Often you see people paddling out and head straight to the open face ruining the ride of a surfer smashing it up on the way in. "Not Cool"
I smiled when I saw Kristi posting these images.
Phill
That's some nice shots showing how it should be done. It's a cultural thing it's seems. In
Australia where there are generations of surf elders to pass on the behavior norms, I imagine
it's rare to see bad behavior in the lineup. Here in Europe many surfers are not connected to
the past for upbringing and norms, many first generation surfers. The right of way here is usually
taken by the surfer paddling out and I regularly get yelled at as I don't straighten out but surf around them.
great stuff , its not just suppers , you see almost every one going hard for the shoulder.
Inspiring Phil
The girl is a rockstar leading from the front.
Great lesson for all
I have surfed Longboards for 24 years. I have never paddled out throught the whitewater, and I dont do it on my SUP. Why paddle out through whitewater, and get smashed, when you can stick to the out side of the break and paddle AROUND the break, over the soft shoulder through clearwater? Leaving the surfers to have an obstacle free ride, without having folk drop-in, shoulder-hop, or paddle in front of the rider. Seriously,do you drive down a one way street the opposite direction , then expect the cars doing the right thing to get out of your way? No. Same with surfing and supping. YOU are responsible for YOUR OWN safty, not anyone else.!!!
I would say great if you are as competent as Kristi but dont try it if you are not as you will cause carnage for whoever else is behind you paddling out(and prob cop the next 3 waves on the head).
Dear Purplebeanie and Zuessman. I am in full agreement with you that a paddle out around the break is a lot easier. In fact in my opinion it is the only way to go. However, this is not always possible. It can be safer, but it can also be frustrating for the surfer riding the waves if you are paddling too close to the breaking part of the wave. Unfortunately with the ability for Novices to Surf a SUP they are doing so with little or no knowledge of surf skills or etiquette. The same applied to the Longboard resurgence in the 80's. You had people who had not surfed for years or never surfed having a go because it was easier than surfing a shortboard.
The problem lies in the fact that novices get frightened of white water and take the easy option to padddle to the shoulder. This is fine but too often they impede the surfer on the wave. We all need to be a bit tolerant or try and find less crowded options.
Purplebeanie, I do have issue with your statement that"you are not responsible for other peoples safety". This is not so in my opinion. Safety of all water users is a shared responsibility. This is why these forums stress that SUPpers wear a legrope, learn to surf away from others etc etc.
Watch out for yourself but also watch out for others.
ET.
At risk of adding fuel to the fire...
I am going to assume that the pic was taken at onshore O'Grove? No deep channel and easy paddle out there. Its a close out that reforms and then closes out and then reforms and then closes out, and that's only at high tide. At low tide it just closes out!! So what do you do when there is no clearly defined channel and you are chasing peaky close outs over two or three hundred meters of beach? Exactly what Kristi has done! You stay out of the way of the bloke who has arsed the one peeler to come through in the last half hour and you take it on. As for the proximity of the bloke on the inside... My guess is that Phil is shooting from on top of the embankment up near the car park. Chrome dome is probably a good twenty to thirty meters closer to Phil than Kristi...seriously, check the size of his melon! Like I said, if that's Grove the lucky bloke on the mal has just scored a shoulder off the end of a two hundred meter closeout, every body is duck diving. Also going to guess that Kristi didn't make the foam climb, probably kicked her board over the back and if so, well done, don't think anyone with half a clue would have done it different.
Cheers
Sparx
I was over in the Kitesurf forum and thought I'd have a quick look here.
This subject is one of my pet rants.
It happens at my spot all the time.
Not having a go at Kristi.
Just about everyone in Aus paddles up through the centre of the peak/break. The shorties do it cause they can duck dive thru the wave. They still get in the way of sets.
The LB do it cause they think they can paddle fast enough to get out the back before a set.
The reason is because it is a shorter paddle and I might snake a wave on the way out.
NO RESPECT
Everyone just paddle wide around the peak/break, take the long scenic route.
Imagine what would happen if you paddled out thru the centre of the peak at Pipeline.
If the wave didn't smash you the Black Shorts would.
The first rule you learn when riding a SUP is that whitewater is your enemy.
I don't know how many times I have been caught cutting the corner at my spot. The corner is a finger of reef out the back and wide of the main peak.
I now just paddle around it and still get plenty of waves.
Off to work
I think the point is Kristi didnt go for the shoulder to get out, which she probably could have and spoilt the wave but she went inside through the whitewater and let him go without trying to avoid another surfer and ruining his ride.
Lets get fair dinkum!!! The guy on the longboard should have been where Kristi is, setting up for a bottom turn, therefore allowing her an easy paddle over an extremely flat shoulder section of wave. Kristi did the right thing after the kook on the longboard did what most people do at Torquay point do after smoking Bells Beach sand. There's a difference between going for it down the line at Winki and staying in the rolling froth ball known as Torquay point. Have I missed the point?
Kristi is an all round water woman, unfortunately most people out in the surf now (especially during summer) think that surf ettiquette can be purchased at Ripcurl Surf supermarket
. It could be worse though, we could live on the Gold Coast. If you want a good laugh, watch the Snapper Rocks surf Cam someday, its funnier than Blackadder and then thank your lucky stars.
Kristi is doing the right thing, thought it was more common down under.
Guess I was wrong to think that in a country with a more established
surf culture the lineup would be more organized. It's the same all over to some degree,
f#!k the other guy, I'm first.
