When paddling
out to or within a break, it's your responsibility to stay out of
the way of riders on waves. This
has its roots in the same thinking behind "don't drop in"
- once a rider has selected and caught a wave, all other surfers
should do their best not to interfere with his or her enjoyment
of the wave. It's also extremely practical.
What do you think?
Discuss this bill in our
community forum.
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Let's face it: Few moves make less sense than
paddling close to, or directly into, the breaking line of waves
on the way to the takeoff zone. For one thing, natural waterflow
through the lineup will make the trip a lot easier if you paddle
clear and in open water. For another, not all surfers in the water
will have the skills or inclination to avoid your prone board and
body floating up into their paths. Therefore, always paddle out
wide of the break, making sure you're not interfering with your
fellow surfers' waves.
If you find yourself caught inside the whitewater
line, don't cut across riders' tracks in a frantic attempt to reach
the shoulder; maintain your position, pushing through the whitewater
until the set passes, then go wide again into open water as quickly
as possible. Paddling into the path of a surfer in the tube in order
to save yourself a duckdive is extremely bad etiquette.
Never block a fellow surfer's path into a wave by
paddling beneath his or her entry line. Doing so - whether or not
you believe the surfer is capable of catching the wave - is a gross
breach of etiquette, and if the surfer does in fact take off, you
will be exposed to potential injury, or at the very least a wipeout
for which you will receive little sympathy.
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