Been SUP'ing Cronulla beachies reasonably regularly over the last few years, never really had a problem. I'm competent enough to co-exist for the most part, and I make sure that I dont take all the waves so as not to piss people off too much, and do my best to be respectful. I usually sit wide and/or outside of the peak and only go for selected waves. Mostly I'm by myself, sometimes with 1 or two mates, or maybe a couple of the regulars I see, but 90% of the time I'm the only guy on a SUP for the length of the beach, particularly if its over 3-4ft.

There usually seems to be a mild level of annoyance amongst the short boarders towards me but of late I have noticed more often and more prolonged grease -ff's, culminating in a prolonged verbal attack by a group of young guys today. Apparently I "snaked them" because I was sitting on the peak and took of the biggest wave of the set, and they has been waiting for ages. Poor little fella's.

There was also a yelling match on Sunday between a SUPper who I didnt know and a short-boarder.

Doesn't bother me overly, seems a bit silly and I just go about my business. We are all there for the same thing, but it can put a bit of a damper on things. And I can understand it a little too as I used to shortboard and longboarders pissed me off!

Wondering what's causing it of late. Definitely more people in the water, but there has been good waves, good peaks, and I haven't noticed a big increase in SUPpers.

There is not a big increase in SUP, the big increase is in beginner/inexperienced surfers! Thank Conavirus for it. Enforced social distancing leaves surfing as a great option, especially when you get $750 gov handout to buy your new board - away you go - NOT surf fit - NOT knowing where to position yourself - NOT usually on the correct size craft for your ability level!------- A way around it is to seem generous, " Hey mate, not getting many - have this one and I will paddle nearby ok - when they miss it, you are on it and they cannot complain." A lot of these beginners are young adults who did not learn on foamies with coolites when kids - that is where they should be for a week to learn some skills, but a bit daunting surfing with 5 year olds. Hopefully the blowins will not last. Steve

There's a lot of external factors going into the aggro I reckon. People are stressed about jobs, money etc etc thanks to COVID, and it's translating to less tolerance and shorter fuses everywhere. I see it in the water, but also just walking on shared pathways with bikes, in supermarkets and in cars. I guess the uncertainty a lot of folks are facing is an impetus to it. Plus the shortboarders in question might just be p***ks anyway!!!

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jb1979 said..
Been SUP'ing Cronulla beachies reasonably regularly over the last few years, never really had a problem. I'm competent enough to co-exist for the most part, and I make sure that I dont take all the waves so as not to piss people off too much, and do my best to be respectful. I usually sit wide and/or outside of the peak and only go for selected waves. Mostly I'm by myself, sometimes with 1 or two mates, or maybe a couple of the regulars I see, but 90% of the time I'm the only guy on a SUP for the length of the beach, particularly if its over 3-4ft.

There usually seems to be a mild level of annoyance amongst the short boarders towards me but of late I have noticed more often and more prolonged grease -ff's, culminating in a prolonged verbal attack by a group of young guys today. Apparently I "snaked them" because I was sitting on the peak and took of the biggest wave of the set, and they has been waiting for ages. Poor little fella's.

There was also a yelling match on Sunday between a SUPper who I didnt know and a short-boarder.

Doesn't bother me overly, seems a bit silly and I just go about my business. We are all there for the same thing, but it can put a bit of a damper on things. And I can understand it a little too as I used to shortboard and longboarders pissed me off!

Wondering what's causing it of late. Definitely more people in the water, but there has been good waves, good peaks, and I haven't noticed a big increase in SUPpers.

Sounds like a post from 2005

Put it down to COVID, a bit a grumpyness down here too, arguing over 2ft swell and thinking it's Bells Beach. Too many sometimes surfers

Short boarders just have difficulty accepting that they are at the bottom of the food chain now

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jb1979 said..
Been SUP'ing Cronulla beachies reasonably regularly over the last few years, never really had a problem. I'm competent enough to co-exist for the most part, and I make sure that I dont take all the waves so as not to piss people off too much, and do my best to be respectful. I usually sit wide and/or outside of the peak and only go for selected waves. Mostly I'm by myself, sometimes with 1 or two mates, or maybe a couple of the regulars I see, but 90% of the time I'm the only guy on a SUP for the length of the beach, particularly if its over 3-4ft.

