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- FAQ
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- surfing, terms, glossary
A
- Accelerate
- To achieve max speed from a hard bottom turn so that you can climb the face of the wave in order to set up a manoeuvre.
- Acetone
- A cleaning solvent and/or cutting agent used in surfboard manufacturing, highly flammable and toxic.
- Acid Drop
- When you take off on a wave and the bottom falls out suddenly and you free fall down the face.
- Aerial
- When the wave you’re riding sends your board above it into the air. An advanced manoeuvre that involves taking off from the lip of the wave, traveling some distance in the air, then (in theory) landing back on the face of the wave and continuing the ride.
- A-Frame
- Large wave that forms with distinct shoulders on either side (left and right) of the peak. Can result in two surfers surfing the same wave; one going frontside and the other going backside.
- Air
- Anytime a surfer and their board leave the face of the wave to become air borne.
- Airdrop
- A very late takeoff when the surfer drops through the air to the bottom of the wave.
- Aloha
- (uh-LOW-hah) A Hawaiian word used in place of hello and goodbye.
- Amped
- Stoked - charged up - fired.
- Ankle Snapper
- Tiny waves...not worth riding. Also known as Ankle Breaker.
- ASP
- Association of Surfing Professionals, responsible for organising the annual world professional surfing circuit leading to the crowning of the world champion.
- Axed
- Hit by the lip of the wave leading to a wipeout.
B
- Backside
- Turns or rotations in the direction your toes point towards, so that your back is facing the outside of the wave arc.
- Backside Air
- Getting up in the air with your back to the wave.
- Backwash
- The rush of water coming off the shore against incoming waves.
- Backdoor
- Pulling into a tube from behind the peak.
- Backhand
- Surfing with your back to the wave.
- Bail
- To abandon your board without regards to its future.
- Balsa
- A light, porous wood used through the 1940's and 50's as a standard material for surfboard manufacture. Balsa grows only in Ecuador and must be imported to the USA; it became popular when laminating techniques allowed surfboard cores to be sealed from contact with water. By the early 1960's it was replaced with polyurethane foam.
- Bamboo
- A natural substance that can be used as a replacement for fibreglass in the surfboard manufacturing process.
- Bank
- Sandbank on which waves break.
- Barrel
- When the wave comes over your head and covers you, inside the wave and surfing. The inside of a hollow wave (same as tube).
- Beach Break
- Surf breaking on a sandy beach. A type of wave or a place where the wave breaks over a sandbar close to the beach.
- Blank
- Block of foam from which a custom surfboard is made.
- Blown Out
- Term for when good surf becomes choppy resulting from strong winds.
- Bomb
- Larger than normal set wave.
- Bottom
- The lowest point of a wave a surfer can ride on.
- Bottom Turn
- A turn at the bottom of the wave face. Taking off on a steep drop (wave) at or near the bottom of the wave it's a must situation to make the bottom turn either right or left to establish speed and direction.
- Bowled
- Being completely covered by the lip of the wave with only one way out.
- Box
- Abbreviated term used to refer to a surfboard fin box.
- Brainfreeze
- Describes what you feel in the cranium and sinus cavity immediately after the first duck-dive when paddling out in COLD water.
- Bumps
- Wax build-up on the surfboards deck.
C
- Caught Inside
- When a surfer gets caught on the shore side of a breaking wave making it difficult to get out, results in getting tossed around and lots of paddling.
- Carve
- Turns often accentuated.
- Cave
- Barrel, tube, etc.
- Channel
- Deep water gap between sandbanks or reefs, normally where you paddle out to catch a wave. Also a design feature on underside of a surfboard.
- Charging
- Aggressively riding a huge wave with confidence.
- Close-Out
- A wave that breaks along its entire length simultaneously, often unrideable and no good for surfing. Usually causes a wipeout.
- Concave
- Bottom design on a surfboard aimed to give extra lift.
- Cooking
- When the surf is really good.
- Critical Section
- The hardest and most challenging part of the wave to surf.
- Cross Stepping
- To walk the length of a board while maintaining balance, usually a longboard manoeuvre.
