Share the water with attention and respect

The rules that keep the lineup safe

Surf etiquette is the unwritten set of rules that decides who rides a wave and how everyone stays out of each other’s way. Learn it before your lesson and you paddle out already knowing how to share the water at Bowls, Kaisers or Rock Piles.

Your instructor positions the class in a beginner-friendly zone away from the busiest peaks, but the same rules apply everywhere on the South Shore.

• Right of way: the surfer closest to the breaking part of the wave (the peak) has priority. If someone is already up and riding toward you, it is their wave.
• Never drop in: don’t take off on a wave someone is already riding. Dropping in is the fastest way to a collision and the one rule locals never forgive.
• Paddle wide, not through: when you paddle back out, go around the lineup through the channel where waves aren’t breaking — never straight through the takeoff zone.
• Hold onto your board: never ditch it and dive. A loose board on a leash can hit the person behind you. Keep a hand on it and slide off the back when you fall.
• When you fall, protect your head: fall flat and shallow, cover your head with your arms as you surface, and look for your board before it finds you.
• Communicate: a quick call of “left” or “right” tells others which way you’re going. Eye contact sorts out who takes the wave.
• Respect locals and instructors: wait your turn, don’t paddle around people to snake a wave, and do what your instructor says the moment they say it.