never drop in (happens every 1000th drop accidentally). I’m in Oahu, lmk if you want to surf together 🤙🤙 you seem to have understand what it is about😊
4:47 : i know it's hard to found pictures to show informations, but i just want to indicate that the picture at 4:47, when you were talking about "creating new ones", is the spot of Mundaka in spain, who is a total natural site !! ;) It's a famous spot with the church on top of it !!!
SOFT TOPS and Wavepools. Those 2 alone doubled the number of people in the water where I live. I agree the Internet is a big factor....But that soft top has made it SO easy to surf....Bodyboarding has been killed by the soft top...But the flip side is surfing has now absorbed a huge uptick in numbers.
Here in Cali crowded, territorial situations have been common since the '60's. Up here around Santa Cruz we had our secret spots, learned to work tidal changes & got used to dawn patrol. Localism got violent down south. Your only recourse as a visitor was credibility as a strong surfer, buddies and a willingness to 'throw down.' What's a wave cost at Kelly Slater's? Thats it in a nutshell...
1. Beginners, understand that there are traditions and unwritten rules. You can't just do what you want. You need to ease in. 2. Don't go out with more than one other friend. 3 up is offensive to the tradition. 3. Don't paddle for waves in groups. Wait your turn and wait for YOUR OWN wave. Look back. Understand priority rules. 4. Don't paddle in front of a person's ride. Eat the whitewater, even if it means getting worked. 5. Don't bail your board, ever. Even advanced- jumping off your board at the end of a ride is offensive to tradition. Straighten out and lay down. Don't depend on your leash 90% of situations. 6. Don't go out if it's crowded already. At least wait for someone to leave.
Surfing has sure come a long way from the old single fin days, I was lucky South Australia’s west coast was good enough for me with friends sharing waves and yes some do try to get every wave, of course there fit and paddle well. If the surfs crowded why paddle out Find another spot to surf. Surfing is so popular now a day and that great, I think it’s about time for a lot of artificial surfing reefs for they will get surfed And make good Fish attracting device.
Dude you forget the most important truth, surfers don’t like other surfers. Line ups work because everyone understands and follows the rules. When you throw a bunch of kooks in the mix the system fails. The solution is to up your volumes for paddle power and surf at different times of the day. I’ve snagged perfect barreling waves here in so cal on a Friday after work. Use your knowledge to your advantage, kooks don’t know what breaks will be good on any given swell. Remember they’re the ones that keep the industry afloat, you just need to learn how to avoid them.
Paddle into a 10 ft inverse slab in open ocean. No jet ski in sight, almost a mile paddle. If you get hurt, a mile paddle in and climb up over a 100 ft of cliff face track. Oh the shore line is big boulders. Good luck with your floaty.
As someone who took a few surf lessons, the lack of standardised level system confuses me, with places advertising anywhere from 3 to 12 levels, and no definitive pass/fail certificates. I wonder if the rise of budget airlines and overall drop in cost of air travel over the years has caused concentration in a few locations.
"...the lack of standardised (sic) level system confuses me, with places advertising anywhere from 3 to 12 levels, and no definitive pass/fail certificates." What in the fresh hell are you talking about?!
@@Tricklarock Some surf schools classify someone who has never used a board before and someone who does basic turns in whitewater both as 'Beginner', lumped in the same class, while other surf schools break it down into never having been on a board as the first level, catching waves as the second, standing on the board as the third, and turning as the fourth level, and so on...
@@A_Canadian_In_Poland Sorry. As someone who doesn't pay to take classes when I want to learn something, the whole concept is a joke to me. Edit; this is not meant as a slight to you.
oh fine ! :) as "a local" somewhere ;) i disagree a lot with many " locals" that complain.🤬 they are not fully honest ! i was thinking, tourists are there ... 10 am/miday 2pm/6pm ... july and august ( west coast of France) we know all about spots and tides ! this spot half tide for goofies, this other " full tide" ... and so on come on ! if you are lazy to wake up don't surf ! and we know that best tides are june and september !! i am not a californian but "wedge" spetember 7am is allready full ??? there is still places to surf peacefully on earth i am sure :)
Surfing most good spots in SoCal is like sportfishing on a crowded party boat. Yep, chaotic, disorganized a lot of the time with greenhorns not understanding the rules and disturbing the rhythm. But there are moments of pure awesomeness and the ninja Jedi masters always catch a lot of fish …. waves. The most fish, the biggest best fish. Stay salty my friends. And don’t be afraid to regulate appropriately.
I hate localism , priorities etc, Surfing was about the freedom, challenge, being in the natural environment. It is not a locals wave , it is not the professionals wave, It is about positioning and effort and just hopefully good will. The locals and professionals will get more waves naturally. But when greed and feeling of "ownership" creep in then Arse hole come out . Its no ones wave until someone has priority position, and people shouldn't be so bloody greedy as to not be willing to share that position. You didn't buy the waves and they are not for sale! ( (started surfing in the sixties and my home wave was Bells and Winki )
Everyone loves to blame surfers for the situation today. We all know the industry is to blame, screw all those big brands and wsl for just wanting infinite growth for greedy investors. Meanwhile people who really love this sport has to pay.
It's funny cause people would rather surf with other people than by themselves. You can find waves by yourself. If you can't , your not trying hard enough.