- Curl
- The top part of a breaking wave where it begins to roll over, taking its name from the shape.
- Cutback
- A turn on the face of the wave that takes you back towards white water.
D
- Dawn Patrol
- To surf at dawn.
- Dead
- No waves no surf.
- Deck
- Upper surface of surfboard.
- Delamination
- When the fibreglass skin of a board becomes separated from the foam.
- Down the Line
- When riding a wave along the length ahead of the breaking part of a wave. Also known as On the Line.
- Drop
- Dropping from the crest of the wave to the pit, to take off on a breaking wave and ride down the face to the bottom.
- Drop In or Dropping In
- Catching a wave that is already occupied ... taking off on the shoulder while someone is taking off deeper. When one surfer takes off on a wave already being ridden by another surfer nearer the peak, it is considered very bad style.
- Duck Dive
- Method of getting through a breaking or broken wave by pushing the board under the wave and surfacing on the backside of the wave.
- Dumping
- Onshore wave white wash, wave not holding its form, not good surf.
E
- Epic
- The conditions are near perfect.
- Eskimo Roll
- Another method of getting through a breaking or broken wave.
F
- Face
- The unbroken surface of the wave (also known as green water, for obvious reasons), a very rideable area.
- Falls
- When the top of the wave pitches out and hurls a waterfall shoreward.
- Fin
- Fin-shaped inserts on the underside of the back of the board that enable the board to be steered. See our selection of fins here.
- Fish Surfboard
- The fish is a fatter board that’s made to catch waves for mushier days and to still have fun.
- Floater
- A manoeuvre that involves launching the board off the lip of the wave onto a section of broken or breaking wave in front, and free falling down the face with the breaking white water.
- Forehands
- Surfing with your face to the wave.
- Frontside
- Turns in the direction your heels point towards, so that your front is facing towards the outside of the wave’s arc.
G
- Glassy
- Smooth seas resulting from calm wind conditions giving the surface a sheen—provides excellent surf when combined with a swell.
- Gnarly
- (Also spelled “knarley”) Heavy, intense. Heavy, difficult waves, usually quite big.
- Going Off
- A break under optimum conditions. Waves really high; a lot of them.
- Goofy Foot
- A surfer who rides with his or her right foot forward on the board. Also known as just “goofy.”
- Green Room
- Inside a full cover-up tube.
- Grom or Grommet
- A name used for younger surfers.
- Ground Swell
- A clean swell with evenly-spaced lines, usually from a distant storm.
H
- Hang Five or Hanging Five
- To ride with five toes curled over the nose of the board, more common on longboards.
- Hang Loose
- Being in a relaxed metabolic and clear minded state. Inverse Application of Up Tight, Circa 60s.
- Hang Ten or Hanging Ten
- To ride with ten toes over the nose of the board, a very stylish and very difficult longboard move.
- Head Dip
- Catching the lip with your head as it pitches over.
- Heaving
- A thick, heavy lip throwing out also large surf conditions.
- Heavy
- Big waves, usually intense and difficult to ride.
- Hogger
- Someone who takes all the waves.
I
- Impact Zone
- The point at which the swell is breaking most heavily and frequently.
- Inside
- Shoreward of a breaking wave or set (as in 'caught inside'), or an expression for life in the tube. The inside rail is the one nearest the wave face.
- Inverted Aerials
- Airborne and upside down.
K
- Kahuna
- (ka-hoo-na) Hawaiian term for a man that surfs usually with a degree of skill.
- Kai
- Ocean (hawaiian)
- Kick-Out
- To make a controlled exit from a wave by riding up the face and over the top.
- Kook
- Used to describe a new or inexperienced surfer.
L
- Lake
- No Waves.
- Launched
- To be thrown in the air, usually from a wipeout.
- Leash
- Urethane cord which attaches the board to the surfer by means of a velcro strap. See our selection of leashes here.
- Left!
- What you shout when you catch a wave and intend to go to the left, leaving the right for someone else to catch.
- Left-Hander
- A wave that breaks from the left to right as viewed from the shore.
- Lines
- A set of waves outside and approaching.
