Learn how to navigate the lineup at your local break by booking a surf lesson in Perth with Go Surf and reading on below.
#1 Basic surf etiquette is important in crowded lineups. Especially at Perth surfing beaches such as Scarborough Beach where we hold our surf lessons
In surfing there exists a set of unspoken rules of the lineup. These rules have been put in place to ensure everyone can enjoy the waves and catch their fair share of epic rides without incident. While they’re not regulated and there’s no official “surfing code of conduct”, we believe these rules are essential for creating harmony between surfers and a sense of order in the lineup.
If you’ve just taken a surf lesson with Go Surf and want to hit the waves by yourself, it’s important you know what these rules are. For this reason, we’ve put together the following guide. Complete with the 5 main do’s and don’ts when it comes to surfing. So sit back, have a read and learn a little bit about surf etiquette in the modern world.
The do’s and don’ts of surfing
Dropping in
Since there’s a limit of one surfer to every wave, the surfer to catch a wave first has right of way. Dropping in occurs when you take off on a wave while another surfer is on it, thereby ruining any chance they have or riding the wave to shore. There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as party waves when you’re taking a surf lesson in Perth and waves with a split peak. However, in any other situation, dropping in is the equivalent of a surfing cardinal sin.
Two surfers splitting a peak. One surfing left and the other surfing right!
Snaking
In an ideal world the lineup should operate like a queue, whereby those who are closet to the peak and have been waiting the longest have the right to take the next wave. In reality though, many surfers ignore this system and instead of waiting their turn, paddle directly out to the peak after a ride and essentially jump the queue. Called snaking, this act can lead to chaos in the lineup and easily cause tension amongst surfers.
Bailing your board
One of the first things we’ll talk to you about during your surf lesson in Perth is how to handle your board so as not to endanger yourself or other people. This invariably leads to the topic of bailing or letting go of your board as a wave approaches. For beginners, this may seem like an effective way to avoid being washed off your board. Word of warning though… bailing a surfboard is actually a surfing no-no, given that it can lead to injury.
Not wearing a legrope
You'll never regret wearing a legrope. You won’t lose your board and have to swim all the way back to the beach to collect. It’s also super safe to have a board close to you because it floats :)
Legropes are an essential safety device for surfers that should be worn at all times. Not only do they ensure your board doesn’t careen into other people after a wipeout, they also save you from having to swim into shore and retrieve your board after every wave. Everyone undertaking one of our surf lessons in Perth will be required to wear a legrope. Even our surf instructors who have years of experience still wear a legrope whenever they surf.
Respecting the lineup
Last but not least, we have respecting the lineup. This is more or less a general rule of surf etiquette that relates to things such as not swearing around other people, saying hello when you paddle out to a small group and apologising if you happen to get in the way of another surfer. By following all of these basic surf etiquette rules, you’ll enjoy our surf lessons in Perth and surfing in general much, much more.