Surf schools and softboards have done this. The number of good surfing locations is limited and that means crowds at any place that is working on the day. The people that make the experience unpleasant are the "entitled", they don't take turns. If one tries to be considerate you get robbed of every wave. If you don't snake you have to get nasty with those who do and that spoils the whole atmosphere. The answer is simple, locals with community spirit, control the line-up. If you try to bring your entitled selfish behaviour to our beach, you get nothing. To be happy you first need to be considerate and respectful.
I believe the Int'l Surf Association should take initiative on creating a standardised 12-15-level curriculum for surf lessons, comprising one-week, minimum 20 hour courses, broken into small, incremental learning steps. The quality of education would vastly improve.
@@A_Canadian_In_Poland Places like snapper rocks didn't really have crowds until the WSL turned up. So do they have a part in the solution, likely not. Rabbit saw money in surfing and so did MR. They really don't care because they have their fame and that's their thrill, along with the money. These days Byron Bay and other now globally famous locations get crazy packed. It's because they are told these are the best places but that's not true. Unfortunately those who come to surf them go looking a pack out any of the other places. So it's not just the behaviour its the numbers. You can't fix that, they'll keep coming.
I started surfing in 1965. It was a whole different world then, like a brotherhood. Now it's too many rats in the cage. Just like the rest of real life. It's too bad, but it's not going to get any better.
Ban legropes in routinely crowded lineups and wait for the rage. There'd be a ton of flotsam at first but in time, it might save some lives from what is unarguably already a war zone. A small sacrifice for my waves could make me a better person. .....peace
That's just it though. I grew up surfing in two of the most localized surf communities in Southern CA in the 1980s. It didn't matter if you were a kid. If you got out of line more than once, you were getting slapped. Either you got in line in the pecking order, or you'd get menaced. The system worked well. Unfortunately, you can no longer discipline kids. The price to pay for dropping in a local these days is far less than it used to be, and we're seeing the results in the chaos.
"...not aggressive maneuvers to show off, or have an ego to be better than somebody else." What a load of horse shit, save it. It's called progression, and that's how it works! Don't project just cuz you can't surf as good as whoever you may be jealous of...
I think I understand what you're trying to say, but some of the statements made are nearly devoid of meaning. Examples: "watching someone surf a great wave and sharing the stoke was iconic", "(surfers) always were irrational at times". "our happiness derives in these waves" ?????
What ruined surfing was the power cord. Before the power cord u had to swim after loosing your board , that meant that u had to be a good swimmer. Now any dweeb can paddle out to the line up cause u don’t have to swim anymore.
Doesn't this apply to everything? People having exclusivity to something and then complaining the crowds or newer generations ruined their "acquired" priviledges. But yes like you say, setting up rules would be a start and for old timers being more indulgent to newer generations.
Build artificial reefs for erosion control and to ride? The environmental regulation will never allow it. Wave pools will never be worth the money they charge to make a profit. I wouldn’t pay Urban Surf what they want to ride that wave. No real answer except to deal with it. Rincon in the winter is a contact sport. I’ve become very adept at on wave grappling and hand fighting.😂
I have no desire to be a kid again. Crowds of kids with cameras dangling from their mouths that are never wrong. No parking and fistfights. Play Ice Hockey. There is more honor.
I'm from South Australia and have surfed for 45 years and still on a shortboard and live at least an hour from any 'decent' surf. I've watched the lineups get progressively packed over the years. There are many factors as to why this has occurred. Population growth in surfable areas, access to cars, surfing equipment ie: Legropes, wesuits, jetskis etc has played a large part but the biggest change IMHO is the Internet. For the first couple of decades of my surfing you bought a newspaper and looked at the weather map and made a call based on that. Now, a press of a button gives me and thousands of others 10 day swell maps and surf cameras. The cameras at all the best places around the world have taken the guess work out of a surf check. SA still has some remote places that still have the adventure, discovery vibe but the tide is turning, and I'm gettin' older!
Love the "looked at the front pages of the newspaper"!!! I was born in 1960, born and raised in Hawaii. We had a beach house right at Ehukai Beach/Pipeline! I've been surfing my whole life, since age 5. My surfing experience has run the full gamut, especially in Hawaii, from long boards, "Tankers", and of course no surf leashes (remember the first ones, from bungie cord to black rubber tubing with the coiled nylon rope inside, that were very dangerous for snapping the board back at you, or getting dragged by your board underwater so long and often nothing you could do but hold your breath and watch w/ your eyes open) through the progression of surfboard shapes and new materials etc. My father grew up surfing the big redwood boards with no skeg, toe turning with Duke Kahanamoku and friends around Waikiki and nearby areas! Yeah in the 70's we would look inside the Honolulu advertiser on the Inside of the front page and look at the small square showing the islands and the approaching cold fronts and position of the lows and high pressures, including the ridge placement and learned to correlate that with our watching the weather outside to see the wind direction, and with time got good at predicting when the conditions would likely be favorable for good to nearly perfect for surfing the "country"/north shore of Oahu in the winter' surf season. It was my love of surfing, in particular, tube riding, and the quest for those perfect conditions with straight offshore winds, that got me interested in meteorology, early in high school, to understand the mechanics of weather and wind direction and changes with approaching cold fronts, and positions of high pressures and ridges to predict and know when the perfect offshore winds would be blowing, especially for the "seven mile miracle", along the north shore of Oahu. We had a beach house out in the country, but lived on the south side of the island where I went to high-school, so when I wasn't physically at our beach house with eyes on the surf right there, I could understand when to drive out there, skipping all or part of a day of school, to get it when it was really good, which is just incredible!! I'm truly blessed to have grown up surfing during this era before the crowds of today!! We basically had it to ourselves for a long time and I surfed alone in perfect conditions at spots often!!! Not the case anymore!!! Yeah that newspaper weather map, model!!! Meteorology was not offered in my high-school back then, so I just leaned it myself, reading and making regular visits to the Honolulu national weather service office at the tower building at the HNL airport, where I would spend hours learning from friendly meteorologist there!!! We had it before the crowds and then the web and later surf cams, which changed everything! Stoked and blessed, because it's never going to be like that again!!! Younger north shore surfers today, who are some of the best and good friends, just love to hear me tell them about surfing perfect Pipeline with only a handful of us out surfing it back then!!! But the level of surfing today, with the surfboard design now is amazing!!!
