Riptide — a stretch of water that is particularly turbulent. Rock dance — the moves made by surfers who exit the water through a rocky section. Rocker — the curve under the surfboard. Set — a series of waves that are approaching the lineup.
Shacked — riding a great, big barrel; not quite barrelled with the lip just overhead. Shaka — a sign surfers use, made from extending the thumb and the little finger. Shape — a word used to rate the quality of the breaking waves perfect shape is when the wave breaks evenly. Shore break or shorepound — mostly unsurfable waves that break very right on the shore. Shoulder — the part of the breaking wave that is unbroken.
Shove-it — the act of moving the surfboard or degrees under the surfer, while riding a wave. Shubie — a person who buys a surfboard and surf clothing, but does not surf.
Sick — astounding, impressive, amazing. Sketchy — bad form when surfing. Slotted — a surfer well-positioned inside a barrel. Soft board — a surfboard with a soft surface, meant for beginners. Soup — whitewater. Spat out — the action that occurs when a surfer exits a barrel alongside air and foamy water.
Spit — the water that gets sprayed out from a barrel. Sponger — a derogatory term for a bodyboarder. Stall — a surf move meant to slow down the surfboard. Stick — a surfboard. Stoked — pumped, extremely happy, excited. Sucking dry — the action performed by powerful breaking waves, causing the seabed to become exposed. Surf camp — surf vacation with accommodation included, where an instructor teaches surfing.
Tail — the backside of the board. Take off — to catch a wave. Through — the bottom of the wave as it starts breaking. Tombstoning — when the surfer is wiped out and sinking below the surface and their surfboard is bobbing up and down connected to them through a leash.
Tow in — used by big wave surfers, it refers to being towed in by a jet ski to the place where the big waves are. Tube — barrel, the hollow of the wave. Tubular — awesome, great, rad. Turtle roll — a technique used to get the surfboard to go through a breaking wave; it implies hanging on to the rails, turning over so that the surfer is fully submerged and the fins of the surfboard become visible.
Twin fin — a twin fin surfboard. Victory at Sea — waves big and unrideable like the movie. Wall — a face of the wave that has no area to ride on. Washing machine — getting rolled around underwater by a breaking wave. Wave hog — a surfer who will not share a wave. Wax — the substance surfers use on their surfboard to help with traction. White water — a broken, foamy wave. Wipeout — falling off a wave while surfing. Worked — getting knocked off by a wave and then being in the washing machine.
Thank you also to Wardy of shortboarder. Want to teach your kids surfing? Here are some tips you should check out so they will enjoy the learning process. Where and how did surfing begin before it became known as the sport that we all love? Take a look back at the history of surfing by reading this article.
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Wave Tribe Commitment. We are committed to bringing you the best products and articles for surf travel. Home Surfing Stoke. Previous Next. Carve — a maneuver that is a sharp turn on the face of the wave Caught inside — being caught between the shoreline and the breaking waves Charging — aggressively going for a wave Choppy — rough waves due to wind conditions Chunder — totally unsurfable waves Clam Dragger — female bodyboarder Clean wave — a smooth wave, with no bumps Closeout — when a wave breaks suddenly and all at once.
Clucked — being scared of waves Crease — damage to the surfboard by the impact Crest — the highest point of a wave, the top of the wave Curl — the area of the wave where it is breaking Cutback — a surf move done sharply in the shoulder or the wave or on its flats to get back on the surf line Cutting off — the action of catching a wave in front of a surfer, who was going for it and was closer to it, stealing a wave—also known as snaking. Deck — the top surface of a surfboard Dick dragger — a derogatory term referring to the action of lying down on your board while riding a wave, usually used for bodyboarders.
Ding — any damage done to your surfboard Double up or humpback — when two waves combine; one large wave closely followed by a smaller one Drop — the first part of a ride, when the surfer goes down the face of the wave Drop-in — synonym to cutting off but also to drop down the face of a wave.
Noah — shark Noodle arms — tired arms Nose — the front and pointed part of the surfboard Nose guard — a rubber tip meant to protect the nose of the surfboard Nose riding — a longboarding move where the person surfs on the nose of the board Nug — a good wave Off the lip — re-entry.
