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Master the art of SUP surfing with a crowd by watching our Complete Guide to SUP Surfing Etiquette. You'll soon learn how to respect the lineup and have more fun doing it.
SUP surfers sometimes get a bad rep in the surf community and that is because we have certain advantages over other surfers. We can paddle faster and can see waves coming from a distance which means we have the ability to catch more waves.
In our Complete Guide To SUP Surfing Etiquette, we learn about the priority system, the best ways to minimise our impact on prone surfers, come to know the 10 commandments of SUP surfing etiquette when in a crowded lineup and a give you a couple of tips to have more fun on the water.
The 10 Commandments of SUP Surfing Etiquette
- Don’t be a snake: Wait your turn in the lineup and everyone will get their fair share of waves.
- Don’t drop in: that’s stealing someone’s wave
- Don’t be a wave hog: In other words don’t catch everything that moves. Be aware of your wave count
- Sit down every now and then – this help to keep a low profile
- Let waves go through – if you see a great wave coming, let it go. You’ll gain more respect this way
- Paddle wide and don’t ruin other surfers waves by being in the way
- Call out the sets for priority surfers – let them know a good wave is coming
- Sit wide on the peak to begin with and then integrate slowly into the lineup
- Say hello and be friendly in the water
- Know your ability level: If you can’t control your board, don’t surf with a crowd
Great List! My go-to paddle spot is always busy. The problem with being a SUP surfer is that you are held to a higher standard. A kooky beginner/intermediate on a foamtop is given more slack than you are. But the great thing is that you can catch way different waves than most prone surfers! So I can have a lot of fun not being near the jetty. Not as long a wave perhaps, but still alot of fun without waiting for priority!
excellent video
Great video – a couple of questions if I may… 1) I think you say it’s Ok to go beyond the line-up as long as I wait and show I am waiting my turn? (On a SUP where I am, I can catch a wave 30 metres further out). 2) If someone else is a perpetual snake / dropper inner, what do you say and how do you best handle it? 3) If you’re in a break where the break changes exact location, often people say it’s for that person closest to the peak – thoughts on that? 4) A… Read more »