This weekend it really hit home to me how much the surfing community hates stand up paddlers. I surf at the very crowded Manly Beach and we are starting to get the nice autumn swells and offshore winds. On Saturday morning I went out before dawn and had a nice break to myself for about 15 minutes. Then lots of surfers came out and one old guy, wazza, told me I had no control, was dangerous and needed to move away.
I gave up the break and went to the channel next to it and managed to catch a few of the fuller waves.
Sunday morning, same thing. This time there were about 4 sup surfers out plus lots of surfers. I went and sat down on my sup with "Wazza", asked him if he could stop screaming at me to have a discussion about the issue. I said I also thought it was dangerous to have 4 sups in such a crowded place and suggested that we all agree that one part of one break be given to the sup surfers. The surfers would have all the rest of the many breaks.
"Wazza" was having none of this and just kept saying how much sup surfers were despised by everyone and should not be allowed in the water.
Talking to him was a waste of time so I headed off to find a safe spot. On my way another surfer reached out and gave my board a shove causing me to fall off.
I had a good surf after that not caring a hoot for the surfers.
When I got home I thought it would be nice to go on a sup surfing trip somewhere so I looked up surf safaris, the big surfing holiday site. They said they did sup surfing trips but would not take sup surfers to the surfing spots overseas because sup surfers "should not be in the line up". Instead they go to "spots where the waves are not good enough for the surfers"
To top it off I was wondering why one of my friends who is a surfer never asks me surfing now I ride a sup.
Is there really an issue with sup surfing or are surfers just selfish angry people.
Manly = too many self proclaimed "locals" and just too crowded. Ocean is for everyone!!
Be respectful to everybody... except that **** wazza - look him square in the eye every time you snake him on a wave.
Call the other surfers on to waves though, just make life hell for him haha
Select to expand quoteBowerboy said..
This weekend it really hit home to me how much the surfing community hates stand up paddlers. I surf at the very crowded Manly Beach and we are starting to get the nice autumn swells and offshore winds. On Saturday morning I went out before dawn and had a nice break to myself for about 15 minutes. Then lots of surfers came out and one old guy, wazza, told me I had no control, was dangerous and needed to move away.
I gave up the break and went to the channel next to it and managed to catch a few of the fuller waves.
Sunday morning, same thing. This time there were about 4 sup surfers out plus lots of surfers. I went and sat down on my sup with "Wazza", asked him if he could stop screaming at me to have a discussion about the issue. I said I also thought it was dangerous to have 4 sups in such a crowded place and suggested that we all agree that one part of one break be given to the sup surfers. The surfers would have all the rest of the many breaks.
"Wazza" was having none of this and just kept saying how much sup surfers were despised by everyone and should not be allowed in the water.
Talking to him was a waste of time so I headed off to find a safe spot. On my way another surfer reached out and gave my board a shove causing me to fall off.
I had a good surf after that not caring a hoot for the surfers.
When I got home I thought it would be nice to go on a sup surfing trip somewhere so I looked up surf safaris, the big surfing holiday site. They said they did sup surfing trips but would not take sup surfers to the surfing spots overseas because sup surfers "should not be in the line up". Instead they go to "spots where the waves are not good enough for the surfers"
To top it off I was wondering why one of my friends who is a surfer never asks me surfing now I ride a sup.
Is there really an issue with sup surfing or are surfers just selfish angry people.
Manly is my local and I am out there all the time and I don't believe that I have had the pleasure of meeting "Wazza" - but I really do look forward to my formal introduction.
+1 Chris_M
Wazza is in the minority. Try not to be offended. The same surf craft tension occurred in the 70s and 80s - surf skis v short boarders v long boarders v body boarders. It's now the SUP surfers turn for blame by incompetent surfers unable to catch enough waves. The Wazzas will struggle to catch waves in a crowd and you were an easy target for his abuse.
Competent surfers will cut you some slack if you're respectful by not catching all the good waves and not always paddling for the inside take off position.
Keep doing what - getting up for the early especially at Manly.
Best to avoid them.
