Fear and Loathing in the Lineup

Fear and Loathing in the Lineup


old Hawaii waves were ridden en-masse as a form of community celebration, both men and women together, nude as jaybirds. How beautiful was that? It evolved that way partly because of the equipment they rode, primarily straight ahead planks of heavy wood, ridden straight to the beach allowing multiples to share the wave, length of ride being a factor of how far out you caught the transporting force rather than back and forth moves. Epic rides such as Duke's traverse from Outside publics, a half-mile to Queens, from there to the far side of Canoes, another good long distance in itself, to finally step off in front of the Moana Surfrider. Then there was Princess Liliokalani's legendary feat in the Marqueses, pre-Hawaii, starting on a big outside comber, riding all the way to shore which was comprised of a low lava shelf, then she washed with the wave surge sweeping up over that obstacle and on into the lagoon behind it, where she coasted gradually, to finally, gracefully, scud to a stop upon the far mud flat (notably, she had left her prince on his own board behind when she crossed the barrier.)

All that changed when surfers learned to angle across the face. Rather than holding multiple riders, each wave became ideally one rider's possession, as the one rider's angle used the entire face. This new development in surfing caused the gradual erosion of aloha that had previously marked the Sport of Kings. Even then, competition for waves was rarely much of an issue as there were relatively few surfers and far more waves. Plus, amongst the most skilled there came a point where gifting waves rather than taking them reflected well on the giver as being one who was at peace with his skills with nothing to prove. Further, the act of giving waves reflected a certain grace; the absence of acute wave hunger which is usually the result of starvation and becomes a form of desperation-the sure sign of a less skilled hunter. The act of giving became a regal gesture and sign of stature, to urge someone less skilled to "Go ahead and you take this one."

The change continued gradually, until sometime in the 1950s, probably at Malibu, (that indicator wave for the surf species-not unlike a canary in a coal mine), it became consistently savage. That Los Angeles point break is as good a place as any to lay the blame for being the likely birthplace of overcrowded, aggression riddled waves, though it very well might have been Queens Surf in Waikiki, located front and center and just a few strokes out.

Before that, when respect was still in force, priority went to the surfer with the most sonority, the result of a voluntary act of deference by those in the water. That was followed by the most skilled taking what they wanted, leaving the leftovers to the scroungers-the hyenas. As skill levels rose across the board (pardon), the hairs were split even finer. The biggest, baddest, fastest, loudest, got more than most, mostly all gained by unattractive traits that reduced the pleasure of the experience for all, including the combatants.

Waves then became territorial. As the crowd pressure grew, "locals" meaning those who earned that label by frequenting a break so regularly as to feel ownership, no matter how far they drove, became disdainful and aggressive towards any visiting surfer. That didn't mean that peace existed between the locals. Even they had their pecking order, depending on who was out, with conflict frequent between bull male "regulars", especially at breaks with condensed take-off zones.

Then came class warfare, a new manifestation of human territorial behavior upon the lineup, including such unique homo-sapien traits as jealousy, greed and mean-spiritedness. The crowd factor became severe enough that different forms of wave riding sharing those same waves was an issue, particularly if one had an advantage over the others Lowest on the ladder were body surfers. Lesser in number and presence than other forms, they are also less mobile than those paddling some sort of planning vehicle. And then, soft bodies don't coexist well with hard objects in a dynamic wave zone. The body surfers were at a distinct disadvantage and just plain give in, thus frequenting waves where, for various reasons ranging from lack of shape, or being super powerful and too round to board surf, are relegated to them. The next higher class involves the use of small format planning surfaces to reduce body drag thus increase speed across the face. Various hand planes and small body boards and paipos power this group of enthusiasts. Like body surfers, they are regarded more as purists who embrace the disadvantage of being mostly submerged and less mobile to maintain the sensations of reduced medium and unencumbered flight. This renders them nolo contendere in the mix.

The next rung on the board size ladder have little sympathy for those below them. The lower (smaller) life forms tend to get in their way when both are out together, and the surfboard riders are so advantaged over the lesser mediums that they rule the lineup. There is often bitterness on the part of the lesser mediums but it is usually choked down and they too generally frequent spots not so popular with larger board surfers, to just avoid the hassle. It's not that they don't crave perfect point waves, believe me!

