
Speak like a surfer? 40 surfing terms and phrases you should know
Last Updated: 08 June 2019
To speak like a surfer, you need to know the slang. indeed here are 34 surfing terms to help you fit veracious in at the beach following time you go for a wave. Oh… and in case you were wondering, “ Cowabunga ” international relations and security network ’ triiodothyronine on the number .
Every sport has its own nuanced vocabulary. But surfing actually is in a league of its own. To an foreigner, browse slang can seem like an entirely different linguistic process. And if you ’ ve ever catch two seasoned surfers chat about a well forecast, you ’ ll know precisely what we ’ ra talking about .
But speaking like a surfer is easier than you think. You don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate even have to be a wave riding veteran. All it takes is a quick glance at the tilt below to grasp the basics of surfing terminology. From there you ’ ll finally be able to understand what competitors are saying in those WSL post-heat interviews. rather of barely sitting there and nodding your head. As if you ’ re fully aware as to what a bomb set breaking on a shelf at abruptly low actually means.
1. Wipeout
The act of falling from your circuit board when riding a curl. Beginners who want to speak like a surfer will become identical well acquainted with using this son .
2. Leggie
A legrope or lease. The cord that connects your ankle to the tail of surfboard so it isn ’ triiodothyronine washed away when you wipe out. Made of whippersnapper urethane and available in varying sizes. With slurred ones for big waves and thinner ones for small waves .
3. Pocket
The area of the wave that ’ randomness close to the curl up or whitewash. Where you should surf if you want to generate the most focal ratio. The steepest separate of a wave, besides known as the energy zone .
4. Thruster
The thruster setup utilizes three equally sized fins on the bottom of the surfboard.
A three-finned surfboard primitively invented back in 1980 by australian surfer Simon Anderson. It is nowadays the most democratic tail fin design for modern surfboards. If you want to know more about Simon Anderson check this video recording on the Enciclopedia of Surfing .
5. Kook
Any surfer who endangers or impedes early surfers. Generally clueless with little reason of surf etiquette. not necessarily a founder, as feel surfers are besides subject to sporadic moments of kookism .
6. Cutback
Anyone who wants to speak like a surfer should know that a cutback is a surf steer. Performed by carving on the open face and bringing the surfboard back around in an arch motion. To the point that you then rebound off the whitewash. Since a cutback can be performed on the flattest part of a beckon, it ’ sulfur considered to be one of the beginning moves beginners and intermediates will learn .
Ready to get started?
Book a meeting.
We understand how important holidays are for you.
We are offering a face to face meetings for you.
Choose one of our available customer happiness agents below and start your Rapturecamps Journey .
-
Ana Isa
Customer Support Happiness
7. Punt/Aerial
The act of propelling your display panel above the lip and taking to the air. An experience maneuver that should only be attempted by the very best surfers. Requires lots of speed and a becoming ramp from which to launch off .
8. Onshore/Offshore
Onshore, lumpy and freezing cold? Get out there and get amongst it!
Referring to the commission that the wind is blowing and whether it is favorable for a specific fail. Onshore winds blow from the ocean towards the land, which crumbles the lip and creates ribbing on a brandish. Offshore winds blow from the land out to sea, grooming the waves and making them easier to ride .
9. Ramp
The point of expulsion for a surfer attempting a punt/aerial. More frequently than not, the ramp will be the lip of a wave or an onset section .
10. Going over the falls
Being sucked over with a better wave after pulling back on the takeoff or a fail duckdive. very amusing when it happens to a friend. not thus funny story when it happens to you .
11. Duckdive
A proficiency by which you submerge your board under the urine thus as to dive underneath an approaching wave. Named after the room ducks dive beneath the water when fish. A key phrase if you want to speak like a surfer .
12. Reformer
When a wave breaks out the back entirely for the whitewash to recede before it breaks again, it is called a reformer. A reformer is an excellent wave for beginners on longboards, given that it has less world power and breaks close to land .
13. The back
The area past the fail waves where the batting order is situated. This is where you will surf once you learn how to successfully navigate the shorey and duckdive .
14. Shorey
Wave breaking on the shore
Waves that break on the shore. Often they dump hard on the sand and can prove challenging to get past. besides known as the shorebreak .
15. Lineup
The area out the rear where the waves are breaking. This is the space most surfers will sit to ensure they ’ ra in the best place for when a set arrives. besides known as the parody zone .
The place where the majority of surfers wait for their treasures sitting on their surfboards
16. Set
Set waves are big waves that come in groups of two or more. They are by and large the most highly sought after waves in any well. This is because they offer more power and longer rides. Speaking like a surfer will involve talking about set waves .
17. Twinny
The colloquial term for a twin-fin surfboard. First implemented back in the 1940s, however, it wasn ’ thyroxine until decades late that Californians began to refine its plan. finally it was phased out as the thruster became more democratic. nowadays it is seen as a bangle louver frame-up as opposed to a operation one .