Funny thing is I don't see the same hate back towards them.
Remember the paddle is your sword and the board is your saddle.
Select to expand quoteMacaha said..
Wax Wazza's windscreen
They are all bark and no bite. If you stand your ground ( well maybe I go a touch further than that:-))).....they crawl back into their hole or sometimes head into the beach. I do find that if you are good at your game and know how to shred on your board that you do get a level of respect, however if you are not, then you don't get any.
I believe there are a number of reasons surfers get there panties in a bunch about SUPs:
1) Some people simply dislike anyone different to themselves
2) SUPs give surfers small man syndrome (all that laying around looking up at someone taller gives them an inferiority complex)
3) Yes SUPs can be hard to control (SUPs should only surf in crowds when they can competently do so)
4) Many surfers are selfish and dislike and even hate each other. SUPs give them a common enemy which allows them to band together, bond and have a bitch.
5) I notice some surfers aren't having much fun out in the surf anyway and I wonder why they bother. A SUP can just tip them over the edge.
I don't get invited to surf with mates now that I mostly SUP. That's fine with me, I generally surf alone or with one or two others and have a blast every time I paddle out. I sometimes SUP amongst smaller crowds when I have been one of the first few in the lineup, I am aware of my capabilities with controlling the board and if need be I'll move away.
PS - my surfing mates invite me on all their surf trips. Do you need to change mouth wash or aftershave??
Having lived in Manly for 25yrs some of the surfers know that I sup surf due to bulging disks etc. In fact one of them paddled over and surfed with me and said he had a quiet word with Wazza.
Select to expand quoteSmash1 said..
I do find that if you are good at your game and know how to shred on your board that you do get a level of respect, however if you are not, then you don't get any.
I agree,the less skilled guys get eaten up,I get eaten daily.
If I was holding my own and not looking like a kook and being dangerous I'd tell Wazza to f-off.
Select to expand quoteMacaha said..
Wazza for PM
yes you can Wazza and I know you can!
oh dear me, the age old, "why do they hate us".
This is not new my lads. Surfers hate:-
- Ski riders.
- Belly boarders.
- SUP's
- Kneelos
- Clubbies.
and anyone else that is different to them.
Nothing new here at all. But what a lot, yes a lot, of SUPsurfers don't realise is that they may not have any prior surfing skills.
From observation many later day SUPsurfers have come from flat-water paddling to SUPsurfing.
There are a whole lot of skills that are needed to SUPsurf, not just paddling for a wave and riding it. the etiquette needs to be learned, the skills need to be learned and mostly you need to turn your brain on.
I have seen too many SUPsurfers paddle out and hog the waves. no wonder the surfers get pissed off. This is not to say that there are not a lot of arsewipe surfers out there who are wankers, there are heaps. But there are also a lot of dickhead SUPsurfers too.
Best to play by the rules. Remember that SUP's are big and heavy and often hard to control. Maybe think about how many people are in the water on any break, how close are you to other prone surfers, how many waves are you getting etc. etc. etc.
It's about sharing, even if the bad boys wont share, its about being safe even if others aren't, surfing is not something you walk into one day because you just brought a SUP.
Pay the dues, learn the skills, earn your place. Piss off out of the surf to flat-water if you are dangerous.
Turn your brain on if you enter the surf.
now before you label me:-
- Surfed for 38 years.
- SUP'd for nearly ten years in all categories.
- Respect all people in and out of the water.
Have fun, respect others and enjoy the waves.
ET.
I feel sorry for people like Wazza because while you're enjoying your session, he's clearly being a miserable tool!
I had some crusty old surfer rat bark at me in front of his mates when I walked past carrying my board to the beach 'GET A SURFBOARD BRO' to which I replied 'GET A JOB' cause it looked like he had crawled out of the gutter.
You're never going to change the mindset of these territorial bullies (village idiots are unfortunately a fact of life) so try & avoid them / be respectful to others & just enjoy your time on the water
I must say it helps being 6'1" and 100kgs and having a very low tolerance for f&&kwits...
