- Oct 2, 2003 -
Last week, I had banned myself from visiting alt dot surfing 'cause a couple of the contributors make me start screaming at my monitor and then I spill my beer on the keyboard.
Naturally, like the masochist I've accused myself of being - I just had to go back to alt.surfing for ONE LAST PEEK.
Naturally, Glenshna's stupidity got me foaming again, but Neal Miyake wrote another good piece - Neal's one of the best at this kindda schtuff!
Neal and I have surfed together a number of times when he has visited San Diego - But - I just gotta have some fun with him and his "Unwritten Rules"
I had to email Neal and tell him about one the first "Written Rules" I received.
My first - and last - time at N*w B***k, 1963 or so -
Drove to The Cl***s in my 1953 Austin - I think The Bear went with me?
Came in after a terrible surf session there.
We were freezing cold - middle of winter - no wetsuits -
It was almost dark - and what a great surprise:
FOUR flat tires -
A pile of human c**p on the hood of my car -
Finger Painted - "WRITTEN RULES" - on my windshield:
"IF YOU DON'T LIVE HERE, DON'T SURF HERE - GO BACK TO LA JOLLA SHORES!!"
On a serious note - the "Unwritten Rules" have been written many times over - by lottsa people - maybe this time - thanks to Neal - the "Unwritten Rules" will become "Written" and hopefully - O-Bayed!
by Neal Miyake
"Recently, I saw a newspaper article about the
unwritten rules of golf."
"This cracked me up because in the world of surfing (recreational
surfing, that is), *all* the rules are unwritten."
I'll accept Neal's opinion that "*all* the rules are unwritten" for two reasons:
Numero Uno: Neal's a youngster. He just hasn't been surfing long enough to have seen all of the written rules that I have.
Numero Dos: Neal is one great guy, and I certainly wouldn't wanna lose him as kindda an amigo - After all, he lives in Hawaii, and someday I may need a surf contact there.
"Most beginners are blissfully unaware that dropping in on someone is a
cardinal sin - they just don't know any better. However, a grumpy
surfer may take this breach of etiquette as a huge insult, and may
want to "throw blows" because of it. This is not a good thing."
In my opinion most beginners, at least at the places I surf, know very well that "dropping in on someone is a cardinal sin."
If they - the drop-ins - aren't familiar with Neal's "cardinal sin," then my friends and I are very quick to switch hats from surf experts to cardinal sin experts.
I guess that I am the poster boy for being a stereotypical "grumpy [old] surfer" and I, for one, do not consider dropping in as a "huge insult..."
Depending upon the conditions - say at WindanSea, Black's, or the LJ Reefs - a drop-in is dangerous - certainly if the drop-in is compared to an insult.
I've been insulted - by some of the best insult lobbers - in and out of the water for years - but spinning kooks and their sticks will break my bones, however, I ain't afraid of their words.
I agree with Neal - again - that throwing blows "is not a good thing."
However - a slight nip out of one's ear might sometimes, be a way good thing - JUST KIDDING!
"I've heard suggestions that all wave riding vehicles should be sold
with a basic list of rules on how people should handle themselves in a
lineup. On the surface, it sounds like a good idea, but I'm not
convinced it is the right approach."
I'm convinced that all surfboards made by Wave Riding Vehicles (WRV) "should be sold with a basic list of rules on how people should handle themselves in a
lineup."
Their boards suck, and anyone who buys one is a drop-in kook - JUST KIDDING!!
"A point can be made that it is better that we don't have hard and fast
rules in surfing. The whole modern surfing era revolved around an
anti-establishment mentality as people sought an outlet to break away
from the structured society. By forcing people to follow rigid rules,
we may actually be ruining part of the individual aspect of surfing.
Of course, surfing has since become so ingrained into current pop that
it doesn't have the same counterculture status it once had, but I
digress."
Ouch - now Neal's a real historian - but is he right - sure, why not.
I always thought that surfing would help me to pick-up babes, but that would be pretty establishment -
Yeah - I'm a REBEL - 'cause I got "an anti-establishment mentality" 'cause surfing helped me to "break away from the structured society."
Now it ALL makes sense - no babe pick-up, no money, no car, a tattered wetsuit, plenty of back taxes and alimony owed - but I'm a REAL SURFIN' REBEL!
"In contrast, by paying your dues, learning as you go, you can build a
sense of accomplishment and respect that actually is a part of the
overall allure. Knowing what to do and when to do it is satisfying and
expresses to others that you are indeed a part of the surfing tribe."
Any surfing tribe that would accept me, has gotta be a surfin' tribe that even I wouldn't wanna be in - Rodney Surfinfield -
How much did you say the dues were, Neal?
"The rules themselves can also be quite fluid (no pun intended), given
different situations and locales. For instance, if there are just a
few people sharing a lineup, a common unspoken practice in Hawaii is
for waveriders to get into a rotation and share waves."
That practice sure worked well for me and Titus - Two of us out - and Titus, the friendly Hawaiian sez: "The whole f*****g ocean, and YOU gotta be out here with me."
Immediately, there was ONE in the lineup - and it wasn't me!
At this point - I'm perfectly willing to let the history of unwritten Rules, become the history of Written Rules - effective - Oct 1, 2003 - Forever known as Sponge's Laws -
===========================
"So what are some of these "unwritten" rules? Well, one of the best
compilations that I've seen was featured in Nat Young's book
Surf Rage
There's a photo of a plaque entitled "Tribal Law: Surfriders Code of Ethics," which succinctly describes surf etiquette guidelines complete with
representative cartoon drawings. It was written in 1997 by Robert
Conneeley, and was put up at Margaret River, Western Australia.
If you can't read the graphic, here are the words:
Tribal Law: Surfriders Code of Ethics
Right of way: Furthest out (or waiting longest), Furthest inside
(closest to peak), First to feet or on wave,
Call: communicate (left or right)
Do not drop in or snake
Paddle wide using rip
Caught inside, stay in the whitewater
Danger: Do not throw board (in danger of others)
Respect the beach, the ocean and others
Give respect to gain respect
We are very lucky to be surfers - share the water
The right of way issue is not as straightforward as it seems. For
instance, a rider on a thick longboard could easily dominate amongst a
gaggle of shortboarders by sitting outside and deep and standing up
earlier. Breaks that have multiple peaks breaking in both directions
add much more complexity to the issue. Even rider skill and local
status is typically factored in somewhere.
Despite all this, the Code of Ethics is a great guideline that most
lineups throughout the world would appreciate if people followed. It
all boils down to respect, safety and common courtesy.
To reiterate, surfing is not like golf (thankfully!). There are no tee
times, no dress codes, no equipment restriction, no green fees, no
handicap, no mulligans, and especially no established written rules to
follow. But there are basic human ethics that should be observed, not
just in surfing, but also in life.
Stay stoked!"
Neal Miyake
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Brothers in arms - 1977 Pump House - La Jolla CA -
Little Weave Photo of Big Weave and SDPD's Finest
windanseabeach.com
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... I do "Stay Stoked!"
Later,
BA