Surf safety and etiquette: rip currents, right of way and dropping in
TUREFF• •0
The sea is not a swimming pool, and a surf line-up has rules that nobody writes down but everybody expects you to know. Learning both keeps you safe and stops you becoming the person everyone in the water is glaring at. Here are the basics every new surfer should know before paddling out.
Rip currents
A rip current is a narrow channel of water flowing away from the shore. Rips do not pull you under; they pull you out. They are one of the main hazards at surf beaches.
How to spot one from the beach:
- a gap in the breaking waves, where the water looks calmer
- darker, deeper-looking water
- foam, seaweed or sediment moving steadily out to sea
- choppy or rippled water in an otherwise regular pattern
If you are caught in one, standard advice from beach safety organisations is:
- Stay calm and do not fight the current by swimming straight back to shore.
- Float to save energy. On a surfboard, stay on it; it is a flotation device.
- Swim or paddle parallel to the shore until you are out of the pull.
- Then head back in at an angle away from the current.
- If you cannot get out, wave and shout for help.
Never go in after someone caught in a rip without flotation; call a lifeguard or emergency services instead. Surfers do use rips deliberately to get out to the line-up, but only once they understand them.
General safety
- Never surf alone, especially at an unfamiliar beach. Tell someone where you are going.
- Surf at lifeguarded beaches while learning, and follow their flags and instructions.
- Know your limits. If the conditions look beyond you, they probably are. Watch from the beach.
- Wear a leash and check it before every session.
- Protect your head: when you fall, fall flat and away from the board, and come up with your arms over your head.
- Hold on to your board where possible; a loose board is a danger to everyone nearby.
Right of way
Most of surf etiquette comes from one rule: the surfer closest to the peak has priority. The peak is where the wave first breaks. If someone is closer to it than you and paddling for the wave, it is theirs.
- On an A-frame peak that breaks both left and right, one surfer can go each way.
- Wait your turn in the line-up; do not paddle around everyone to sit deepest.
Do not drop in
Dropping in means taking off on a wave someone else with priority is already riding or about to catch. It is the cardinal sin of surfing. It is dangerous, since the two of you can collide, and it is the fastest way to make enemies. Look both ways before you take off.
If you drop in by accident, pull off the wave straight away and apologise.
More line-up manners
- Do not snake: paddling around someone to get on the inside of them so you can claim priority.
- Paddle wide: when paddling back out, go around where people are riding, not through the middle. If you are in someone's path, paddle towards the white water behind them, not the open face they are heading for.
- Do not ditch your board in front of others when a wave comes; learn to duck dive or turtle roll.
- Respect locals and the vibe. Watch before joining a crowded line-up, and start at the edges.
- Start at beginner spots. Reef breaks and crowded points are not the place to learn.
- Help others if someone is in trouble.
Have you had a scary moment in a rip or a run-in over a drop-in? Share your experience and questions in the comments.