Soup — whitewater Spat out — the action that occurs when a surfer exits a barrel alongside air and foamy water Spit — the water that gets sprayed out from a barrel Sponger — a derogatory term for a bodyboarder Stall — a surf move meant to slow down the surfboard Stick — a surfboard Stoked — pumped, extremely happy, excited. Twin fin — a twin fin surfboard Victory at Sea — waves big and unrideable like the movie Wall — a face of the wave that has no area to ride on Washing machine — getting rolled around underwater by a breaking wave Wave hog — a surfer who will not share a wave Wax — the substance surfers use on their surfboard to help with traction White water — a broken, foamy wave Wipeout — falling off a wave while surfing Worked — getting knocked off by a wave and then being in the washing machine We hope you found our glossary of surfing terms useful!
Cristina helped put the original post together and Wave tribe staff have expanded on it over the years. She is also a passionate traveler, cat aficionado, and novice writer. Did we forget any words—please comment below and if we add yours to our list you get a free t-shirt from Wave Tribe. Set waves are large waves that come in groups of two or more. They are generally the most highly sought after waves in any swell. This is because they offer more power and longer rides.
Speaking like a surfer will involve talking about set waves. The colloquial term for a twin-fin surfboard. Eventually it was phased out as the thruster became more popular. Now it is seen as a novelty fin setup as opposed to a performance one. The act of being covered up by a barrelling wave. Regarded as the ultimate feeling when it comes to surfing, with many wave riders dedicating their entire existence to getting barrelled.
Other terms used instead of barreled are are pitted, tubed, slotted or kegged. One of the best learn to surf destinations in the world. With a fantastic climate and epic waves for all skill levels. Plus a low cost of living and some great entertainment and dining options. Also the location of our Bali Cliff and Bali Padang surf camps. The next step up from wiping out is being ragdolled. By which you are swung around under that water by a powerful wave after falling off. The broken section of a wave.
Traditionally, this is what beginners paddle into when they are first starting. Less energy than the pocket of a wave. Surfer speech for a wetsuit. For surfing in frigid conditions or places with cold water such as Portugal. The slang term for a bombora, which is the Aboriginal name for a submerged rock or reef shelf located some distance from shore.
Use it for when you want to speak like a surfer at an advanced level. Goofy footers right foot forward for example would surf on their forehand when riding lefthanded waves. Abbreviation of Nicaragua. One of three tropical destinations where Rapture has a surf camp.
A closeout occurs when a wave breaks in one long line instead of peeling in sections. They are unrideable and offer no wall to surf on. Closeouts should be avoided if possible, as taking a closeout wave may result in injury. It is hard to define, but locals believe it to be an attitude, an emotion and a feeling of contentment all rolled into one.
If you really want to know what it is, you could always join our Costa Rica surf camp and experience it firsthand. Multiple boards form a quiver. With many professional surfers having quivers that contain hundreds of surfboards. Knowing what a quiver is can help you speak like a surfer if a conversation about surfboards ever arises. The feeling of being excited and happy to the point that you cannot contain yourself.
Similar to being amped or hyped up. Also known as a longboard. A mal is generally 9 — 11 foot long with great buoyancy and very forgiving rails. Their size and sturdiness make them the ideal board for beginner surfers to learn on. Available as soft tops and in timber, fiberglass and epoxy constructions.
The part of a wave beyond the pocket where there is less energy but more room for a lateral maneuver. Swell lines that look like corduroy; see this corduroy swell picture that illustrates it perfectly. Where the lip of the wave breaks over a surfer, almost a barrel but not quite. Slang from 's surf culture, cried out enthusiastically when surfing — The surfer's cry "Cowabunga" as they climb a 12 foot wall of water and "take the drop.
This is the art of walking up and down a longboard, foot over foot. Making a cutback is reversing the direction that you are surfing in one smooth fluid move. That's the idea anyway. The is the bit of the surfboard you stand on. Hopefully you have your board the right way round in the water. Surfboard damage — "Oh dear me, I've dinged my board!
The drop is where a surfer first gets up on the waves and drops down the face of the wave. It's also referred to as " taking the drop. Dropping in is a crime in the surf world.