I wrote a very long reply but seabreeze crashed on me when I clicked 'Post' and there was no way for me to get it back so I'll give the short version:
- Generally, I've experienced no negativity whilst sup surfing at Manly.
- Have had 2 or 3 comments at other places over the last 3 years, but nowhere on Bowerboy's scale.
- Make an effort to be nice and go against any perception of sups as a nuisance. Don't hog every wave. Call out guys on sups that are doing that. When I sup surf, I regularly sit down on the board to make it known I am not going to go for a wave for a while to share it around. Also, make an effort to control your board, and stay out of the impact zone or be able to get quickly out of it without endangering others.
- Manly, being an easy to get to break and well known, is probably prone to more beginner sup surfers who are a big liability in the water.
- The generally weak or fat wave conditions at Manly are usually better for longboards and sups. I usually never bother with a shortboard at Manly because the surf never justifies a board as performance oriented.
- The most worst form of watercraft is hipsters on longboards who do not wear leashes. They hog waves, and regularly send 9ftpieces of fiberglass through the lineup to cause damage. True, they are not as big as sups and would have a smaller impact, but with no leash their damage radius is far greater than that of a sup on a leash.
Select to expand quoteSmash1 said..
I must say it helps being 6'1" and 100kgs and having a very low tolerance for f&&kwits...
A 100 kegs is that all, what happens when you come across a 120kg surfer?
Select to expand quoteMacaha said..Smash1 said..
I must say it helps being 6'1" and 100kgs and having a very low tolerance for f&&kwits...
A 100 kegs is that all, what happens when you come across a 120kg surfer?
I call them fat names and I can run faster than they can. Very rare to see a big fit surfer of that scale!!
Select to expand quoteGusD said..
I wrote a very long reply but seabreeze crashed on me when I clicked 'Post' and there was no way for me to get it back so I'll give the short version:
- Generally, I've experienced no negativity whilst sup surfing at Manly.
- Have had 2 or 3 comments at other places over the last 3 years, but nowhere on Bowerboy's scale.
- Make an effort to be nice and go against any perception of sups as a nuisance. Don't hog every wave. Call out guys on sups that are doing that. When I sup surf, I regularly sit down on the board to make it known I am not going to go for a wave for a while to share it around. Also, make an effort to control your board, and stay out of the impact zone or be able to get quickly out of it without endangering others.
- Manly, being an easy to get to break and well known, is probably prone to more beginner sup surfers who are a big liability in the water.
- The generally weak or fat wave conditions at Manly are usually better for longboards and sups. I usually never bother with a shortboard at Manly because the surf never justifies a board as performance oriented.
- The most worst form of watercraft is hipsters on longboards who do not wear leashes. They hog waves, and regularly send 9ftpieces of fiberglass through the lineup to cause damage. True, they are not as big as sups and would have a smaller impact, but with no leash their damage radius is far greater than that of a sup on a leash.
Don't get me started on those crazy cat hipsters on long boards with no leashes!!! Very dangerous and foolish dudes who think that their ****e does not stink
Jaysus........... check your 2 x opening statements where for me the cause of your issue lies:
"the surfing community hates stand up paddlers" & "I surf at the very crowded Manly Beach"
Swap these 2 x statements and there is the answer:
"I surf at the very crowded Manly Beach & now the surfing community hates stand up paddlers"
Select to expand quotemybrosweeper said..
Jaysus........... check your 2 x opening statements where for me the cause of your issue lies:
"the surfing community hates stand up paddlers" & "I surf at the very crowded Manly Beach"
Swap these 2 x statements and there is the answer:
"I surf at the very crowded Manly Beach & now the surfing community hates stand up paddlers"
Sorry, you might need to help me, I don't understand what you mean.
Select to expand quoteSUPbru said..
I feel sorry for people like Wazza because while you're enjoying your session, he's clearly being a miserable tool!
THIS.
I see angry surfers as no different to radical Islam or fundamental Christianity. It takes what is supposed to be a spiritual experience and distorts it into something dark and hateful and cancerous. No amount of waves is going to save that.