There usually seems to be a mild level of annoyance amongst the short boarders towards me but of late I have noticed more often and more prolonged grease -ff's, culminating in a prolonged verbal attack by a group of young guys today. Apparently I "snaked them" because I was sitting on the peak and took of the biggest wave of the set, and they has been waiting for ages. Poor little fella's.

There was also a yelling match on Sunday between a SUPper who I didnt know and a short-boarder.

Doesn't bother me overly, seems a bit silly and I just go about my business. We are all there for the same thing, but it can put a bit of a damper on things. And I can understand it a little too as I used to shortboard and longboarders pissed me off!

Wondering what's causing it of late. Definitely more people in the water, but there has been good waves, good peaks, and I haven't noticed a big increase in SUPpers.

Not surprised . That's also my break but have been very selective lately . The proners have been aggressive to each other and the etiquette is out of control

When aren't shortboarders disgruntled

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Macaha said..

jb1979 said..
Been SUP'ing Cronulla beachies reasonably regularly over the last few years, never really had a problem. I'm competent enough to co-exist for the most part, and I make sure that I dont take all the waves so as not to piss people off too much, and do my best to be respectful. I usually sit wide and/or outside of the peak and only go for selected waves. Mostly I'm by myself, sometimes with 1 or two mates, or maybe a couple of the regulars I see, but 90% of the time I'm the only guy on a SUP for the length of the beach, particularly if its over 3-4ft.

There usually seems to be a mild level of annoyance amongst the short boarders towards me but of late I have noticed more often and more prolonged grease -ff's, culminating in a prolonged verbal attack by a group of young guys today. Apparently I "snaked them" because I was sitting on the peak and took of the biggest wave of the set, and they has been waiting for ages. Poor little fella's.

There was also a yelling match on Sunday between a SUPper who I didnt know and a short-boarder.

Doesn't bother me overly, seems a bit silly and I just go about my business. We are all there for the same thing, but it can put a bit of a damper on things. And I can understand it a little too as I used to shortboard and longboarders pissed me off!

Wondering what's causing it of late. Definitely more people in the water, but there has been good waves, good peaks, and I haven't noticed a big increase in SUPpers.

Sounds like a post from 2005

Re hashed topics on a public forum - outrageous!
Lets hope it doesn't set a precedent.

I'd take some abuse if I was allowed in the water...... Otherwise, I get no abuse from short boarders or mals in lockdown 4!

Comes and goes I reckon, if there has been a good run of swell people chill out a bit more. if there has been a lean patch people get edgy.

Funnily enough the good shortboarders who are able to catch a lot of waves and go well I have had no problem with, the frustrated ones are usually the blokes whose ambition outweighs their ability and they take it out on the crew who can catch waves - Mal's & SUP's are easy targets.

I have had a couple of compliments on how I co-exist from a few shortboarders this Winter, sitting down on my board and having a chat and letting crew have their share seems to lessen the aggro. Letting people know when they have just caught a nice wave is also a good ice breaker, not always but a lot of the time.

I still surf short and longboards so I can understand the feeling and frustration of a prowling SUP going for everything and have seen a few people do that, its a good reminder for how to behave.

Still gives me the S**ts when crew move in your solitude and try and take it over but its my choice in how to deal with that and most times I keep smiling and catching waves.

Yeah my situation is same as souwester describes.
But like you I stay out of the way most times & catch waves away from the pack or try to pick off the waves they miss.
My last surf was at a popular beach. The surf was up but surprisingly the crowd didn't turn up until around the time I was leaving.
Haaa! I started off for the first time in 6 months on my short board & gave up after half hour of trying to pop up like I just came out of aged care. Haa!
Got on my SUP & caught a few at a reasonable distance away from shortboarders to keep them happy. But on my paddle back at the end of my session I got a monster peaky wave that popped up with my name on it because I was out the back paddling behind all the shortboarders to ensure I was out of their way. Stuff it. I'm going for it! And got it! And missed all the complaints as it was my last wave & got out. Haa! But anyway. Most if them would gave copped on their scones anyway.

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Ashmullet said..
When aren't shortboarders disgruntled

When they are gruntled. Obviously.