Aloha from beautiful Hawaii!
@@DonaldLibbey Good to hear your story. Sounds dreamy. Cheers from Oz.
Tru dat - crowds are a challenge but your video reminded me just to be grateful for being able to get out on the ocean on a board regardless of the conditions.
Long gone are the days of soul surfing. I am so blessed to have experienced it in socal inthe 70's and 80's. Its nothing like it was nowadays!
In the seventies there were half the people in this country that there are today and not very many surfed. Consider yourself fortunate to have had your fun then.
@Joe-ve8yw By 1980 it was going off hard with the "new wave" surfer style in CA. By then it was mobbed. I'm thinking like 1972.
Every surfer should spend time learning to bodysurf. I mean really bodysurf and that means both getting vision in shorebreak as well as paddling out past the break for some pocket rides.
It is one of the single best ways to improve your surfing skills across the board while at the same time it allows you to catch/utilize waves in a variety of conditions.
I have had multiple sessions where a spot was more crowded than I felt was worth it so I just decided to bodysurf off to the side or in the shorebreak and I ended up catching more waves than everyone else on a board. It’s also very fun. I’ve never not been stoked after a bodysurfing session
Mike Stewart was body surfing the wedge ! 😮
@@andrewdean7917 he’s a legend!
Great video! I've been struggling with surfing in the modern day and you've put some of these issues into perspective for me. My last surf was in tiny 1ft waves. I couldn't catch anything. But it was a nice day, I was the only guy out and a pod of dolphins decided to hang out with me. A beautiful day at the beach.
I started surfing almost 60 years ago and was lucky enough to surf at heaps of spots around the Aussie coast, Biarritz, Ala Moana, and Alexishafen, Papua New Guinea. In New Guinea, I surfed with a guy who lent me his wife's board and told me that that was the first time in 8 years he'd ever surfed with anyone else! (Imagine his/my surprise when 2 other guys showed up - and no, I didn't tell them about this spot!) I also surfed Ulu Watu, Bali in the late '70s and on our first surf there, there was only THREE other guys out - one of them was Jeff Hakman. I got some of the best tubes of my life.
But now when I see photos of the lineup there and other surf spots around the world, what a bloody nightmare! I haven't surfed since the start of last year and if I recover enough to surf again, I just might not - just to give the newbies more of a chance, gawd knows they need it. It's also great to see more women surfing too. Surfing is the only sport where there is only one rule: Don't drop in! That rule worked, even on days when there might be a coupla dozen guys out. Too bad it's not even considered now.
I bailed and got into cycling.
Have you try to surf in sumba NTT indonesia?
I've always surfed away from everybody else. I'll take 2nd rate waves just to have them by myself. Even at my home breaks when it's crowded with tourists and people who can't surf. Sometimes when I'm surfing, I get all by myself and distance myself from the pack. Then, after I catch a couple waves, I'll see a couple people paddle over and basically be right in the same spot where I caught the wave, as if it's that's the magic spot. So I'll just move away from them again or go back to where they came from. Some people just don't get it. Surfing today is just a reflection of the me me me culture we live in. One time, as I continually moved away from the crowds that kept trying to line up 5 feet away from me, I caught a wave and this guy who I didn't see stand up on a wave the entire session say to me "Share the waves." Learn how to surf man. So the entitlement that we see on land is definitely making its way out into the lineup. I have in 30 years, accidentally dropped in on other people. I can count the amount of times on 1 hand. I can't count how many times I've been dropped in on. Hey sometimes you just don't see them or the wave has a bend where you can't see them, but whenever I drop in on somebody, I get off the wave as soon as I can and put my hand up as if to say sorry. Nowadays, people drop right in on you and just don't look back and just don't care.
When I take surf trips to Costa Rica the people who are the most disrespectful are the other American tourists down there. The rich snobs who think they are special. It gives us a bad name. That's my take on it.
All so very true, I've decided to call it day on Indo surf trips. Not worth the cash anymore.
The internet and commercialism has ruined surfing. I've been surfing for over 50 years and I watched it happen.
The only way to get a wave these days is to be patient and wait for those rare days when the beach breaks are pumping, waves everywhere and most people are too gutless to paddle out because you're guaranteed to get 20 waves on the head before you even get out the back. I love those days!!!
