LEARN HOW TO SURF
SURF SLANG
You’re lost with all the surf slang or you wanna try surfing ? Find below some surf vocabulary to help you understand better what your surf buddies are talking about :
A-FRAME
Wave that breaks on both sides
AERIAL
To get air and land surfing
BACKSIDE
When a surfer rides with his back to the wave
Filipe Toledo – Aerial & Backside
Barrel / tube
The hollow inside of a wave
Beach break
Waves that break over sandbars
Bottom TURN
When a surfer turns at the bottom of the wave to start trimming the optimal surf line
Bro
brother, mate
CARVE / SNAP
Sharp turn on the wave face
CLOSE-OUT
When a wave breaks all the way down the line with no shape or shoulder
CUTBACK
a turn performed on the flats or in the shoulder of the wave, in order to get the surfer back on the surf line
Gabriel Medina – Backside – Bottom turn, Top turn x2, Floater, Snap, Cutback, …
curl
Part of the wave that curls over before it breaks
ding
a crack, hole or fracture in a surfboard
drop in
To Steal a wave out of turn or ride down the wave
duck diving
the technique of pushing the surfboard under and through a breaking wave
Epoxy
a type of plastic resin used to produce surfboards (hard surfboard)
Fin
a hydrofoil mounted at the tail of a surfboard to improve directional stability and control through foot-steering
flat
with no waves, or with no surf
FLOATER
to drift on top of the wave
foam board / soft top
a surfboard for beginners, with an exterior shell made of soft foam
foam wave
White water, good for beginners
frontside
when a surfer rides facing the wave
Kelly Slater – Barrel & Frontside riding an A-Frame wave
glassy
a maritime condition when there is no wind to ripple the wave face
goofy foot
Right foot front, left foot back
gun
a big surfboard for riding big waves
inside
the area where waves end, as opposed to outside
kick out
a surf maneuver done at the end of a wave ride to exit it
kook
a beginner surfer, an inexperienced surfer or a bad surfer
Leash
the cord that attaches a surfboard to the surfer on the back leg
line-up
the spot in the ocean where surfers line up to catch waves, just behind the breaking zone
Lip
the curling part of a wave
Lycra
common word for rash guard – UV t-shirt protector
Longboard
the longest surfboard
neoprene
an ultra stretchy rubber made from melted-down petroleum chips used to make wetsuits
offshore wind
wind blowing from the shore out to the ocean, holding the curl line and smoothing the wave face
onshore wind
wind blowing from the ocean toward shore, destroying the quality of waves
outline
the shape of a surfboard from nose to tail
outside
area where the line-up is, as opposed to inside
peak
the spot in the ocean where the wave breaks for both sides
pop-up
the quick move a surfer makes to rise to a standing position when taking off on a wave
reef break
a wave that breaks over rock or coral
regular foot
a surfer who rides waves with his left leg forward
right of way
priority given to the surfer closer to the breaking part of the wave
rip current
a strong surface current of short duration flowing seaward from the shore, also known as rip tide
rocker
the curve of the surfboard bottom from nose to tail viewed from the side
section
a part of the wave that breaks ahead of the curl line
set
a group of waves
shaper
a surfboard designer and producer
shorebreak
the area where the ocean waves meet the beach
shortboard
a small surfboard
snake in
the aggressive act of paddling under, around, or over the top of another surfer to get right of way
swell
energy powered by strong winds which produces wave trains
take off
the start of a wave ride
wave period
the time between two consecutive wave crests
wax
a paraffin-based product which is applied to the surfboard deck to increase traction and reduce slippery
wipe out
an unexpected fall off a surfboard while surfing a wave, or surf accident
I hope you learnt more about some surf vocabulary / slang, let me know if I forgot some words or if you want some more info !
See you at the line up!
Jambul
Source : https://www.surfertoday.com