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Seajuice said..
Yeah my situation is same as souwester describes.
But like you I stay out of the way most times & catch waves away from the pack or try to pick off the waves they miss.
My last surf was at a popular beach. The surf was up but surprisingly the crowd didn't turn up until around the time I was leaving.
Haaa! I started off for the first time in 6 months on my short board & gave up after half hour of trying to pop up like I just came out of aged care. Haa!
Got on my SUP & caught a few at a reasonable distance away from shortboarders to keep them happy. But on my paddle back at the end of my session I got a monster peaky wave that popped up with my name on it because I was out the back paddling behind all the shortboarders to ensure I was out of their way. Stuff it. I'm going for it! And got it! And missed all the complaints as it was my last wave & got out. Haa! But anyway. Most if them would gave copped on their scones anyway.

Nice, save the best til last!

I had my best wave last year like that, was staying out of everyone's way and was paddling down the beach well behind everyone and well away from the peak when a random bomb popped up with no one near by.

Got called into it, to this day it was one of the biggest, fastest and longest SUP waves I have had, when I pulled out on the beach I got annihilated, upon surfacing heard some hoots and whistles with shakas in the air - walked a little taller that day

I've been spending a lot of time on my shortboards for the last year or so - so much so that when I did recently get my sup out for a surf, I really noticed how out of touch I was with my sup surfing skills. Going back to a short board, you do really notice how annoying it can be when a sup (or a longboard - equally as bad / if not worse) is also at the break. I think that the main thing is to be mindful of the conditions, and what people can and can't catch on their respective craft. A sup can have fun on waves that a shortboard can't - not saying you should always deny yourself of a good wave for giving it to shortboarders, but if you start to take all the good waves and only leave the crap ones for them, you're not going to be popular (which would be the same regardless if you were all on the same craft).

I haven't spent much time at Cronulla but it's a pretty big beach. In the last couple of times I've been out on my sup, I've tended to paddle the beach, catching a wave at one break and then paddling up to the next one, catch a wave, move along. I've been doing this mainly because I want to get my paddling endurance back up a bit, but I think it has the added benefit that you don't end up dominating a break. I'm up at Dee Why which is a shorter beach than Cronulla, but imagine that you could be spoilt for choice of waves down there if you paddle around a bit.

I know that it may not be fair to have to curtail your selection of waves, but if the aggression is grinding you I think it's generally worth it to act in a manner that minimises the chances of that happening. As someone who spends their working life arguing, it's not worth bring that in to your play time.

Had an interesting unusual surf today where the break was controlled by 7-8 clubbies on surf craft boards. Was not able to get anywhere near the peak. Never had that before. They were all chatting etc I suppose getting ready for the summer rescues but boy did they protect the peak....

Yeah I've been supping in Cronulla 5 years and have only had a handful of comments against me . I'm very similar to you guys sit wide don't interfere with short boarders and the games they play ? But that was me the other day having a go at one guy who was trying to stir up
trouble , as I was riding my wave he paddle in front of me to blow my wave , when I Surfed for him closely to let him know I'm not intimidated by him he didn't like it and he thought if he yelled the usual crap I'd paddle off with my tail between my legs . Well he got a shock that day and backed off . Let's just say if we've been told to respect shortboarders since the day I started
I do think they need to just pull there heads in and respect all out there in the happy place we all enjoy .

Have to laugh at this topic!!

i can't recall the last time a short board, mal or sup sat wide and gave me a wave no matter what I was riding! Maybe I should move to your break and get some free waves?Funny how everyone seems to hate everyone different - windsurf- kite-sup-foil- shortboard-longboard!!! human nature?
It's pretty much dog eat dog around here no matter what you are surfing
It seems to me the great thing about sup and foil is access to waves no one else wants or can successfully ride therefore you don't need to hassle. I also note less agro between sup -sup for some reason.?. Maturity maybe?

i do know however that I love learning new skills/methods to get power from a wave. No one can take my stoke away with words!

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Happyhaydo said..
Yeah I've been supping in Cronulla 5 years and have only had a handful of comments against me . I'm very similar to you guys sit wide don't interfere with short boarders and the games they play ? But that was me the other day having a go at one guy who was trying to stir up
trouble , as I was riding my wave he paddle in front of me to blow my wave , when I Surfed for him closely to let him know I'm not intimidated by him he didn't like it and he thought if he yelled the usual crap I'd paddle off with my tail between my legs . Well he got a shock that day and backed off . Let's just say if we've been told to respect shortboarders since the day I started
I do think they need to just pull there heads in and respect all out there in the happy place we all enjoy .