When I first learned how to serve 40 years ago, I was taught etiquette. The one closest to the peak has the wave dropping in was a big no-no. You were considered a snake. This still holds true today I agree with you. There is no respect, and there is no etiquette, that’s why you see so many childish fights
Great video! Things have changed for the worst as egos have swelled bigger than some of the swells we dream of to break for the perfect ride. Avoid the crowds. Go when most don't. If you see a wave hit, avoid them. If they keep it up, you'll know what to do. Not advocating violence but some jerks need to be taught a good lesson in respecting other's rights too. Ride on dude! 🌊🏄🏻
I regret to say that the solutions you propose are not going to bring back the original surfing stoke. The internet played a part, especially the surf forecasting/surf spot companies. But the main offenders by far for ruining the sport are the so-called “surf industry” companies such as Billabong, Rip Curl, Quiksilver, etc. who commercialized the sport, and promoted it to the masses to sell more clothing. For the surf industry manufacturer's association (SIMA) members, surfing is just another money-making business despite their efforts to sugarcoat what they do. The second main offenders are the numerous surf schools run by surfers who, under the guise of doing what they love or "sharing the stoke", have swamped the lineups.
I started surfing as a 10 year old, hanging up my wetsuit in my mid 50s due to arthritis. I don’t think much has changed.
As a Southern California surfer, I’m not sure that we have exactly the same exponential overcrowding problems as in Hawaii just because Hawaii is specifically a surfing destination. We certainly do have big crowds, but I remember crowds being a challenge all the way back when I first started surfing in 1999. Have the crowds grown more? Maybe, but not like the rate of inflation.
Surf etiquette is key. But also kindly communicating with new surfers if you see them breaking the rules goes along with reasonable expectations of Surf etiquette.
One thing I try to do when I get out in the lineup is getting stoked on other peoples waves as if I were watching a surf video. It’s amazing how much giving peeps some hoots for a good wave can change the attitude of the entire lineup. Or especially for lower intermediate and beginner's a little or spotting and incouragment can be very useful to them I've been thanked many of tiimes for something like "paddle little to your left you can make it!" It's a real cook indeed who can drop in on you after a nice comment like that.
I will however call out people who are trying to paddle into a wave in front of me. I used to just give a woot and be more low key but now I actually call “my wave” or “No no no” because those words cannot be misinterpreted. Especially if I’m already to my feet, smoking down the line it is clearly as much for their safety as it is my own. I think just expecting someone to know that you’re up and going leaves too much to be denied if something does go wrong. That being said, I also try to give away a lot of waves since I am at a skill level that I can usually get my fill on any given day anyway, it might take an extra half an hour to an hour to get there, but so what I’m in the water!
you don't ever looks at lowers then
@@jessematheny3636 Lowers is one of my local breaks. I'm older now so I surf Church or Middles 20 to 1 over Lowers but I'm not sure you exactly got my meaning. I'm not denying the crowds in the slightest and I'm not denying the cooks I'm just not sure the crowds are growing that much locally. I remember Lowers being packed to the gunnels years and years ago and I don't know it's gotten that much worse. For fucks sake that's why Bruce Brown made Endless Summer back in the 60's there's footage of Malibu that could easily be any regular crowd today.
I used to surf Doheny back in the mid 60s. I used a 9’ 9” Ramsey Jay. Big beast, lots of stringers, big skag, heavy as hell. We would go after classes in high school and then college. Sometimes we were the only ones there. There was this kid that showed up and started cutting all of us off. He had one of the new light, short, boards, no stringers. A real hot dog, until he cut me off at just the wrong moment. That big old Ramsey Jay sliced right through that little potato chip like butter. We never saw him again. I went back there a couple of years ago, we’ve been in the desert since the 70s, I couldn’t believe the difference. They destroyed Dana Point, and Doheny was more like Disney. I watch surf videos all the time, trying to bring back my youth I guess!
@@1949rangerrick There are still days where the crowd can be light at Doho but not usually 3-4 guys on a good day. It can be a very diverse crowd too, with the best of the best and the beginneriest of the beginners and not alot inbetween. My start there was in '99 so I can't speak to before that. I do know that the harbor ruined one of the true gems on the coast the likes of Lower, Malibu, Rincon etc. Which is a shame but the nice thing about Doho for alot the beginners is that certain sections of waves can support multiple surfers on one wave without sectioning out the following surfer. I generally tend to give the beginners alot of latitude where I'll be more quick to call out someone I know knows better. Im guessing there's a much more colossal difference between 70' to 2000 then 2000 to 2025 however. I can only speak authoritatively to my experience which is what it is.
Well engineer ocean reefs and more wave pools. I'm 63 and we figured out ways around the crowds...secret spots or surfing away from perfect pt breaks etc
Today I'd imagine how bad it is. Kooks should be prohibited from surfing the best spots until they learn to surf and to learn surf etiquette. Create more spots lessening the crowds and less fights
Spot on, I'm one of those guys to stopped surfing. I used to yearn for those glassy days paddling out taking great pleasure in seeing the wake peeling from the nose of your board in anticipation for a great ride. As the years went by I began to feel more and more out of place because of the aggressive crowds which slowly but surely I didn't feel like competing with for a good wave anymore. I can't believe I'm 65 already. Now I look at my boards as I pass by them; they've become a port hole to my wonderous days of catching a wave to feel on top of the world. Power to old timers who keep on surfing!!!
