Which one are you?

Do you put up with the crowd cos the waves are better and if you stick it out you can get a really good wave or two...or do you see a crowd and automatically start looking elsewhere down the beach or stretch of coast possibly surfing a more average wave but without the crowd?

I have regretted both options at different times but have to admit moving to a break further down or up the beach and getting good waves while the crowd looks on from a distance not too far away is pretty satisfying!

Gotta admit I hate surfing in crowds if there are no rules but in a good crowd its really fun chatting away and calling each other in, seems to be happening less and less these days, the friendly hello draws a blank half the time no matter what you ride and where the spot is, shame really..

saw eight or nine out at a nice point break on way home today, worth a paddle but decided to head to another spot with three out, caught seven waves in two hours but felt I made the right choice, still, the best surf I've had for the last three months was with twenty others when spot X had only five on it!!

Look for a spot away from the f*&kwits....we seem to be infested at the moment

at the moment?... Have you been under a rock?


Only Zuke has been able to retain any semblance of my sanity, and that is starting to fray around the edges.

I surf the dirtiest, rockiest, smallest onshore ** just to get away. People rattle me. Surf by yourself. Surf a filthy onshore. Surf a close-out.

I love (sarcasm) when it is not good and you and a mate go out. Only barely enough waves for two. Then two more people see tow and think 'gee there's two, must be okay' and they go out. Then other people see four or six and say 'gee it must be alright if six are out, let's make six seven!'. Then fifteen are out on a ** wave. I always try to weigh up if fifteen sheep have followed each other out to a ** wave

Select to expand quote

PaddlePig said...
I surf the dirtiest, rockiest, smallest onshore ** just to get away. People rattle me. Surf by yourself. Surf a filthy onshore. Surf a close-out.

PP is spot on here. Surfing to me is just about getting out there to relax from your busy life back on shore. Can't do that if you're packed in a line up and beginners on the shoreline you're trying to dodge.

Funnily enough if I'm surfing somewhere foreign or downsouth, I'll make the effort to be friendly and chat with the locals etc calling people in. There's something about Perth surf that seems to suck all the friendliness out of you.

Select to expand quote

newguy said...

PaddlePig said...
I surf the dirtiest, rockiest, smallest onshore ** just to get away. People rattle me. Surf by yourself. Surf a filthy onshore. Surf a close-out.

PP is spot on here. Surfing to me is just about getting out there to relax from your busy life back on shore. Can't do that if you're packed in a line up and beginners on the shoreline you're trying to dodge.

Funnily enough if I'm surfing somewhere foreign or downsouth, I'll make the effort to be friendly and chat with the locals etc calling people in. There's something about Perth surf that seems to suck all the friendliness out of you.

Do you, by any chance, drive a 4runner/surf?

Select to expand quote

Buster fin said...
at the moment?... Have you been under a rock?


Only Zuke has been able to retain any semblance of my sanity, and that is starting to fray around the edges.

No but I did move away from Perth which instantly cut the percentage of f&*kwits I had to surf with by about 75%....dunno what it is about living in a place with such **** surf but the amount of aggro over there is off the richter.....

I only get the weekends to surf so I just surf what ever is available.

In fact yesterday I had a great onshore session and it was great fun, a few people out but not heaps and a bit of swell.

I'm completely over it...once and for all. Selling my boards etc. I cannot handle the surfing 'culture' anymore. It has become a parody of itself. Peace.

That's one less in the water.

What now Hamsta? Lawn bowls?

Generally look to avoid the crowds cause I don't like the stress. I am competent enough to get waves in most crowds at most locations, but I just don't like turning my comp head on.

Having said that, on the long weekend a mate and I paddled out at a local spot and there were no locals so we just proceeded to make pigs of ourselves with all the Perth idiots. They have no respect so got none in return. Line up? What line up?

It was pretty funny.

Well , my local is one of the most popular breaks north of town ,, I never even surf the main break(s) , but I can be found in the distance , by myself catching 5 times more waves than all of you :)

As Rob Machado said in the original Billabong Challenge - "Who cares , its all surfing , its all good surfing" !

Its nice just to be in the water , I dont see why people get so angry

Select to expand quote

Hamsta said...
I'm completely over it...once and for all. Selling my boards etc. I cannot handle the surfing 'culture' anymore. It has become a parody of itself. Peace.

maybe a little relevant !

http://www.thefreeridevoice.com/2013/03/21/past-present-and-future-with-bugs-and-bob-mctavish/

there is also the option of kitesurfing with a board ,hasn't really caught on in my area and while i am happy to offer my advice, i certainly don't encourage any other f-ker to take it up , so i quite often find myself riding solo in the 2 foot mush bergers and having a whale of a time. waves i would never consider riding normally.

I reckon as soon as you paddle out call somebody into a wave. That often gets the ball rolling. Best time ever was when I was at Bells and Jordy Smith paddles out to the little take-off spot I had dialled (and to myself), I thought "S h i t".

Called him into one, then he paddles back calls me into the next one, and it went on. Pretty cool, and lifted my game a little being called in by that dude!

Select to expand quote

Hamsta said...
I'm completely over it...once and for all. Selling my boards etc. I cannot handle the surfing 'culture' anymore. It has become a parody of itself. Peace.

You're not alone.
I'm sick and tired of the greed.
But my crowd strategy (especially a line up clogged with long boarders running rotation) is to take out a Bic longboard.
Don't have to worry about drop ins, snakes and what not.
Great to have a board that can bang rails and be run into, over and abused with virtually no concerns.
Takes so much stress out of surfing in a crowded line up full of wave hungry desperadoes.
I even call others onto my waves when surfing the Bic as I'm not worried if we should bump rails with a mis calculation.

Select to expand quote

KEARNSY said...
Well , my local is one of the most popular breaks north of town ,, I never even surf the main break(s) , but I can be found in the distance , by myself catching 5 times more waves than all of you :)

As Rob Machado said in the original Billabong Challenge - "Who cares , its all surfing , its all good surfing" !

Its nice just to be in the water , I dont see why people get so angry

Because you drop in and snake everyone

I was surfing a novilty spot today with the kids. When we showed up a real beginner who was out on his own got out. So after my first wave as I ran past I called him back out. He stayed untill three other guys dropped in and we all had a great laugh, sharing waves and a few laughs. These three reacon this spot was better than the popular spot they has just surfed with 30 other guys.

I would have loved someone to join me this morning. I felt very vulnerable and the surf was pumping, water so murky i couldn't see my feet, overcast and i'm assuming a bit of sea weed every know and then would brush past my leg