Now came the main battle forces sporting the full gamut of emotions ranging from passive resistance to physical confrontation. It kicked off with the short board revolution. Younger more fit surfers began riding less volume and therefore could be dominated by the remaining stodgy old-school riders on long board floaters. It took hoards of short boarders to intimidate a few longboarders, like a wolf pack houndiing a bull moose, even discouraging them from being in the water at their break. The bad juju between the two schools was evidenced all too well by a sign taped over the **** hole inside a porta-potty at Trestles that showed a hand drawn arrow pointing into the abyss along with the scrawled words "short board hatchery". Typically when the two types of boards are out together, they are segregated to outside and inside take-off zones, the long glide-ins outside, the short late-takeoffs inside. On sets, the short boarders wait to see what is coming at them from outside, then turn and go if no one got it outside, or if the incoming rider falters ever so slightly or leaves an inch of room. You can imagine the injuries and brawls that result, in the water and on the beach. The lifeguards at Trestle were forced to carry side arms during one period where a small crew of tough surfer-guys from Wilmington/Banning felt they had been dissed-by the "locals" and came back the next day packin'. Ah, the joy of lifesaving in these modern times.

The surf culture that followed more or less drifted sideways in the current, into a condition of stasis for a couple of decades between the short board revolution of the late 1960s and the long board revival of the early 1980s and then beyond through the 1990s. This was a period where the different disciplines of wave riding continued to harbor disdainful ill will against each other, occasionally erupting into class warfare, but over time, they became a bit complacent, relaxing into a more accepting state of being, where the other guys are not liked, but tolerated.

Through recent decades there have been certain classes of surf gear than have been shunned and outright relegated to be unseen, uncounted, and completely disregarded. Wave skies have suffered that treatment. More accepted in Australia than in the U.S., "sit-on-its" are in reality a rather effective mode for wave riding in that you use a paddle so you can really move across the water and quickly position yourself to maximum advantage. Also, you are waist-strapped onto the board with foot loops, which allows all kinds of power and maneuver potential, and you can crash through whitewater with assuredness. The problem is that they are so dominate in catching waves and using up the entire wave once they do, there is just no way to coexist with surfboarding, thus the majority rules.

Then came Laird. Who could know while watching him at Malibu, being gawked at by the wet-suited shapes sitting around him, while he mimicked LeRoy Achoy photographing Waikiki tourists, balancing with a paddle, a camera on a leash around his neck, standing upright and paddling about on a large surfboard plying his trade, what he would unleash. That 36-months later, he would have inspired a movement larger and broader than anything since Tom Morey invented the body board. SUP-stand up paddling, has hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts around the world and is growing. The crux of the issue is the use of a "paddle." The paddle technically designates them as "powered" and as such, bans them from populated surf zones and requires that they adhere to U.S. Coastguard rules for small craft. However, the surfboard-powered craft line is blurry and SUP has gown so popular that even the authorities are waffling on this one.

Guess what? Board surfers generally hate SUPers guts! The exception are the watermen who do both. Like the Hawaiian wave masters of yore, they are more tolerant. By now, you understand clearly why this goes on. It's human nature to resent anyone who has the advantage over you in a game to harvest free stuff in an open competition with no referees. It's pure and simple a battle for prime feeding grounds, producing wolf pack behavior in its basic, least attractive form. The law threatens both schools that if we don't figure out how to coexist then they will impose themselves for the first time in our arena. Dolphins ride wave together. As humans, we certainly lack their grace, and even more courious, their wisdom.


http://www.surfersjournal.com/journal_entry/fear-and-loathing-lineup

Nice post / find Doggie. I enjoyed the history lesson

good digging dog

I was going to say fat,,,,,,, but I didnt

iPhone so both I would recon hahahahahaha <<jokin Scotty

Does sp think I carried my desktop into the loo or what ? Yes doggie iphone 4S to be precise. I bet sp has one of those crappy 5 year old Nokia phones.

I hope so Doggie - I got the feeling from your post that you were handing out almost an olive branch to the SUP crew - or at least showing your understanding and acceptance of the paddle in the line-up - if used well

You should think before you type

Mate I dislike tow ins/ats as well as SUPs, as far as Im concerned if someone is paddling with out the use of a motor/paddle anyone who is should show respect to the prone surfer. Be it a mal or even a booger.

I think the paragraph re Laird was good as well. I think its funny how you guys revere him so much.

You are right OG, if used correctly they are fine. eg miles away from me!

you shouldn't type at all It's kinda funny how you think your the only one who can joke around, but never get it or can take it when someone does the same

what are you doggie, the self proclaimed know it all and say it all for prone surfers. you can fool some of the people........

No mick, just a know it all, and thats all

maybe they might make a comeback with all the sups around - more power

Jeepers, every thread

Defo dont love it.

Funny, last Saturday my mates and I were surfing a beachie with a few other people, all shortboards. Then one of the other crew went in and came out on a SUP. Didnt last long, went back and got his shortie as it was much more fun.

Oh well thats my story for today, cheers

from the alice to the norfshore