I can remember days when I could count 20 people outside and I thought that was crowded.
In the north of Poland, or the Atlantic coast of Canada where I grew up, 20 people is still a crowded day.
Grew up surfing on a neighbor island. IMHO, it was the advent of leashes that caused crowds in the water to explode in the late 70s. Not having to swim for your board allowed total twerps to crowd up the line ups.
This is a great video and right on time as I was just thinking of that in the last few days. I think what it is happening in the line ups and the surf spots can also be linked to a greater scale, because the bitterness, the lack of courtesy and kindness is everywhere. Perhaps there is something that, our society as a whole is doing, and the result is see in the line ups. The w
Question is what's going on in this planet?
Yes it’s definitely a societal issue also
It's the increase of belief in left wing ideology and hypocrisy, both of which are very closely related
@@gregoryray9920 hypocrisy surely, and perhaps the "idea" that there are two sides, "right and left" divides populations, after that hostility is bound to happen. It is a world divided...
I first started surfing in the early 70's - tankers, then short boards with single fin (skegs we called them, only kooks called them fins back then); used to surf some days with no one else out and the waves were great - South Shore, Oahu. I grew up about a mile and half from the beach and used to surf everyday when there were waves - even ripples. My high school ('79 grad), had only about, maybe 20 surfers - with a total school population of a little over 600 students (10th - 12th grades). There were only about three or four of these who would surf the Country (North Shore) regularly - not me. I only surfed there a few times on not big days - V-Land, Haleiwa, Rocky Point, Ehukai Beach, Laniakea (I was a goofy foot so most of those were rights, of course). All with hardly anyone out - although there were the locals. Joined the Army in 1980 and was stationed at Fort Ord (Monterey). When I went to the local surf shop was the first time I saw a "Thruster" in person. That was my first "tri-fin". I know it was being developed in Australia, I think in the late 70's; one of my last boards in Hawaii was a beautiful blood red tinted, 6' 8" rounded pin, Dick Brewer (forgot the actual shapers name) with single fin (skeg). I don't think there was anything but single fins in the shops back then (late-70's). Anyway, back to the question of crowds - in the old days you would take your turn in the pecking order and know if you lost your board you'd be swimming for it - or a buddy would bring it out to you if you were lucky. You wouldn't take off on waves unless you were pretty confident in making the drop at least - usually. And, you had to be a strong swimmer. My generation was the last to start surfing without cords. We used to shy away from them when they first came out - called them "kook cords" - we used to think they were dangerous as we thought they'd bounce back and hit you in the head. Also the first ones were actual bungee cords and you'd have to drill a hole in your skeg and tie a knot on one end. They later came out with the urethane ones and then plugs for them. So - long story short I would have to say cords added a lot of folks to surfing. Now with cords any kook gets in the line up and takes off on whatever, knowing they are tied to their board. Not saying cords are a bad thing - so many places before with rocky shores you'd have to stay away from or be very conservative at, or risk dinging your board.
Are you still surfing or writing novels😂😂😂
Are you German and still in Oahu?
@@chrisharri7376 yep. Blonde hair blue eyes. Master Race🤙🌊💯👍⚡⚡
Being from SoCal, we would simply do Dawn Patrol. Get up super early before the tourists - drive and park in the dark and be suited up and in the line up the second there was enough light to see and drop in. It felt great to finish up by 7am, take a shower - eat a monster breakfast burrito and then just chill the rest of the day at work or play.
Very good. !!!! I am an old school surfer that tells those that don’t follow etiquette they ruining it for others. Quite often makes me look bad cos I tell someone “”” don’t do that or you can’t do this”””” often arguing with the EWS ( every wave syndrome) surfer. When in reality I’m all for watching someone get a great turn, tube or even a beating from being in the wrong place. Unfortunately at 60 still on a high performance board. I get one look from the younger surfers. Can see it in their eyes “””” this old guy can’t surf I will just go next wave “””” despite being better surfer then these people will ever be. !!! I try to educate that everyone has a better time in the sea if everyone obeys the rules. We ran a campaign few years ago. Previous local champions, lifeguards, tourism and our local paper ran a four page article.. it worked. If everyone globally starts telling people what they doing wrong we as collective can put the good vibes back into a sport, way of life for some we love so much.
Well said, noone 'owns' the beach or the waves.
(To the angry commenters)
Doesn't matter if you have surfed for 50 years and this is your 'local' break or 1 day and youv never been here before, you have equal right to be there. Surfing is a fantastic hobby, which improves mental health, provides fitness and brings people together.
YOU don't have the right to bar someone else from accessing that, no matter how frustrated that makes you feel.
If you are sitting around whinging that there are too many people at your local break and you don't want to share, then quit surfing that break, as you don't have the patience and generosity to share it with others and thats a YOU problem.
If you are angry because you didn't get that wave, then it's a great time to develop some humility, patience and generosity.
If you can't shake the anger, and are annoyed with other's presence then it is YOU who doesn't belong there, and maybe surfing isn't for you, regardless of your 50 years of localism, your relationship with surfing has become toxic, and the sport isnt for you anymore.
We should all be grateful that we can be out there, connect with the ocean and surf it at all, in that alone we are lucky.
