Assuming cross, cross on, cross off.

*Work your way upwind to the point where you can jump on a swell and ride it to the pocket.
*Select a suitable sized swell and claim it by turning on to it. (make sure no one else has already claimed it) Also make sure you can get to the pocket and your not too far down wind.
*Ride the swell till it jacks up and breaks.
*Then surf your aarrrse down the line like a legend.
*Turn off the wave when yourve had enough and tack back up wind outside of the impact zone.
*If someone is ripping on a wave as your going out. Get out of the way so you don't interrupt their run.

Repeat.

If possible select the last or second to last wave on a big set. Its usually the cleanest and you wont go through the washing machine to many times if you stuff up.

PS I'm usually too greedy and take the first wave I see... hehehehe. Makes for some interesting close outs in monster surf.

Main said..


don't mow the lawn on a twin tip through the middle of the guys surfing - rather move down the beach a bit...

But If your on a twin tip and you want to have a go in the line up then claim your wave and go. The style of board you ride doesn't dictate whether you have preference or not.

Hey Lostdog,

Good onya for asking the question rather than blazing out and creating havoc. There is usually a "rotation" going on, join the rotation. Look at the waves and see where the peak is, it will then break along a direction depending upon swell direction and sandbank/reef shape. You want to be just "in the pocket" (right in the steepest section of the wave closest to the foamy breaking bit). As Plummet said, shred to your heart's content. You can also ride upwind if the direction and wave break allows it, although your ability to bottom turn and smack it will be greatly reduced as you drag the kite upwind with you.

General rule is one rider per wave. Exceptions to the rule is if one rider is going right and the other going left of the peak. Other exception is if the downwind rider is far enough away as to not interrupt the upwind rider. Leave plenty of room if trying this on as I'd expect at the very least, 50m free space downwind of me if I was being "dropped in on".

"Dropping in" is taking off on a wave already claimed by another rider and can include upwind but more specifically downwind of the peak. In short, anything which may hinder the original riders course or ride. Don't do this unless you have more than enough room not to be a problem. Remember to expect the upwind rider to start "bombing" down the line at a rate of knots ( a small 50m gap can be closed in seconds).

"Short tacking" refers to people who don't follow the "rotation" or "flow" of the location and cut onto a wave on the inside. This can be fine if there i a couple of waves unridden and you won't interfere with the riders on the way in or out, but doing it all the time will get you a bad reputation.

The "rotation" is like Plummet explained, you kite back out of the wave zone generally downwind of the other riders and continue out until the last rider going out in front of you has turned on to a wave. Once they have turned, you have priority on the next waves. You can wait for a set, or gybe and ride the wave in. If it fats out and gives you nothing, you can turn and go back out, but don't queue jump or short tack other riders who have gone further out and waited longer. Also beware of the riders on the wave behind you. Go downwind and rejoin the rotation.

It's all a matter of courtesy, sharing the waves and making sure both you, and the other riders get your fair share.

Here is a bonus tip: Smile and share the aloha out there, it goes a long way. If you happen to turn onto a wave that another rider also turns onto upwind of you both at the same time, he may "call you off", in which case you should immediately turn off the wave and get out of the way.

If you crash and lose your board, body drag straight to the beach unless out the back, as the waves will most likely have the board at the beach well before you can get there. Don't body drag back and forth through the riding wave zone, it's really bad form. The idea is to keep the wave zone clear for others to enjoy, so if you have issues with equipment or whatever, get out of the way to fix them.

Have fun and don't become a tool, the surf contains enough of them already. It's all about fun and progressing your riding. No one owns the waves, no one has more right to them than anyone else. Just fit in and go with the flow and all will be good. It's a learning curve like anything else in this sport, don't expect to dominate on day one, and allow yourself time to learn by your mistakes.

Hope this helps,

DM

No. The person furtherest out claims the swell. People closer in have to yield to your superior wave selection.

If there is a guy that is already riding the swell back and you tack on to it upwind of him then I guess you a short tacking.

Had a pretty heated exchange at my local a coupe of years back, on a normal day it's pretty average and I'm no wave purist, but we always give way to whoever is on the wave, if you've worked your way onto it we just bear downwind and make our way out the back, nothing gives me the ****s more than some one coming across your path as they carnt be arse making their way upwing to the wave, just spoke with a mate on his return from gnarloo who said it was a **** fight

cauncy said..
Had a pretty heated exchange at my local a coupe of years back, on a normal day it's pretty average and I'm no wave purist, but we always give way to whoever is on the wave, if you've worked your way onto it we just bear downwind and make our way out the back, nothing gives me the ****s more than some one coming across your path as they carnt be arse making their way upwing to the wave, just spoke with a mate on his return from gnarloo who said it was a **** fight

Be aware that windsurfers have different right of way rules they follow in waves... the guy going out has right of way, the sailor on the wave needs to keep clear.

Once out back, normal port and starboard rules apply.

This is down to the fact that windsurfers usually have less speed (marginal planing) and manoeuvrability when going out through the surf.

In the situations where kites and windsurfers are in the waves together it's best if everyone plays nicely together - everyone tries to ensure that the guy on the wave has a clear run at it, but you might need to go around a windsurfer coming out.