There's a sour taste in my mouth, and it's not from the burrito I ate at lunch. No, it's from the yo-ho who dropped in on me this morning. At my home break. On my best wave of the day. The details of the incident are inconsequential - you likely know the scenario well. It was an all-too-standard, premeditated drop-in. What is worth noting is the brief conversation that ensued afterwards:

"Nice wave," I said to the rip-off artist in a cool, even tone.
"Thanks," he replied cheerfully, not realizing it was actually me who he had just burned.
"No really, you were ripping it up," I continued. "Where'd you learn how to surf like that?"
"Um…" he grew quiet, sensing sarcasm.
"What I really want to know is, was it worth it to you?" I had his attention now. "I mean, was that wave truly worth ruining someone else's session?"
Silence.

With that, I paddled away and attempted to shake off the incident, but it wasn't easy. The entire event didn't sit well. I was surfing near my house, where I go several times a week, and know plenty of people in the water. I had been surfing competently, and in fact had caught a solid wave not long before. For his part, he was an experienced surfer as well - I'd even seen him out surfing from time to time. Yet with all this he still blatantly burned me.

The episode begs the question: whatever happened to surfing etiquette in the water? Is it disappearing altogether?

The recent wave of popularity in the sport of surfing has put more pressure on lineups than ever before. But it's also a different kind of pressure than in days past. Many of the new entrants to the lineups are beginning and intermediate surfers. Once more, most have not learned much if anything about surfing etiquette. They may not even know that such a concept exists (or used to exist). They only know what they see and experience, and with the breakdown of the traditional hierarchy that once was so prevalent at surf spots, there's nothing to see but chaos: scramble to get as many waves as you can; be aggressive; paddle for every wave that comes your way.

Steve Barilotti, in his recent piece in Surfer magazine, Localism Works, argues that the breakdown of localism at many spots has had negative side effects, including a loss of pride, pecking order, security, and etiquette. "With no visible hierarchy…what's left is a testy asocial anarchy, where an heirloom break such as Rincon or Kirra becomes simply a common trough to be used - or abused - and forgotten until it's time to log a few more waves," says Barilotti. "Many surfers are becoming increasingly alienated from their ocean culture and environment."

In Santa Cruz, the city is working in response to the issue of growing crowds and increasing altercations in the water by putting together a brochure designed to teach basic surfing rules. Called The Surfing Way, it's enough to make most hardened locals cringe. But gone are the days of self-regulated lineups. Surf spot hierarchies, the same ones that for years served to police - and enforce - rules at surf breaks, have all but broken down. Is a dainty brochure for beginners on the "rules" of surfing the answer? Hardly. But it could educate novices on how to avoid trouble.

Santa Cruz Surf Shop in Capitola has also taken a proactive approach to teaching etiquette in the surf. Beginning in June, the owners will offer wave-riding clinics for beginners, in hopes of easing tensions in lineups, and making the water safer. They're also providing a three page-guide on surfing etiquette with every board rental out of their shop. While these measures might address in small part the issue of newcomers to the sport, they do not deal with the larger concern: increasing anarchy in the water.

The ocean has always been the ultimate Darwinian domain, the Great Equalizer. It doesn't matter who you are, how rich you might be, how accomplished an athlete you are, or what your land status might otherwise be. Once you enter the water, all bets are off. What counts as a surfer is how you conduct yourself, be it through sheer skill, goodwill, respect for others (or lack thereof) or, in certain cases, intimidation. At times the ocean and surf will kick your ass, regardless of your skill level. At others, you'll have to deal with tense crowds and complex sociological dynamics in the lineup.

"The Surfing Way" as it were cannot dictate rules in an endeavor that's inherently non-conforming. Surfing is not pre-packaged and controllable. There're no tee times, referees, or penalty flags. It's savage and wild and chaotic, like the nature of the ocean itself. That is in large part the allure: to tame the wild beast, slay the uncontrollable dragon. But with that wildness comes a social order that's freeform and spontaneous. The only laws that exist are ones that are self-imposed - and self-enforced. The surfing lineup is the ultimate playground environment, and if a bully comes up and steals your ball, you'd better be able to take care of yourself. That doesn’t necessarily mean with violence or aggressive behavior, either. One of the most useful skills on the playground is the ability to avoid trouble before it starts, or to know how to diffuse a situation quickly.

I liken surfing, at least at certain spots, to a tough, inner-city hoops game on the south side of Chicago in the heat of the summertime. You can't expect to just walk up to the court as a stranger, with your shiny new Nikes on and scream, "I got next!" If you do, you better be a pretty damn good player, or be adept at making some fast friends, or both. If you're not, or can't, then hey - maybe you just don't belong there.

Mike Klassen (name changed), a regular at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, says that although there are no longer as many heavies policing the lineup, there are still unspoken rules that exist. Among others, according to Klassen, "If you botch a good wave and you're not a regular, you become invisible for the rest of the day." He also thinks that too often infrequent visitors show up to a spot with a sense of entitlement to the waves. "If you're a rookie and don't know any locals, you are never 'up' (for the next wave)," he says. Unfair rules? Perhaps. But in an age of growing crowds and decreasing respect for hierarchy, these rules maintain a certain order in the water.