- Line Up
- Just beyond the impact zone where you wait to catch waves.
- Lined Up
- Term to describe an even, well developed swell or set.
- Lip
- The top edge or crest of the wave ahead of the breaking area, which may 'throw out' to create a tube.
- Locals
- A group of surfers that grew up or have lived there long enough to be considered one (can be territorial about their breaks).
- Longboard
- A long, wide, thick surfboard, usually longer than 8’6”. See our selection of longboards here.
- Lull
- Time spent waiting for a rideable wave. Time between sets, when the waves are much smaller.
M
- Malibu Board
- Another term for a longboard, usually between 8ft 6in/2.60m and 10ft 6in/3.20m in length. Named after the beach in Southern California.
- Men in Grey Suits
- Sharks.
- Mini-Mal
- As in Mini Malibu, a shorter version of the Malibu or Longboard usually between 7’2 and 8’4” ideal for learning on. See our selection of mini-mals here.
- Mushy
- Slow and poorly formed waves having little power and barely or not rideable.
N
- Natural or Natural Foot
- A surfer who surfs with his left foot forward, which is the natural stance.
- Nollie
- Awesome and coolll!! ex: that’s nollie brah.
- Noodled
- Exhausted.
- Nose
- The front of the surfboard.
- Nose Dive
- When the weight of the board is too far forward and the nose starts to go under into the water.
- Nose-Riding
- Technique used by longboarders who attempt to ride as close as possible to the nose of the board.
O
- Offshore
- When the wind is blowing from the land out to sea and holding up the face of the wave, will usually produce ideal surfing conditions, especially when the wind is reasonably light.
- Off the Lip
- A manoeuvre to abruptly turn the surfboard on the lip of the wave and dropping down on to the wave face.
- Onshore
- When the wind is blowing from the sea onto the land, this messes up the face of the wave and produces poor surfing conditions.
- Outside or Out the Back
- The area beyond the impact zone, the outside rail is the edge furthest from the face of the wave. When shouted “Outside!” means there is a big set coming.
- Over the Falls
- To fall down the face of the wave inside the falling lip. Getting pitched head-first and slammed by the lip of a crashing wave.
P
- Peak
- The point at which a wave breaks first, from which it ideally peels in one or both directions.
- Peel
- A wave is said to peel when it breaks away evenly and cleanly from the peak.
- Pit
- A breaking waves hollowest part, the bottom point in front of the peak of a wave.
- Pitchpole
- When your nose goes under, you go over the nose, the board flips behind you, the wave closes on you and you become a sandwich. Can be a dangerous situation.
- The steepest and most powerful part of the wave, just ahead and under the breaking lip.
- Point Break
- A break where the waves are refracted around a headland or point and then peel along the inside of the point.
- Pop-Out
- A machine moulded surfboard, ideal for beginners.
- Pop-Up
- Quick jump up on to your board in a standing or crouched position from lying prone paddling.
- Pounded
- Getting hit hard by some gnarly sets.
- Pumping
- A term used to describe a good powerful above average large swell.
- Pumping the Board
- A means of increasing the speed across the face of a wave.
Q
- Quiver
- A surfer’s collection of boards. A selection of surfboards for differing conditions.
R
- Rail
- The side or edge of a surfboard.
- Reef Break
- Waves breaking over a projection rising from the sea bed, usually a coral reef or rock shelf.
- Reentry
- Manoeuvre which involves surfing up into the lip of a breaking wave, then coming back down with it.
- Regular
- A surfer who surfs with their left foot forward.
- Resin
- Chemical used in a two part mixture with catalyst to convert fibreglass into a hard outer skin.
- Right!
- What you shout when you catch a wave and intend to go to the right leaving the left for someone else to catch.
- Right-hander or Right
- A wave that breaks from right to left as viewed from the shore.
- Rip
- To surf your max.
- Rip or Riptide
- A channel of water running out to sea.
- Rocker
- The curve in a surfboard when viewed side on. How concave the surface of the board is from nose to tail.
S
- Sandbank
- An elevation in the level of the sea floor on a beach, causing waves to break over it.