Mate man up punch Wazza in the nose
,make it a good one and it will all be good again.
Is Manly as bad as their footy team
Select to expand quoteBender1 said..
4) Many surfers are selfish and dislike and even hate each other. SUPs give them a common enemy which allows them to band together, bond and have a bitch.
Pretty close - before I started SUPing I'd prone surfed for over 35 years and it didn't matter what you were riding, when it's crowded there are more surfers than waves and people get a bit aggro when others seem to be having more waves than they are or when they are not regulars to the break. Being on a SUP just multiplies your wave count, without hogging the inside or paddling for every wave, most people just see the SUPs having more waves and there's a fair bit of resentment.
ET and GUSD are bang on, as some guys on SUPs seem to try and get every wave and some aren't yet at a level where they aren't dangerous in a crowded line up and most will be judged as being the same. Calling prone surfers onto waves and not taking all the set waves and saying g'day to others is a good idea and while it won't get SUPs liked the level of dislike is less, and the level of aggro is a little less too.
Select to expand quoteMacaha said..
Mate man up punch Wazza in the nose,make it a good one and it will all be good again.
Is Manly as bad as their footy team
The evil in me says yes, do it, but I don't want to have fights. I do everything that has been suggested here, I share waves, I find my own spots, I even tell surfers to drop in on me as the Manly waves can usually accommodate a surfer and a sup. I have a short thick leg rope, which is hell on my legs but stops the board from getting more than about 8 feet from me, I don't intimidate the surfers, I don't drop in, and I often sit down for a while.
I have never had a collision or hit anyone with my board. However on the weekends it gets so crowded it is really hard to find a spot.
Manly was a nasty place to surf 15 years or more ago, with lots of agro people. However ridiculous house prices have changed the dynamic to beginners, tourists, backpackers, kids and dads like me. It was pretty chilled for a while with most people accepting bad etiquette.
However as the sup numbers grow, people seem genuinely scared of them, especially in crowded traffic. I might do a bottom turn around a surfer paddling out, and I can see the surfer is worried. If I was on my old surfboard there would be no reaction. My sup is a 9'6 quest which is not that long, perhaps it is the paddle.
Select to expand quoteBowerboy said..Macaha said..
Mate man up punch Wazza in the nose,make it a good one and it will all be good again.
Is Manly as bad as their footy team
The evil in me says yes, do it, but I don't want to have fights. I do everything that has been suggested here, I share waves, I find my own spots, I even tell surfers to drop in on me as the Manly waves can usually accommodate a surfer and a sup. I have a short thick leg rope, which is hell on my legs but stops the board from getting more than about 8 feet from me, I don't intimidate the surfers, I don't drop in, and I often sit down for a while.
I have never had a collision or hit anyone with my board. However on the weekends it gets so crowded it is really hard to find a spot.
Manly was a nasty place to surf 15 years or more ago, with lots of agro people. However ridiculous house prices have changed the dynamic to beginners, tourists, backpackers, kids and dads like me. It was pretty chilled for a while with most people accepting bad etiquette.
However as the sup numbers grow, people seem genuinely scared of them, especially in crowded traffic. I might do a bottom turn around a surfer paddling out, and I can see the surfer is worried. If I was on my old surfboard there would be no reaction. My sup is a 9'6 quest which is not that long, perhaps it is the paddle.
Be evil......be very evil. You will like it....I do:-)))))
Select to expand quoteE T said..
Pay the dues, learn the skills, earn your place. Piss off out of the surf to flat-water if you are dangerous.
ET.
I haven't weighed in on this forum in ages, but ET nailed it. The only i would add is this. Whether you like it or not a big craft like a SUP in a crowded line up will never be received with warmth. Tight crowds and SUP's don't play well together. No matter how good you think you are. Just saying.
Maybe we need to organise a SUPers only drinks night in Manly to develop a clear strategy of attack. Image what evil we can come up with after a few drinks...Manly 16' Skiff club here we come. They even have a new menu
