Surf lingo 101

Ankle Biters: Tiny waves.

ASP: Association of Surfing Professionals

Barrel:  The wave throws over and is hollow when it is breaking, also called a tube.

Beach Break:  A wave that breaks over sand, near the shore, usually short rides.

Billabong: What Australians call a watering hole. One of the largest surfing manufacturers in the world.

Blown Out:  The onshore winds turn the surf into unrideable mush.

Bottom Turn:  The turn made at the base of the wave.  Often the first move you learn in surfing.

Caught Inside:  A surfer who is inside where the waves are breaking right on top of you. Usually happens after a big set.

Channel:  An area of deeper water, usually not breaking, flowing outward.

Closed Out:  Where a wave breaks along its length all at once.

Drop In:  When a surfer drops in on a wave in front of another surfer, totally un-cool but if someone says, dropped in on this gnarly wave today, very cool.

Duck Dive:  Diving or pushing your board under an oncoming wave when paddling out.

Dumping:  Where a small wave will fold over in big sections, making it unsurfable, often caused by onshore wind conditions .

Eat it:  Wiping out on a wave.

Firing:  The same as going off .. swell and waves are plentiful.

Goofy/Goofy Foot:  Surfing with your right foot forward.

Glassy:  Ultra clean surf without a ripple .. looks like glass.

Hang Ten:  Riding a longboard with both feet right on the nose of the board and your toes hangng over.

Impact Zone:  The spot where the waves are breaking.

Kicking Out:  Pulling out of the wave, away from the break.

Kook:  A beginner or someone who is not very good or respectful while surfing. Not a very nice term.

Leash:  The cord that is attached between your leg and your surfboard.

Line Up:  The place just outside the breaking waves where surfers wait for their waves.

Lull:  When the ocean goes flat between sets and everyone sits around waiting for the waves to arrive.

Offshore:  When the wind at a surf break is blowing off the shore and makes for ideal surfing conditions.

Onshore:  When the wind is blowing toward the land and makes poor surfing conditions.

Over the Falls:  Being pulled over a wave and forced under by the break.

Pearl: A common term describing when a person buries the nose of their surfboard.

Peeling:  The ideal condition when the lip is curling over at a steady rate. .

Pumping:  A decent swell meaning waves are nice and powerful.  Also, when pumping your board along the waves face to generate speed, this is fun!

Reform:  When whitewash “reforms” into another nice wave on the inside; usually mellower.

Regular Foot:  Surfing with your left foot forward. Usually shortened to just reg-u-lar.

Rip Current:  A strong current heading out to sea..

Set:  A group of waves, usually range from 3 to 7 but can range from 1 to 10+.

Stoked:  Very happy, happens a lot after surfing or when good surf is predicted.

Swell:  Waves!  Solid, real waves; as opposed to rubber windchop.

Tube:  The hollow part of the wave when it is breaking over you.

Turn Turtle or Turtle Roll:  Technique for getting a longboard out of the way of a breaking wave.

Wipeout:  Falling or getting tossed off of your board.

Worked:  To get worked is to wipe out and get thrown about by the waves.

This is the Big Daddy, The Big Kahuna of surf contents and if you can catch it on TV, don’t miss it. Better yet, catch it in person. It’s something to see. The size of the surf, the braveness of the guys riding the surf. It’s breathtaking.

The Pipeline Masters, held at Ehukai Beach on Oahu’s North Shore, is the final event in the men’s World Championship Tour and the biggest in world surfing. Fittingly, it takes place on the revered waves at the Banzai Pipeline.

The Banzai Pipeline is a formidable tubed surfing break formed by the huge winter swells of the open ocean and driven south by the storm winds of the Aleutian Islands. It gained its name in the 1950s when famed surf cinematographer Bruce Brown screamed “Banzai” on witnessing a surfer commence his descent of a vicious wave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgcJ5c7-ifk

If you can get yourself a prime spot on the white sand as the bronzed and the beautifuls kick back, socialize and gaze seawards as the world’s best surfers do battle with the glittering turquoise waves, it will be something you’ll never forget.

