Wednesday, 2 November 2005 - 2:31 PM PST

SURF LINGO AND LEXICON:

"BAGGIES"
Oversized swim trunks worn by surfers.

"BAIL OUT"
A planned escape from a surfboard to avoid being wiped out by an oncoming wave.

"BIG GUN"
A surfboard eleven feet or more in length. Big guns are used to ride large waves; their size gives the surfer more stability but little maneuverability.

"BOTTOM TURN"
A wide turn mode at the bottom of or well below the crest of a wave.

"CURL"
The section of the wave that is spilling over and breaking.

"CUT BACK"
To turn the surfboard back into the breaking part of the wave.

"DING"
A hole or gouge in the surface of a surfboard; also, an injury suffered by a surfer.

"DROP IN"
To ride down the face of a wave to gain speed.

"FACE"
The unbroken front of a wave.

"GOOFY-FOOT"
A surfer who rides with his right foot forward. (Most surfers ride with the left foot forward.)

"GROMMET (GREMLINE or GREMMIE)"
A novice surfer whose inexperience is obvious to other surfers; usually applied to one who is too rowdy for other surfers in the area.

"HANG TEN"
To place the toes over the front or extreme forward portion of a surfboard.

"HOT-DOGGING"
Showy surfing performed by experienced surfers; usually involves tricks and stunts rather than simple wave riding.

"KICK OUT"
To push the tail of the board down to lift and turn the nose over the top of a wave.

"OFFSHORE"
(Of winds) coming from the land.

"ONSHORE"
(Of winds) coming from the sea toward the land.

"PEARL"
When the nose of a surfboard drops enough to slow or stop the board.

"RAIL"
The rounded edge of a surfboard.

"SET"
A group of waves coming in a short period of time.

"SHOOTING THE CURL"
Riding the wave of the curl, hopefully with a tube forming around the surfer.

"SOUP"
The foamy part of a wave; the white water.

"SURFARI"
A trip made by surfers in search of good waves.

"SWELLS"
A series of unbroken waves moving in similar fashion and having a similar shape and size.

"TUBE"
The hollowed-out channel of water at the crest of a wave.

"WIPEOUT"
A fall from a surfboard.

"WOODY"
The wooden-bodied station wagons used by surfers to haul their boards to the beach.

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF COOL SURF SITES TO VISIT: HSS AND JACKS