Embrace the Surfing Vibe - Master the Language of the Waves
A surfer slang guide
Every sport has its own specialised words and terms. So does Surfing, too. Maybe you already listened to a conversation between two experienced surfers talking about how they were “ripping” the other day, that it was “puuuuumping” and they were absolutely “stoked” about it, Bro. Surfer slang is in a league of its own. It is rich in technical words and expressions, so it seems more like its own language.
We want to help you to understand the surfer's world even better and to save you from unpleasant situations, so we have compiled a Surfer Slang guide for you with the most important terms you should know. Let's dive into the guide.
A-frame
A wave shaped like a peak that breaks both left and right, equally
Aerial
Advanced surfing manoeuvre where the surfer and board leave the surface of the wave.
Backside
Surfing with your back towards the wave.
Barrel
A wave that is hollow when it’s breaking. For some surfers, it’s the be-all and end-all of surfing. It is sometimes also called “Tube” or “Green Room”.
Beach Break
This is a wave that breaks over a sandy sea bed. In Bali, there are many surf spots that are beach breaks and especially good for beginner surfers.
Bottom turn
a very important manoeuvre where a surfer turns at the bottom of the wave to generate speed and direction for another manoeuvre.
Bro
another term for dude, brother, a surfer for both male or female.
Caught inside
being trapped between the breaking waves and the shoreline. If you are caught inside it can be hard to paddle back outside to the line up. Wait until the set of the larger breaking waves is finished. It is sometimes also called the “White Zone”, “No man’s land” or “Crash Zone”.
Choppy
When the surface of the ocean is rough or bumpy.
Cutback
a surf move done sharply in the shoulder or the wave or on its flats to get back on the surf line.
Clean-Up Set
This is a wave or set of waves that are larger than average and break before the line-up, resulting in clearing the line-up of surfers.
Close Out
A wave breaks along its length all at once, which doesn’t make it enjoyable to surf.
Dawn patrol
early morning surf session at or just before sunrise.
Ding
any kind of damage like cracks, holes or fractures in a surfboard. Especially on crowded days and hard conditions, it can easily happen to get a ding. It needs to be fixed before you can go back into the water and this could get expensive sometimes. To be always on the safe side during your surf adventures with Kima you can book a board insurance that covers all costs for any repairs to our rented boards.
Drop-In
A drop-in is when a surfer catches a wave without having priority. Attention: Situations like a drop-in, can end up really dangerous and with injuries. This is why one of the most important things when being in the water is, to always follow the rules of the surfer etiquette.
Duck Dive
Diving under an oncoming wave when paddling out (only possible with hard tops and short boards).
Frontside
Surfing facing the wave.
Goofy
Surfing with your right foot forward.
Hang Five
A classic longboard trick where the longboarder is riding the board sideways and places one foot on the nose of the board. Five toes hanging over the nose.
Hang Loose
A hand signal with an extended thumb and little finger that probably everyone knows and associates with surfing, also called Shaka.
Hang Ten
riding a surfboard with both feet placed on the nose of the board and your toes hanging over the nose.
Kook
a surfer who isn’t very good at surfing but has an exaggerated perception of his or her skills. It doesn’t mean you have to be a beginner to be a Kook. Even though you are an intermediate surfer you can be a Kook by choosing a spot that doesn’t match your skills. Kooks have poor knowledge, especially about surf etiquette and therefore interfere with other surfer’s fun in the water. That’s also why Kooks are normally perceived as ridiculous, careless and odd. You don't want to be the person everyone says is a Kook? Our Learn-to-surf Program provides you with the best start in the sport of surfing.
Lull
the moment of calm between swells
Line Up
The line up is the place just outside the breaking waves where surfers wait for their waves.
Messy
irregular and unpredictable waves
Offshore
wind blowing from the shore out to the ocean, holding the curl line and smoothing the wave face.
Onshore
wind blowing from the ocean toward shore, destroying the quality of waves.
Party wave
if several people surfing the same wave, surfers call it Party Wave.
Point Break
When waves wrap around a point of land or rocks creating perfectly lined up, peeling waves.
Pumping
perfect surfing conditions.
Quiver
a surfer’s surfboard collection.
Rails
These are the sides of your surfboard, running from nose to tail and back again.
Reef Break
A wave that breaks over a coral reef or a rock sea bed.
Regular
Surfing with your left foot forward.
Stoked
to be excited or extremely happy.
Swell
the energy powered by strong winds that produce wave trains.
Turtle Roll
This is a technique for getting your board, mostly soft tops and longboards, through a breaking wave.
Washing machine
getting rolled around underwater by a breaking wave.