I'm not a surfer but love to watch surfing videos. It's a video like this to remind me that I've been remiss in watching a couple of videos about surfing's "rules of the wave". I'd better comprehend videos such as these.
My big takeaway from this video is that far too many surfers are in dire need to watch a few "rules of the the wave" instructional videos.
I started surfing back in 1978 and as I eventually earned a spot in the lineup, my main focus was respect and back then, respect came back to you. Back then, people didn't drop in on each other nearly as often as today. Localism was worse and you would pay a price if you got out of line. One particular break in San Diego known for it's localism was never a problem for me for decades until the last 3 years of surfing there, it really became a problem. Frequently getting burned on set waves, people paddling around you to take over position on the peak and threatened with violence for simply paddling for the same wave became too much and I quit surfing there. I have alot of great memories being always the first guy out and frequently having it to myself for a half hour or close to an hour sometimes. It's kinda hard to surf much less quality waves, when it's mostly closed out beachbreak. Hopefully, I will get back in the water again soon.
I got tackled off my board by a New Smyrna local because he was behind me on another wave, so I caught my wave because I was the only one pedaling for it. He pumped, transferred, and then dropped in on the wave I had just caught and came up behind me and tackled me. I wanted to destroy the bastard. But I knew better than to finish a fight with the locals. That was almost 30 years ago and he is literally the only guy to ever do something like that to me. Most of the time surfing new breaks and beaches, the locals are cool. But this guy humiliated me because he knew he could, and if bucked back I'd have 6 or 7 guys stomp the hell out of me. He was the Sunny Garcia of that beach.
The same thing happened to striper fishing on the NJ coast. Cell phones and the internet have packed the beaches
Great Video Mate Helps Get the Mindset right and can really change your Opionion on surfing
I started surfing in 1963 on Long Island. 9’6 logs with glassed in skegs. No leashes back then so lots of swimming . Almost drowned one bright sunny day out with one other guy in a serious hurricane swell in Lido Beach.
We would drive out to Ditch Plains in Montauk after work and sleep on the beach and surf all the next day with nobody else there.
Surfing was against the law in Long Beach and guys got arrested and put in the clink. We would surf at Azores and if the cops came on the beach and signaled us in we would paddle east out of city limits so they couldnt collar us.
We went to Tamarindo over 30 years ago and it was starting to get crowded even then. I’ve been lucky enough to have surfed up and down the east coast, much of southern cal, Baja , mainland Mexico, Nica, Raglan, parts of Hawaii, and over every minute of it even though I never got much better than a high intermediate with occasional sessions that I thought deserved to be on the cover of Surfer. LOL.
My hips started to give out awhile ago so I am now on a sponge when I get out there.
The guys who are surfing today are amazing compared to us old dinosaurs
so everyone keep up the stoke and try to be nice to one another.
My hot take is that crowds at slabs on the east Coast of Aus have got better over the past 15-20 years. (Mainly a comment on SEQ/ NNSW and Newy --> the border less Sydney). Bodyboarding has fallen off so if you go hard its fine. So many solo sessions or 2-3 guys out.
Slabby Islands like the Cooks, Tonga and Samoa are also wildly better than when the was a sponsored lid trip every week like there was back then too.
Lots of wisdom here, and applicable to more than just surfing.
Covid did this. People started looking for new hobbies during lockdown. A lot chose surfing. At least that’s what happened here in SD.
It was the movie Blue Crush and foamy boards from Costco.
@@lavapix Well if we wanna get technical, we can truly blame it all on Gidget. Hahah. Hollyweird ruins everything.
Really love your attitude so much! Love also rainy, choppy days😂. I’m always smiling and never drop in (happens every 1000th drop accidentally). I’m in Oahu, lmk if you want to surf together 🤙🤙 you seem to have understand what it is about😊
I started surfing in January he 1950ds in Calif and surfing never been a peaceful spot the PNW worked until the 2000s but now is crowded too
4:47 : i know it's hard to found pictures to show informations, but i just want to indicate that the picture at 4:47, when you were talking about "creating new ones", is the spot of Mundaka in spain, who is a total natural site !! ;)
It's a famous spot with the church on top of it !!!
SOFT TOPS and Wavepools.
Those 2 alone doubled the number of people in the water where I live. I agree the Internet is a big factor....But that soft top has made it SO easy to surf....Bodyboarding has been killed by the soft top...But the flip side is surfing has now absorbed a huge uptick in numbers.
Here in Cali crowded, territorial situations have been common since the '60's. Up here around Santa Cruz we had our secret spots, learned to work tidal changes & got used to dawn patrol. Localism got violent down south. Your only recourse as a visitor was credibility as a strong surfer, buddies and a willingness to 'throw down.'
What's a wave cost at Kelly Slater's? Thats it in a nutshell...
Surfed by myself (bout 6 others spread out)the other day at a gold coast beachie.
1. Beginners, understand that there are traditions and unwritten rules. You can't just do what you want. You need to ease in.
2. Don't go out with more than one other friend. 3 up is offensive to the tradition.
3. Don't paddle for waves in groups. Wait your turn and wait for YOUR OWN wave. Look back. Understand priority rules.
4. Don't paddle in front of a person's ride. Eat the whitewater, even if it means getting worked.
5. Don't bail your board, ever. Even advanced- jumping off your board at the end of a ride is offensive to tradition. Straighten out and lay down. Don't depend on your leash 90% of situations.