Exactly Haydo. Well said . Sometimes you just have to surf close to them just to let them know that etiquette applies to all

To be honest most of the aggression I see is between proners . They are really out of control amongst themselves at Cronulla. I wonder how many head injuries there have been the last 6 months with the multitude of proners jumping on each other's waves .

Its crazy that people would deliberately put themselves in harms way or harm someone over a wave.

Cant see that anyone would feel good about deliberately getting hurt or hurting someone else over a wave, in saying that there is a percentage of the population that are that way inclined so I am most probably wrong.

Reading the line up generally sees me avoiding that no matter what board I am on, if I see flogs on a peak doing that I will gladly find somewhere else.

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jb1979 said..
Been SUP'ing Cronulla beachies reasonably regularly over the last few years, never really had a problem. I'm competent enough to co-exist for the most part, and I make sure that I dont take all the waves so as not to piss people off too much, and do my best to be respectful. I usually sit wide and/or outside of the peak and only go for selected waves. Mostly I'm by myself, sometimes with 1 or two mates, or maybe a couple of the regulars I see, but 90% of the time I'm the only guy on a SUP for the length of the beach, particularly if its over 3-4ft.

There usually seems to be a mild level of annoyance amongst the short boarders towards me but of late I have noticed more often and more prolonged grease -ff's, culminating in a prolonged verbal attack by a group of young guys today. Apparently I "snaked them" because I was sitting on the peak and took of the biggest wave of the set, and they has been waiting for ages. Poor little fella's.

There was also a yelling match on Sunday between a SUPper who I didnt know and a short-boarder.

Doesn't bother me overly, seems a bit silly and I just go about my business. We are all there for the same thing, but it can put a bit of a damper on things. And I can understand it a little too as I used to shortboard and longboarders pissed me off!

Wondering what's causing it of late. Definitely more people in the water, but there has been good waves, good peaks, and I haven't noticed a big increase in SUPpers.

Theres no banks at Maroubra so a lot of eastern beaches guys are coming to cronulla at the moment.

Plus, while the banks are ok now, they have fairly sucked the last couple of months- leading to overcrowding and multiple drop ins on tiny waves, culminating in people being angrier before they even hit the water i guess...

Some days down there i don't even bother... if there are too many people i just go home or - very rarely - head down the coast.

The amount of times this year that I have rocked up to the local and scanned the banks and watched the mayhem and said screw this ......numerous .
Its true that although the swell has been great this winter , the banks available have not been as numerous

Lived at Scott's Head/ Grassy Head for 20 years and left 12 years ago. Go back a couple of times a year to catch up and have a surf! None of the local mates have surfed Scott's point for months and the sand is back - nice waves about knee to waist high! Fu""ing bedlam! 40 to 60 people out with a high percentage having NO IDEA. Just arrived home this arvo - 3 days in the park was good socially, great in fact, but I loved this break and could get waves to myself pretty easily. Socially will still go to Scott's but probably surf the surrounding breaks which on their day are pretty good. New era I suppose - suck it up and do not whinge OR do something else. Steve ps there was no aggro anywhere tho!

I find the etiquette of 'giving' waves difficult. I don't surf SUPs (technically), but paddle them on the flats with the wife-boss.
'Bout 18 months ago, I managed to score a 12' Mickey Munoz longboard in the old surftech. That thing catches fart bubbles, and I can be on my feet before a SUPer has even started paddling. I can tell you now, that pisses of the SUP surfers.

Thing is, I know on that board I can catch anything and everything, and really try to be patient and wait my turn, but how many waves do you 'give' away before saying 'screw it'?
I'm kinda shy, so don't call out asking if they want it, but I tend to make eye contact and give that ol' fashioned head nod that would otherwise be clear that I'm leaving it for them. Doesn't take long with them not taking said waves before I do. Then they get annoyed. Shortboarders (if they're even in sight), longboarders and SUPers alike.
I end up sitting and waiting, trying to let others get waves, but still take what I want when I want. That sounds harsher than it is, but if I leave 5-10 min between waves, and something comes through that I want, and they haven't 'taken' any of the waves that I've 'given' (I sounds like a wanker now), I'm going.

