Danger in the water
By: Brendan Hazama
For those of us who are not accustom to seeing white sandy beaches every day you may think this article will be about sharks or some other sea predator causing havoc on the ocean. Unfortunately the article is about ourselves and the harm we cause to others in the ocean through surf rage. Surf rage can be loosely described as a confrontation with other people in the ocean that leads to negative emotions. Surf rage can be present on any beach in any part of the world but it is usually found at crowded or "localized" surfing spots.
Surfing Terms
Cutting Off: Act of moving infront of someone to block them off
Dropping In: Catching a wave that someone else is already on
Line Up: the area where all the surfers are to wait to catch a wave
Curl: The first part of the wave that breaks
Over the Falls: Getting thrown over the wave from being in the wrong spot on the wave
How does it Occur?
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Surf Rage usually begins with some type of altercation. The most common form of this is through "dropping in" on someone else's wave. The general ettique of surfing is the person closest to the curl gets priority on the wave. After this it would be whoever gets on the wave first has the right of way. Dropping in occurs when someone is already on the wave that someone else decides to catch. With only a small portion of rideable wave, collisions can sometimes occur. This can upset the initial rider of the wave because it ruins the ride for him and it can also end up causing him serious injury.
Surf Rage can also occur over territory. Some surf spots are considered "locals only". When tourists or other outsiders come to this spot it sometimes sparks rage. Part of this is because locals have to compete with everyone else for prime surf spots due to the influx of people through tourism.