6. Don't go out if it's crowded already. At least wait for someone to leave.
Dear tusked beast, I agree, but most people dont give a shit about any of that.
@@_desertwalker_ Thanks. Just putting it out there for any eyeballs that might, maybe, get it.
Thank the surf schools for this.
100 per cent agree
Surfing has sure come a long way from the old single fin days,
I was lucky South Australia’s west coast was good enough for me
with friends sharing waves and yes some do try to get every wave,
of course there fit and paddle well.
If the surfs crowded why paddle out
Find another spot to surf.
Surfing is so popular now a day and that great,
I think it’s about time for a lot of artificial surfing reefs for they will get surfed
And make good Fish attracting device.
Here's another guaranteed tip...........Surf where it's really shaky. The more sharks, the fewer surfers.
Yep, love Western Australia for this reason
At 1:39 - That is the funniest Shot EVER of a line-up crowd. Isnt Kelly Slatter in there - the 7th person from the right?
Dude you forget the most important truth, surfers don’t like other surfers. Line ups work because everyone understands and follows the rules. When you throw a bunch of kooks in the mix the system fails. The solution is to up your volumes for paddle power and surf at different times of the day. I’ve snagged perfect barreling waves here in so cal on a Friday after work. Use your knowledge to your advantage, kooks don’t know what breaks will be good on any given swell. Remember they’re the ones that keep the industry afloat, you just need to learn how to avoid them.
The Twenty-Four rule...
If there's 4 people out there's 4 people getting waves.
If there's 24 people out there's 4 people getting waves
Paddle into a 10 ft inverse slab in open ocean. No jet ski in sight, almost a mile paddle. If you get hurt, a mile paddle in and climb up over a 100 ft of cliff face track. Oh the shore line is big boulders. Good luck with your floaty.
As someone who took a few surf lessons, the lack of standardised level system confuses me, with places advertising anywhere from 3 to 12 levels, and no definitive pass/fail certificates. I wonder if the rise of budget airlines and overall drop in cost of air travel over the years has caused concentration in a few locations.
"...the lack of standardised (sic) level system confuses me, with places advertising anywhere from 3 to 12 levels, and no definitive pass/fail certificates."
What in the fresh hell are you talking about?!
@@Tricklarock Some surf schools classify someone who has never used a board before and someone who does basic turns in whitewater both as 'Beginner', lumped in the same class, while other surf schools break it down into never having been on a board as the first level, catching waves as the second, standing on the board as the third, and turning as the fourth level, and so on...
@@A_Canadian_In_Poland Sorry. As someone who doesn't pay to take classes when I want to learn something, the whole concept is a joke to me.
Edit; this is not meant as a slight to you.
instagram and youtube, corporate surfing lifestyle marketing, and airbnb, killed surfing and killed surf towns everywhere.
Thats why we have Localism. Keeps the kooks away🤙🌊🦆💯👍
3:13 damn bro that was nuts. Dude should be arrested thats basically assault with a deadly weapon.
oh fine ! :)
as "a local" somewhere ;) i disagree a lot with many " locals" that complain.🤬
they are not fully honest !
i was thinking, tourists are there ... 10 am/miday 2pm/6pm ... july and august ( west coast of France)
we know all about spots and tides !
this spot half tide for goofies, this other " full tide" ... and so on
come on ! if you are lazy to wake up don't surf !
and we know that best tides are june and september !!
i am not a californian but "wedge" spetember 7am is allready full ???
there is still places to surf peacefully on earth i am sure :)
Surfing is done. It's never going back to before. The crowds after covid were horrendous.
The old way was let down their car tyres but now with the internet we should name and shame chronic dropiners then let down their tyres
There have never been positive vibes when a kook is in your way!
Tiny waves = bulk kooks. Big scary remote waves = solo session.
You just gotta travel away from the hectic spots, 90% of surfers are pretty lazy and won’t drive an hour or two to find uncrowned waves
wrong wrong wrong
I blame it all on Point Break 😂
You gotta go down Bodi.
Proud to say that Point Break was featured in a recent academic paper I wrote. It's deep!
Surfing most good spots in SoCal is like sportfishing on a crowded party boat. Yep, chaotic, disorganized a lot of the time with greenhorns not understanding the rules and disturbing the rhythm. But there are moments of pure awesomeness and the ninja Jedi masters always catch a lot of fish …. waves. The most fish, the biggest best fish. Stay salty my friends. And don’t be afraid to regulate appropriately.
I hate localism , priorities etc, Surfing was about the freedom, challenge, being in the natural environment. It is not a locals wave , it is not the professionals wave, It is about positioning and effort and just hopefully good will. The locals and professionals will get more waves naturally. But when greed and feeling of "ownership" creep in then Arse hole come out . Its no ones wave until someone has priority position, and people shouldn't be so bloody greedy as to not be willing to share that position. You didn't buy the waves and they are not for sale! ( (started surfing in the sixties and my home wave was Bells and Winki )
It's ironic we still call it a lineup. Linecut would be a better word.
If you want to avoid the crowds. Learn to windsurf or any of the similar sports. It's that simple
Kinda sad the lack of respect for eachother
Everyone loves to blame surfers for the situation today. We all know the industry is to blame, screw all those big brands and wsl for just wanting infinite growth for greedy investors. Meanwhile people who really love this sport has to pay.