A drop-in is where a surfer catches a wave without having priority, i. Please see diagram above. Protection when surfing in very cold water, when a wetsuit would not be effective for keeping warm. Duck Diving is diving under an oncoming wave when paddling out. See duck diving in full detail in surfing lesson three — duck diving.
Dude, we almost forgot dude! Dude can mean pretty much anything depending on the tone and inflection. Thanks go to Corey Ferguson for this one. Often caused by onshore conditions, where a wave will fold over in big sections, making it un-surfable. A surfing manoeuvre. Riding the inside wall of the pitched lip barrel , instead of the main wave wall, and coming out sideways. Forget all this new school tricky stuff. Watch this movie, and if you are not a surfer before viewing, you'll certainly want to be after.
Even the other half will enjoy it!!! Check out this video and others at the surf video page. This is where someone rides backwards on the surfboard, tail first. It's also what you are if you're only reading this page so you can pretend that you're a surfer. FCS stands for fin control system. This is a type of fin that is fully removable from the surfboard. It's ideal if you break a fin you don't have to get a new on glassed back on , or if you are travelling. It's best to remove the fins to keep your board from being damaged.
The fin is the curved bit hanging down under your surfboard that you keep bashing when you tie your surfboard to the roof of your car.
It's sometimes called a skeg. Firing is the same as "going off", where the surf is really good and the waves are breaking nicely. A type of surfboard shape, shorter and thicker than a standard shortboard.
Fish surfboards are for surfing smaller waves. Riding over the whitewater back onto the shoulder of the wave you may need to consult the terms list further to understand this answer fully. These are either whitewater waves or surfboards that are made out of foam. They're ideal for beginners. Surfing with your front towards the wave. A regular footed surfer going right or a goofy footed surfer going left will be surfing frontside. The opposite is backside.
Wetsuit with full arms and legs. See the types of wetsuits. A mid-length surfboard, often know as a minimal; see funboard examples here. This is the nickname of the title character created in a novel by Frederick Kohner and adapted for three further films.
Gidget is a contraction of " girl midget ," which is why it went on to be used to describe small female surfers. This is ultra-clean surf without a ripple that often looks like glass. Click here to see a glassy wave. Any of the above can be used to describe a young or inexperienced surfer. Grommet is also the cute doggie character in the Nick Park animation creations. And they are really rather good!
The mom who taxis her kids everywhere, anytime for a wave. One who sits sipping coffee on the cold sand under blankets at 6 am just to see her kids stoked.
This is when a male surfer rides his board in the nude. Steinhaus for this one! If you're riding a longboard with both feet directly on the nose of the board, your hanging ten. It's also the name of a longboard magazine.
Heavy has a couple of meanings. When used as in "heavy waves," it means big, gnarly, kick ass waves. Teahupoo, Mavericks and Pipeline are three waves that would have to be described as heavy with a capital "H. For the same kick ass reason!
A hodad is a non-surfing beach bum. Pix Sept. The area of whitewater where the waves have broken, between the shore and the line-up. Also, inside can be used to describe the section of a wave that breaks towards the end of the ride, closest to the shore.
Jeffrey's Bay is a South African surf break of the highest calibre. It's one of the world's most famous, high quality right handers. Don't know what a right hander is? Then go learn your waves. Go have a look at the section on waves. Here's a good example. A beginner or someone who is not very good at surfing. A try hard. Someone who surfs to try and look cool. Someone who does not follow the rules in the lineup, drops in etc.
Are you a kook? The layback is a surfing manoeuver where the surfer literally lays backwards on a wave. It's one of surfing's more extreme tricks. This is the cord that is attached between your leg and your surfboard. Click here for more information about a leash or find out about how to attach your surfboard leash here.
A type of long legged, no armed wetsuit - details here. A long surfboard with a rounded nose. See our longboard selection. This is when the ocean goes flat between sets and everyone sits around waiting for the waves to arrive. This is a famous big wave spot off the California coast. Not to be confused with the film "Maverick", starring Mel Gibson, although you need to be pretty brave to tackle both. Waves that close out, break irregularly and that are not ideal to surf on.
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