- Section
- When a wave is divided by white water into several different areas having a clean face. The parts that are rideable.
- Set
- A group of waves coming in at a regular pace.
- Set Wave
- A group of waves of larger size within a swell.
- Sharkbait
- The person that is the furthest out from the shore.
- Shorebreak
- Waves breaking very close to shore or on the beach. More suited for short rides or working on skills such as getting up on the board.
- Shortboard
- A shorter narrower, thinner surfboard. It is more difficult to catch a wave on a shortboard but it can be controlled and turned more easily. See our selection of shortboards here.
- Shoulder
- The steep part of the wave directly in front of the breaking area.
- Shred
- Ability to execute rapid repeated turns on a shortboard.
- Shut Down
- To wipe out while inside the barrel, surfing a wave that closes out causing you to wipe out.
- Sick
- Excellent, the best. Totally cool, something that rocked or just a term in place of “wow,” for example.
- Silver Surfer
- Senior Surfer.
- Skimboard
- A small board made of plywood or fibreglass. The rider skims over the wave wash on the shore or shoots out from the shore into an oncoming wave.
- Snake
- Paddling around behind someone who is in position and stealing their wave.
- Snake Out
- When person backs out of wave making you miss it.
- Snap Up
- To stand up quickly on your board.
- Soup
- The white water of a broken wave.
- Soup Bowl
- A wave which has a steep peak with weak shoulders on both sides.
- Spin Cycle
- Wiping out and getting thrashed underwater until you don't know which way is up.
- Spinner
- Turning 360 degrees on your board while still steering the board straight.
- Spin-Out
- When the fins of the board break loose from the water surface.
- Spit
- The spray of water coming out of the barrel when the barrel is closing.
- Stall
- A manoeuvre where the board is slowed or ‘stalled’ to allow the curl to catch up with the surfer.
- Stealing the Beach
- How much sand you take home.
- Steamer
- A full wetsuit with long arms and long legs.
- Stick
- Another name for your board.
- Stink Bug
- Kook stance wide apart legs butt up in the air...just like a stink bug.
- Stringer
- The thin piece or pieces of wood running down the centre of a board adding strength.
- Stoked
- Full of enthusiasm.
- SUP
- Stand up Paddle boarding. See our selection of SUP boards here.
- Swell
- Waves generated by the energy from the weather and wind conditions travelling over the ocean’s surface, often travelling for hundreds or thousands of miles. A measurement of wave height.
- Switch-Foot
- A surfer who can surf with either foot forward.
T
- Tail
- The rear end of the board.
- Tailslide
- When the surfer lets the board’s fins lose their grip on the wave, and the board slides on the face of the wave.
- Take Gas
- Get obliterated by a wave.
- Take-Off
- The beginning point of the ride where the board is propelled by the wave.
- The Spot
- The best spot to surf in an area.
- Three-Sixty (360)
- Spinning the board through 360 degrees on the face of the wave.
- Thruster
- A three-finned surfboard.
- Trim
- The skill of keeping a surfboard at the correct angle to the face to gain maximum speed.
- Trimming
- Adjusting weight and position on the board so that the board retains maximum speed.
- Toes on the Nose
- When you stand with your toes on the front of the board, usually on a long board.
- Tows In
- Being towed by a jet ski into waves that are too large to paddle into.
- Tube
- The hollow part of the wave. Also called barrel.
- Tubed
- Riding a wave inside the hollow pocket so that the wave is breaking around you.
- Turtle Roll
- To roll your board over to go through a wave to get outside, used with longboards.
V
- Vee
- Convex shape on the bottom of the board.
W
- Wahine
- Hawaiian word for girl. Girl surfer.
- Wake
- The start of the wave; when it’s rising up above the water and you’re paddling out.
- Walled Off
- Entire wave breaks at once, nowhere to go.
- Wax
- Made for different temps and applied to a boards’ deck for traction. See our selection of surf waxes here.
- White Water
- The white foamy part of a breaking wave.
- Windswell
- A weak swell generated by localised winds.
- Wipeout
- Falling off the surfboard. Totally lose it and get pummelled by the wave.
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