That applies to housing as well
It's funny cause people would rather surf with other people than by themselves. You can find waves by yourself. If you can't , your not trying hard enough.
wooh i am glad i surf in one of philippines not so famous but great surfing spot
Borders... Language... Culture
Don’t paddle out when there’s too many people or accept the consequences
Aloha Trev, the problem is a few crew on it and everybody wants it.
@@_desertwalker_ what sucks more is those occasions when it’s me and one other guy out and the effer still snakes me
Surf schools and softboards have done this. The number of good surfing locations is limited and that means crowds at any place that is working on the day.
The people that make the experience unpleasant are the "entitled", they don't take turns. If one tries to be considerate you get robbed of every wave. If you don't snake you have to get nasty with those who do and that spoils the whole atmosphere.
The answer is simple, locals with community spirit, control the line-up. If you try to bring your entitled selfish behaviour to our beach, you get nothing. To be happy you first need to be considerate and respectful.
I believe the Int'l Surf Association should take initiative on creating a standardised 12-15-level curriculum for surf lessons, comprising one-week, minimum 20 hour courses, broken into small, incremental learning steps. The quality of education would vastly improve.
@@A_Canadian_In_Poland Places like snapper rocks didn't really have crowds until the WSL turned up. So do they have a part in the solution, likely not. Rabbit saw money in surfing and so did MR. They really don't care because they have their fame and that's their thrill, along with the money.
These days Byron Bay and other now globally famous locations get crazy packed. It's because they are told these are the best places but that's not true. Unfortunately those who come to surf them go looking a pack out any of the other places.
So it's not just the behaviour its the numbers. You can't fix that, they'll keep coming.
you nailed it on the head
I started surfing in 1965. It was a whole different world then, like a brotherhood. Now it's too many rats in the cage. Just like the rest of real life. It's too bad, but it's not going to get any better.
Ban legropes in routinely crowded lineups and wait for the rage. There'd be a ton of flotsam at first but in time, it might save some lives from what is unarguably already a war zone. A small sacrifice for my waves could make me a better person.
.....peace
If you don't like the rules at a certain break then go elsewhere. You're not going to change decades of tradition so why try.
That's just it though. I grew up surfing in two of the most localized surf communities in Southern CA in the 1980s. It didn't matter if you were a kid. If you got out of line more than once, you were getting slapped. Either you got in line in the pecking order, or you'd get menaced. The system worked well. Unfortunately, you can no longer discipline kids. The price to pay for dropping in a local these days is far less than it used to be, and we're seeing the results in the chaos.
"...not aggressive maneuvers to show off, or have an ego to be better than somebody else."
What a load of horse shit, save it. It's called progression, and that's how it works!
Don't project just cuz you can't surf as good as whoever you may be jealous of...
8 billion people on the planet and surfing has been promoted by big companies so its starting to lose its enjoyment factor.
Surfing is not a trend and industry instead of a lifestyle😢
Nobody’s quitting you KOOK
I think I understand what you're trying to say, but some of the statements made are nearly devoid of meaning. Examples: "watching someone surf a great wave and sharing the stoke was iconic", "(surfers) always were irrational at times". "our happiness derives in these waves" ?????
1:38 is nuts, move to a new spot😂😂😂😂
What ruined surfing was the power cord. Before the power cord u had to swim after loosing your board , that meant that u had to be a good swimmer. Now any dweeb can paddle out to the line up cause u don’t have to swim anymore.
A good solution is surfer repellent spray or more sharks
Doesn't this apply to everything? People having exclusivity to something and then complaining the crowds or newer generations ruined their "acquired" priviledges.
But yes like you say, setting up rules would be a start and for old timers being more indulgent to newer generations.
You've definitely got a rosie view of the past.
Newbeys need to go surf other spots waves that match Thier performance
You got some things a bit wrong there.🙂 I ride a boogieboard, and I never drop in, but am dropped in on all the time. Otherwise it was a good vid.
There is no respect today, not only in the water, it’s disgraceful.
LOL - great.
Really what ruined surfing was the invention of leashes. No more swimming ability or ocean knowledge needed.
1:57 There are at least fifty people in that lineup. Who the hell goes out then? Do you really want to be number fifty one?
All I see are kooks dropping in on people who are deeper and always have the right of way. Who are you talking about?
Surfers ruin surfing with their localism and unattainable style
Build artificial reefs for erosion control and to ride? The environmental regulation will never allow it. Wave pools will never be worth the money they charge to make a profit. I wouldn’t pay Urban Surf what they want to ride that wave. No real answer except to deal with it. Rincon in the winter is a contact sport. I’ve become very adept at on wave grappling and hand fighting.😂
Make leashes ILLEGAL !
Problem solved !
dude,just start windsurfing😊😊😊
I have no desire to be a kid again. Crowds of kids with cameras dangling from their mouths that are never wrong. No parking and fistfights. Play Ice Hockey. There is more honor.
What selfish spoiled guys, who were raised on selfies, etc. being inconsiderate ? Say it ain't so !!
Foil
You don't know da rulz
You guys still wearing surf brands? lol. They created it and you pay them for the mess.
Geniuses using the stupid.