Surf Etiquette Written By: Matt Rott | Photo by Jess Vide As most of us know, the complexities of surf etiquette can seem pretty overwhelming at times. But for those who understand how lineups work, there really shouldn’t be any confusion—so if someone is breaking etiquette, they are probably either ignorant or selfish. Let’s address ignorance first, and selfishness second. Nearly all waves break in a specific direction—either left or right. (An obviousexception would be Canoes in Waikiki, which is essentially a straight hander, and that’s why you often see 20 people on the same wave and they are all getting along great.) A-frame peaks like Pipeline and Backdoor break in both directions, but we tend to think of the two waves as separate entities, so Pipeline is a left and the other side of the peak at Backdoor is a right, and everything that follows applies to both separately.   In general, the surfer who is closest to the peak has priority or right of way. In other words, whoever is deeper gets the wave, because they can ride it the longest, and in most cases, they can get to their feet first. (If you don’t understand why only one person...

Why It’s Important to Always Respect and Listen to Our Lifeguards Photo By Adventure of Jess A couple of videos were posted on Instagram recently of people getting themselves into situations that they should have avoided in the water. One guy who was stuck on a ledge at Lekeleke Bay and getting hammered by big sets only survived because firefighters helicoptered in to rescue him (just in time, too!), and two other guys who were clearly not prepared for Pipeline were trying to paddle out but got told off by a lifeguard. While these videos are good for a few laughs at the tourists’ expense, the reality is that these guys were all endangering not only their own lives, but also the lives of the people around them, including first responders like lifeguards. This can often be avoided if people simply listen to the lifeguards when they tell them not to paddle out, rather than arguing with them. But we see it time and time again at places like Sandy Beach and Pipe, where lifeguards have to go out of their way to explain to tourists and even locals who are unprepared for the conditions why they shouldn’t paddle out—rather...

How to Deal with a Wipeout The surf media spends a lot of time focusing on huge wipeouts in XXL waves—and for good reason. These wipeouts are dramatic and terrifying, and at times dangerous and life-threatening. But most people will never surf waves that large or experience wipeouts of that magnitude. Indeed, the majority of wipeouts that people take are in the under-triple-overhead range, yet they can still be stressful and even dangerous. This is why it is so important to learn how to wipeout properly and in the safest possible manner. The first thing to keep in mind when wiping out is that you want to get as far away from your board as possible. Surfboards are hard (often made of fiberglass) and have a number of sharp points, including fins and noses. These can cause serious injuries if you get hit by your board, and it is often difficult to control where the board goes while it is getting flung around by the whitewater. With closeout backside barrels in particular, it is important to jump away from your board to avoid any contact. At the same time, you also want to remain aware of the bottom and how...

  If you are from Hawaii, then you know that winter means big waves on the North Shore. Pacific winter season, with the most notorious stretch of heavy-water coastline right in our backyard. Let's talk about wipeouts and hold-downs, and how to survive them. How you survive during a bad hold-down has a lot to do with what wave you are surfing. If you are somewhere heavy and shallow, that breaks over reef (like Pipeline, for instance), you probably don’t have a lot of control. At best, you should try to maintain spatial awareness so you know if and when you are close to the bottom. Depending on the situation, you may want to use small strokes of your hands to help keep you off the reef, rather than kicking up from the bottom and possibly dinging your feet on the coral. If you feel that you are upside down, try to protect your head—the last thing you want is a concussion. And don’t be afraid to open your eyes underwater so you know what is going on around you. The good news with shallow reef breaks is that you aren’t likely to get held down too long, so barring a...