I don't surf the 12' too often. It's too much fun, and then I kinda struggle to ride even my 10' longboards if I've had even a few surfs on the Munoz. But when I do take it out, it's a wave fiesta!

Dunno what I'm trying to say here. 'Giving' waves is an etiquette I haven't yet figured out, and SUPers get more annoyed than longboarders when I'm taking waves on my 12 foot longboard.

Too many times say, 3 waves in a set and the guy with the inside goes and then pulls out because he's not sure he'll make the section or doesn't like the look of it or perhaps it might mess his hair up. Then turns around and goes for the next wave with the same result. I don't care if he thinks the 3rd one is his cause I'm going regardless. And quite often I'm there to take that second one.

I was divided on the whole "give waves to surfers" thing...

On one hand, as a former short boarder... I know a guy who's been on a SUP for three years, and is now pretty decent at it, sits outside the peak, claiming he's being cool because he's "sharing." "Giving waves" and "sharing," when if he were on any prone board, especially a short board, his skill level would relegate him to the shoulder, fighting for scraps with all the other beginners. How magnanimous he must be to "give waves" to the short boarders who've been surfing that peak for 15+ years... Basically, he's outside the peak and able to take waves there because of his equipment, and by all rights concerning surfing etiquette, hasn't earned his place there.

On the other hand... Surf etiquette is dead, and I hate most prone surfers. After about 20 years in the lineup, I stopped surfing with them, and surfed the next 20 years solo because I despise the surf lineup and all the bickering, back-paddling, burning, snaking, put-your-war-face-on to hassle for every single wave...every time you paddle out...BS that's wrapped up in it. I can hassle with the best of them, but I'm also a nice guy. I don't like the animosity, and the vibe these days is worse than ever. I like giving waves away to people on the shoulder who aren't getting theirs. I like giving pointers to beginners. I like seeing groms get their first waves, even the adult ones. The "old guard" pronies, pretty much exclusively short boarders, made surfing miserable for me, and drove me into a life of surfing seclusion. So on that hand, I think longboards and SUP's sitting outside the peak is funny as hell.

They don't give waves to each other. A head-high peak here with 30 people scrapping for it, and the same five guys are getting the waves, while everyone else picks off scraps when someone doesn't make it, or the idiots hassle each other so deep, they can't make it around the section... They don't share. If you were on a shortboard, would they be sharing with you? Not likely, so why should the person on a SUP be held to a different standard? Unfair equipment advantage? LOL. Don't bring a knife to a gun fight. They hate you anyway, and if you're not there, they hate each other. So if you have to surf the busy lineup... on the advice of Captain Jack Sparrow and his First Mate Joshamee Gibbs, "Take what you can. Give nothing back."

Me? I don't surf named, regular pronie spots. If a couple show in a boat, kayak, or whatever, to where I surf, then that's OK. It's not crowded, and they're always friendly, as they're just trying to escape the madness, too. SUP spots? Totally different vibe going on here. You share because everyone shares. It's how surfing should be, and I'm glad to be a part of that. If you can't get away from it, then that's one thing. But if you can, I can't imagine why anyone would want to surf them, anyway.

Yea, I'm still mad about it... /rant

Add a lot of shortboarders are on under volumed equipment which adds to their frustration in the first place.

I think we should change this to aggro bastardos in the line up in general ha ha

A general call out to a-holes who just don't get it.

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stehar said..
There is not a big increase in SUP, the big increase is in beginner/inexperienced surfers! Thank Conavirus for it. Enforced social distancing leaves surfing as a great option, especially when you get $750 gov handout to buy your new board - away you go - NOT surf fit - NOT knowing where to position yourself - NOT usually on the correct size craft for your ability level!------- A way around it is to seem generous, " Hey mate, not getting many - have this one and I will paddle nearby ok - when they miss it, you are on it and they cannot complain." A lot of these beginners are young adults who did not learn on foamies with coolites when kids - that is where they should be for a week to learn some skills, but a bit daunting surfing with 5 year olds. Hopefully the blowins will not last. Steve

There are a lot of new sup riders as well. They may have stood up on a board a long time ago and have now bought a sup. Don't even know what a drop in is. A few breaks are outright dangerous with beginner sups.