In any
surf session, respect the pre-existing vibe in the lineup. This
holds true no matter your status, equipment, or ability level.
Hour to hour, on any given day at any given surf
location, the attitude or 'vibe' in the lineup can vary
greatly. Surf conditions can influence the vibe, sure, but the human
element is a much broader influence. Simply speaking, attitude changes
occur with each change in crowd identity. Anyone who's regularly
surfed a break through its daily cycle and felt the change in mood
as the various crews - the dawn patrollers, the mid-morning shift,
the lunchbreakers, the after-work rush hour pack - pass through
will know precisely what we mean.
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Since the lineup's vibe is unpredictable from hour
to hour, it's not always a good idea to make assumptions as to its
nature. For instance, often at uncrowded point or reef breaks with
specific takeoff zones, surfers will develop a natural rotation
of sharing waves. In this situation, there's nothing worse than
one person, all unawares, just crashing through the rotation. Such
actions can turn an ideal session into a hassling, ugly free-for-all.
Therefore, before jumping in, you should always attempt
to gain a feel for the vibe in the lineup. Ways of doing this include:
Asking surfers who've just finished a session. 'Hey,
how's the crowd factor?' 'Get plenty of waves?' 'Much
room out there?' A simple question or two will earn you some
valuable inside information and maybe save you (and others) a lot
of trouble.
Watching and listening. Aggressive crowds are full
of 'yellers' - people who raise their voices to each other
during and after rides. Aggressive crowds also rarely feature just
one paddler for a wave; there are almost always a bunch of people
trying to gain the initiative on any single ride. These are two
quick-and-easy giveaways, observable by any surfer within 10 minutes
of setting eyes on a spot. In mellower lineups, single surfers are
given a clear paddle-in passage, and you're likely to see a number
of waves go unridden.
In any case, once you do paddle out, it's your responsibility
to adjust to the current vibe, not expect it to change to suit you.
If you find it difficult to make this adjustment, it might be a
good idea to find a spot where the vibe matches your attitude, instead
of vice versa.
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