18. Barrelling wave
When the brim of a wave throws over to form a hollow cylinder .
19. Getting barrelled
Surfer pulling into the barrel of a wave
The act of being covered up by a barrel roll. Regarded as the ultimate feel when it comes to surfing, with many wave riders dedicating their entire being to getting barrelled. other terms used alternatively of barreled are are pitted, tubed, slotted or kegged.
20. Indo
Indonesia. One of the best learn to surf destinations in the world. With a fantastic climate and epic poem waves for all skill levels. Plus a low price of exist and some big entertainment and dining options. besides the location of our Bali Cliff and Bali Padang surf camps .
21. Ragdolled
The following mistreat up from wiping out is being ragdolled. By which you are swung around under that water by a potent beckon after falling off. Refers to the fact that you have no restraint over your limbs while you ’ ra being washed around .
22. Whitewash
The break section of a curl. traditionally, this is what beginners paddle into when they are beginning starting. Less energy than the air pocket of a wave .
23. Wettie
See… surfing in a wetsuit can still bring a smile to your face
Surfer language for a wetsuit. available in different thicknesses and different leg/arm duration combinations. For surfing in arctic conditions or places with cold water such as Portugal .
24. Bommie
The slang term for a bombora, which is the Aboriginal mention for a submerge rock or reef shelf located some distance from shore. Use it for when you want to speak like a surfer at an advanced level .
25. Backhand/Forehand
Exhibit C: the lesser known “Twohand” approach
Used when talking about whether you ’ re facing a wave or have your back to it while surfing. Goofy footers ( right metrical foot forward ) for model would surf on their forehand when riding lefthanded waves .
26. Nica
abbreviation of Nicaragua. One of three tropical destinations where Rapture has a surfboard camp .
27. Closeout
A closeout occurs when a wave breaks in one retentive occupation alternatively 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 .
28. Pura Vida
Pura Vida can also translate to “Staying with Rapture and scoring waves like this in Costa Rica”
Pura Vida is a concept in rib Rican culture that ’ s become a way of life. It is heavily to define, but locals believe it to be an attitude, an emotion and a feel of contentment all rolled into one. If you truly want to know what it is, you could always join our Costa Rica browse clique and know it firsthand .
29. Quiver
multiple boards form a shaking. 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 always arises .
30. Stoked
The very definition of a stoked surfer
The feel of being excited and happy to the degree that you can not contain yourself. exchangeable to being amped or hyped up. John John Florence ’ s front-runner son and a basis phrase if you want to speak like a surfer .
31. Mal/Malibu
besides known as a longboard. A mal is by and large 9 – 11 foot long with great buoyancy and very absolvitory rails. Their size and sturdiness make them the ideal board for novice surfers to learn on. available as easy tops and in forest, fiberglass and epoxy constructions .
32. Shoulder
The share of a curl beyond the pocket where there is less energy but more room for a lateral pass maneuver .
33. Drop-in
An act by which surfer B takes off on a brandish while surfer A is already on it. Thereby blocking surfer A from completing the ride. Considered to be about inexcusable in surf acculturation. It can be either accidental or intentional, but it ’ south always dangerous. Can lead to aggression in the water .
34. Surfer’s froth
That impression every founder surfer gets when they ’ re ready to take their skills to the adjacent floor. Can besides be used as a verb e.g. “ I ’ molarity frothing to try my modern board at a Rapture surf camp in Bali “ .
35. Boggings
This condition is used when a surfer ’ sulfur slant is besides far rear, and the surfboard scent lifts up ;
36. Dawny
This refers to going for a surf session very early in the dawn, normally at first light .
37. Off the hook
This term is used by surfers when the waves are performing inordinately well .
38. Swell period
The amount of time it takes for two consecutive wave crests to pass through a determined detail. The quality of waves in a given location is largely dependent on the clock of sets coming in. For this reason the swell period, besides known as wave interval, is critical surfboard cognition because it ultimately measures the choice of the approaching surf session .
39. No man’s land
An undesirable position for surfers trapped between the shoreline and a series of oncoming breaking waves that can make paddling back outside very difficult. In this position the only thing that surfers can do is to wait for a delay between the larger breaking waves before they can attempt to slip back into clear water. early terms used to describe this situation are Caught inside, White zone or Crash zone.
Read more: Guide:Class setups – Terraria Wiki
40. Double-up wave
A type of wave that you get when two separate waves merge into one. The energy developed from the combined waves creates a wave that is large and highly brawny. For this reason double-up wave, besides known as a “ Humpback ”, is normally stronger and more dangerous than a regular one, and can be difficult to ride .
Ready for a surf trip? SURF LIKE A PRO
Take your skills to the next level with Rapturecamps
We provide excellent browse and Yoga vacations in Bali, Portugal, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Catch your adjacent wave with Rapturecamps !
CHOSE YOUR DESTINATION