With the completion of the 2011 ASP World Tour, the ASP Top 34 have been determined for 2012. This elite group of surfers will contest for the 2012 ASP World Title, starting on the Gold Coast of Australia in February.

2012 ASP TOP 34:
1. Kelly Slater (USA)
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
3. Taj Burrow (AUS)
4. Gabriel Medina (BRA)
5. Owen Wright (AUS)
6. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
7. Julian Wilson (AUS)
8. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
9. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
10. Michel Bourez (PYF)
11. Josh Kerr (AUS)
12. Damien Hobgood (USA)
13. John John Florence (HAW)
14. Mick Fanning (AUS)
15. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
16. Heitor Alves (BRA)
17. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
18. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
19. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
20. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
21. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
22. Brett Simpson (USA)
23. Adam Melling (AUS)
24. Kolohe Andino (USA)
25. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
26. Tiago Pires (PRT)
27. Jadson Andre (BRA)
28. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
29. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
30. Dusty Payne (HAW)
31. Travis Logie (ZAF)
32. Taylor Knox (USA)
33. Kai Otton (AUS) *surfer wildcard (next on the ASP World Rankings)
34. Yadin Nicol (AUS) *surfer wildcard (injury)
1st Alternate: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
2nd Alternate: Willian Cardoso (BRA)
3rd Alternate: Chris Davidson (AUS)
4th Alternate: Thiago Camarao (BRA)

In this blog entry, I will talk about one of Maui’s best female big wave riders, Melissa Proud. Honolua Bay is one of the best  waves on the island, and Melissa has been surfing the bay for 20 plus years.  Melissa even paddled out when Laird and his boys were towing in on a HUGE Honolua day.  She sat near the peak and dropped into 15 foot+ faces.  Most guys wouldn’t do that and here’s Melissa in her mid 40s charging fearlessly. You go girl!

Dustin Tester of Maui Surfer Girls, tells this story earlier this year, “So twice this winter, I have been summoned by Melissa Proud to surf the Bay with her.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to surf with this humble legend of Honolua.   The news of Andy Iron’s death, November 3, Melissa and her photographer friend David Darling whisked me to the Bay.  It was 10-15 foot heaving Honolua bombs rolling through a small pack of surfers.  I decided to try out a gun, an outdated board in my quiver.  David took some pictures of Melissa and I under the canopy of trees near the boat ramp.  We paddled out there to avoid getting crushed near the cave.  I couldn’t believe how strong the currents were.  When we finally got out to the line up, we were the only two women out there.  Melissa immediately caught an inside wave at keiki bowls, while I cruised outside of the line up with my heart in my throat.

It took me a solid 30 minutes to get the courage to drop into the biggest wave I’ve ever caught at Honolua Bay.  Unfortunately,  I got closed out by a wall of whitewater the size of a 2 story building.

My second summons to the bay, was Melissa rallying me to enter a competition held at the Bay by Handsome Bugga Productions (the crew that organizes the women’s Billabong Pro, that got relocated to Puerto Rico this year).  I agreed – who wouldn’t pay $30 bucks to surf the bay with only 3 other women in a heat?  So I decided to play it mellow and do the women’s longboarding division.  I played it so mellow, that I almost missed my heat.  I got hammered by a set of waves paddling out so much that our heat was delayed until I made it to the lineup.  Talk about a stressful start to my heat.  To add to my stress, I had to borrow  a 9’6 epoxy board that I’d never rode.  The contest wouldn’t allow my 8’0 in a longboarding division. Needless to say, I had a disappointing heat, but the buzz of surfing Honolua Bay with Melissa and two other women, was priceless.”

To say these women have guts is an understatement. I have total respect for them and wish them continued success in their endeavors.