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About Surfing Etiquete (from surfing handbook website)

Surfing Etiquette is the most important thing to learn before you set foot in the surf. These rules are not so much "rules" as they are a proper code of conduct designed to keep everyone in the water safe and happy.

People who repeatedly break these rules are often given the stink-eye, a stern talking to, yelled at with obscenities, or just flat out beat up. Do not worry, if you accidentally drop in on someone they are not going to beat you up. However, there are rules of the road out there and this is the real world. If you are constantly stealing waves or not being respectful, you are going to have a run in.

With the growing popularity of surfing, the number of people in the water is on the rise and unfortunately surfing etiquette is gradually eroding away. The ocean is a dangerous place, and without proper thought to safety it can become deadly. New surfers should memorize these rules, and even veterans should take a refresher course now and then.

Rule #1: Right of Way

The surfer closest to the peak of the wave has the right of way. This means if you are paddling for a right, and a surfer on your left is also paddling for it, you must yield to him or her. There are a couple variations to this rule: If someone is up riding a wave, do not attempt a late takeoff between the curl/whitewater and the surfer.

If the surfer who is riding the wave wants to make a cutback he or she will run right into you.

A-Frames or Split Peaks: If two surfers are on either side of the peak, they each have the right of way to take off on their respective sides. It is not generally accepted to take off behind the peak unless there is nobody on the other side. These surfers should split the peak and go opposite ways. If a surfer riding a wave gets closed out with an impossible section or wipes out, the next surfer down the line can take off. If you are a very new beginner I would hold off on doing this anyway until you have a bit more experience.

If a wave is breaking towards itself (a closeout) and two surfers are taking off at each other, yes both have the right of way but this is a perilous situation and it is advisable to kick out early to avoid a collision.

Rule #2: Do not Drop In

This rule is related to Rule #1.

This is probably the most important part of surfing etiquette. Dropping in means that someone with the right of way is either about to take off on a wave or is already riding a wave, and you also take off on the same wave in front of him or her. This blocks his ride down the line, and is extremely annoying, not to mention dangerous. If you are tempted to drop in remember this: no matter how good the wave is, if you drop in on someone you will feel like crap, the other surfer will be pissed, and the wave will be ruined for everyone.

Rule #3: Paddling Rules:

Some common sense surfing etiquette rules that people do not seem to realize are important. Do not paddle straight through the heart of the lineup where people are surfing. Paddle out through the channel where the waves are not breaking and people are not surfing. Sometimes at spread out beach breaks this is hard, but usually there is a less crowded area to paddle through.

When paddling back out, DO NOT paddle in front of someone riding a wave unless you are well, well in front of him. You must paddle behind those who are up and riding and take the whitewater hit or duckdive. You will appreciate this the next time you are up on a wave. Sometimes you will just end up in a bad spot and will not be able to paddle behind a surfer. It is your responsibility to speed paddle to get over the wave and out of his or her way. If you do not do this, he or she might just run you over!

Rule #4: Do not Ditch Your Board:

This is important, especially when it gets crowded. Always try to maintain control and contact with your board. Surfboards are large, heavy, and hard. If you let your board go flying around, it is going to eventually clock someone in the head. This means if you are paddling out and a wall of whitewater is coming, you do not have permission to just throw your board away and dive under. If you throw your board and there is someone paddling out behind you, there is going to be carnage. This is a hard rule for beginners, but if you manage to avoid picking up the habit of throwing your board you will be a MUCH better surfer.

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Please click here to read the 6 remaining rules and to see images of the explanations from The surfing handbook. Thank you