That being said, there is some basic protocol that is well-known to experienced surfers: the first surfer on a wave or the one closest to the curl has the right of way; always hang on to your board; help other surfers. All great surfing rules to live by, but subject only to the moral compass of each individual surfer. It's shocking how often those simple customs are blatantly ignored, even mocked. While the first deals with right of way and does not address the issue of equipment and corresponding paddling capability (I'll get to that in a minute), the second two are basic safety principles. Yet how often have you seen an ignorant surfer bail their board directly in front of other surfers? In front of you? When was the last time you witnessed one surfer helping another surfer at your local break?

The basics are important, and need to be respected. But there are other mores that may not be quite so obvious. In fact, you may not think about them at all, but they can greatly improve the overall vibe in a lineup for everyone:

• Give a wave
  That's right, give someone a wave. There may be no single gesture that can stoke the mood in the water more, while simultaneously upping your karma points. And if someone else gives you a wave, turn around and give it back. The process is infectious. Owl Chapman said it best in the landmark film Surfers: The Movie (1988), "Instead of (surfers) always taking, taking, taking - give a wave. Give a wave!"
  
  
• Stay out of people's way
  If you're paddling out and someone else is taking off, do what you have to do to get out of their way. Paddle into the pit if necessary. When waves are in short supply, there's nothing more frustrating than having a "buoy" float right in the pocket of the wave, ruining a ride. Instead of always scratching for the shoulder in order to keep your hair dry, think about doubling back behind a surfer, and taking one on the head. Additionally, don't paddle out in the line of fire. Take a look at where surfers are positioned in the water before you paddle out, and choose a path that's going to keep you out of the way.
  
  
• Spot hostility, and avoid it
  If there's a local heavy in the water, stay out of his way. If you've made a rookie mistake or wronged another surfer, apologize sincerely. If trouble still escalates, leave the water altogether. As the cliché goes, nobody wins in a fight - not you, the other surfer, nor anyone else in the water.
  
  
• Tread lightly
  A surf spot at any given time is a delicate ecosystem, full of complex moods, personalities, and actions. Understand how your presence impacts that environment, both positively and negatively. If you're a visiting surfer, keep a low profile. Don't bring a crowd with you. If you want to surf with others, bring a single friend. Better yet, surf alone. If the spot is already overcrowded, consider surfing elsewhere.
  
  
• Leave the mobile phone at home
  Not to be a technology curmudgeon, but mobile phones have contributed more to modern crowding than perhaps any other factor. However, as with most technology, it's not the advancement itself that is the issue, but the mentality behind it. If you want to go surfing with your friends, then great - make a plan together. But if you simply feel the need to always alert your friends to good conditions that you've stumbled upon, avoid the temptation. Joel Turner (name changed), a San Francisco regular, puts it more succinctly. "If your buddy can't get his lazy ass out of bed, then snooze = lose." Remember, every phone call you make has the ability to exponentially increase the crowd, and that impacts both you and your fellow surfer.
  
  
• Surf locations and conditions that befit your ability
  A heads up to all you beginners and intermediates out there: You don't need to be surfing the premier breaks, nor should you be. Paddling out in the middle of grinding Ocean Beach on a northwest swell or at the Point at Steamer Lane on a solid southwest swell is hardly going to ingratiate you with the local crew. Plus, you'll be putting yourself and others at risk.
  
  
• Don't hoard waves
  Just because you're able to catch every wave that comes through, doesn't mean that you should. If you're at a beachbreak and you've gotten three or four rides in a row, let someone else have one for a change. If there’s a small group in the water, wait your turn. Don’t paddle around chasing every wave - pick one, and let the others go by. By the same token, when you do choose to go on a wave, make a commitment and go. Many novices don’t realize that by paddling for a wave and then pulling back at the last second, they’ve wasted a ride for someone else, which in turn clogs the lineup that much more. And all you "nine footers" out there take note: there is nothing more contemptible than a longboarder who tries to paddle after every wave. Shame on you!

I think the most difficult aspect of increasing crowds and additional novices in the lineup is this: the totally dedicated, passionate, and experienced surfer has sacrificed so much of their life to surfing, that the thought of some beginner who has put in neither the time nor the dedication taking away from their livelihood, their reward if you will, is almost unbearable. This explains why we see such fierce territorialism and so many altercations in the water. Outsiders, even other water sports enthusiasts, can't possibly understand it, for in what other sport are careers, relationships, even families sacrificed solely for the pursuit of waves?

Not that we as a group should condone it, but why do you think a "local" completely blows his cool and verbally or physically assaults another surfer? Could it be that he has given up practically everything just to be at a particular spot, on a particularly good day, and to take off on a particularly good set wave? Only to have someone who is completely inexperienced - or more importantly, ignorant - stumble into the situation, get in the way, and ruin the wave that could have made the dedicated surfer's day, maybe even their year. In no situation should violence be acceptable (except perhaps to protect oneself), but neither then should be intentional forms of disrespect.

The surfing environment acts as a mirror image of our society on land, which is often muddled with intolerance, impiety, and violence. Limited waves only serve to magnify this reflection. Lack of leadership from experienced surfers along with ignorance from neophytes only perpetuates the problem.

It's been asked before, "Can surfing's soul be saved?" I'm not sure about being "saved," but here's a crazy thought: how about starting with a little bit of courtesy in the water?

Give a wave. - DL

(6/2/03)

Send comments and feedback to Dane Larson at Contact SurfPulse.

Read articles by Dane Larson