Hmmm. Not cool. On the wave-hogging front, a couple weeks ago I observed a well-known SUP pioneer out at a crowded, famous Southern California break taking off on anything that moved. Yes, he has prestige and history in the surf and SUP world, but many people in the lineup didn’t know who he was. I was a little ashamed by his behavior and felt the vibe turn dark toward him, myself and everybody else holding a paddle. There’s little doubt that instances like these cause problems. There are two solutions as I see it: first, inexperienced standup paddlers should not surf in crowded and more advanced lineups until they gain the necessary experience. Period. This may take years. They should surf spots like Queens around Honolulu, or Dogpatch at San Onofre, not the spots mentioned in the project. If you see someone endangering people in the lineup, set them straight. Social policing trumps bureaucratic policy any day of the week. Too many other things in our lives—roads, schools, homes, dog parks, camping areas—are regulated by the government. Let’s not invite that into our surf breaks. Second, experienced paddle surfers need to follow the rules of surfing! Come on people. Yield to the inside. Take turns. Anybody taking waves on an SUP is an ambassador for the sport, even if he is a famous one. We are a target. Just because you can catch every wave doesn’t mean you should. When you’re sharing waves with people in an urban area like the south shore of Oahu or Southern California or anywhere really, initiatives like this are spurred by a lack of respect for other surfers.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 00:06:10 +0000
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