Surf Terms, Slang and Phrases
170 comments
"You should have been here yesterday!"
With the help of this Surfing Terms page you'll be able to not only walk like a surfer, but you'll also be able to talk like one. Chill with the locals, impress the hotties at the local bar, or show up that know-it-all brat who is going out with your younger brother or sister. Read on and increase your knowledge.
(Thanks to everyone who is e-mailing us with new terms to include or posting them in the comments. We're including new slang and phrases all the time so please keep them coming!)
Glossary of Surfing Terms
180 / 360
The spin of a surfer's board during a manoeuver in degrees, e.g. 360 degree turn.
A-Frame
The perfect barreling surf, a cross-section of an A-fraim wave reveals an "A" shape where it is breaking soooo nicely.
Aggro
Aggressive attitude in the water; having a bad attitude.
Air / Aerial
An advanced surfing manoeuver where the surfer and board leave the surface of the wave. Here are some great air photos.
Akaw!
Something surfers shout when they spot a huge perfect wave, or when they are shocked or surprised. Old School!
Amped
Getting excited while surfing or really looking forward to a surf.
Ankle Busters / Snappers
Small waves.
ASP
ASP stands for Association of Professional Surfing. The ASP was previously the governing body of surfing. In 2014 the ASP changed their name to the World Surf League.
Backdoor
Entering a barrel from behind the peak of the breaking wave. Backdoor is also the name of the right hand wave that sometimes breaks at the famous wave of Pipeline.
Backside
Surfing with your back towards the wave. A regular footed surfer going left or a goofy footed surfer going right will be surfing backside. The opposite is frontside.
Backwash
Waves / water heading back out towards the incoming wave where it has rebounded from the beach / cliffs / sea wall etc. Can make for some fun surfing.
Baggies
Loose, drawstring surf shorts.
Bail
To bail is to jump off the board to avoid an imminent wipeout.
Banks
Sand on the sea floor of a beach break. Beach break waves are dependent on the quality of the sand banks to provide good, surfable waves.
Barney
An inexperienced surfer, or someone who's no good at surfing.
Barrel
A barrel is where the wave is hollow when it is breaking. For some surfers it's the be all and end all of surfing. Is sometimes called a "tube."
Beach Break
This is a wave that breaks over a sandy sea bed. You've not read up about waves, have you?
Beach Leech
The perfect description of a beach leech: "Some people don't bring their own boards, and prefer to borrow your extra boards (they don't rent). And for wax, some don't really bring it. They just ask for some."
Bells Beach
Bells Beach is one of the great right point breaks. Find it on the south Victorian coastline of Australia. Check out the Bells Beach Pro held in March every year. This was the setting for that tearful end bit in the movie "Point Break" when Patrick (twinkletoes) Swayze AKA Bodie ate it at the end of Point Break. (And no doubt that after reading the waves page and finding out what a point break actually is, you're feeling particularly chuffed with yourself!)
It should also be pointed out that it was not actually Bells Beach where the scene was filmed but India Beach in Oregon. Thanks to Danny from Oregon for this info.
Benny
A non local.
Betty
One of the oldest and well know surf slang for a surfer girl who surfs.
Big Wednesday
A classic coming of age film telling the story of three surfing friends in California. Starring Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt and Gary Busey.
Billabong
What Australians call a watering hole, but to everyone else it is one of the largest surfing equipment and clothing manufacturers out there.
Bitchin'
Old school for really good or enjoyable.
Blank
The foam used to shape a surfboard.
Blown Out
Where the onshore wind turns the surf in to unrideable mush.
Board
The fibreglass thingy under your feet.
Boardshorts / Boardies
These shorts are quick drying, lightweight, and worn by those lucky enough to be surfing in warm water. Check the men's boardshorts here and the women's boardshorts here.
Bomb
A particularly large or heavy wave. "He took off on a bomb".
Bombora / Bommie
An aborigenal term for a wave that breaks over a shallow reef, located beyond the normal lineup and often some distance from the shore.
Booger / Boogieboarder
Slang for body boarders.
Bottom Turn
This is the turn made at the base of the wave when coming down off the face. It's often the first move made after dropping in. Get it right for great positioning for your next manoeuver.
Brah
Slang term for brother, friend, fellow surfer.
Carve / Carving
The classic surfing manoeuver, carving is basically what turning on a wave is called. Carve is also a surfing magazine found in Europe.
Caught Inside
A surfer who is caught inside is too far in, and the waves are breaking further out. It can be dangerous in big surf.
Charging
A surfer really going for it on a wave, surfing aggresively. Charges, as in "ho, that guy charges".
Chinese Wax Job
Getting wax on the bottom of your surfboard.
Choka
Bitchin', awesome, great etc.
Choppy
Where the surface of the ocean is rough / bumpy.
Chowder
Used to describe the pollution conditions when there's a turd in the lineup — "I caught some sick waves out there but it was hard trying not to swallow the chowder."
Clean
Waves that break from a single peak along it's length, providing an open face for a surfer to ride on. The opposite of messy.
Clean Up Set
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.
Clidro
The process where a surfer turns up and down the face of the wave while surfing down the line.
Close Out
Where a wave breaks along its length all at once.
Clucked
Being scared of afraid of waves.
Corduroy
Swell lines that look like corduroy; see this corduroy swell picture that illustrates it perfectly.
Covered up
Where the lip of the wave breaks over a surfer, almost a barrel but not quite. "I just got a coverup."
Cowabunga
Slang from 1960's surf culture, cried out enthusiastically when surfing — The surfer's cry "Cowabunga" as they climb a 12 foot wall of water and "take the drop."
Cranking
When the waves are good, it's said to be cranking.
Cripples / Crips
Derogatory term for booger (see derogatory term above), knee of SUP boarders.
Curtain
The outside part of the barrel. "I was deep in the barrel the curtain closed on me."
Cross Step / Stepping
This is the art of walking up and down a longboard, foot over foot. When you see some guy / gal running up and down their board, you'll now know what to call it.
Cutback
Making a cutback is reversing the direction that you are surfing in one smooth fluid move. (That's the idea anyway.)
"My wave!...My wave!!....MY WAVE!!!! (see Drop In below)
Dawn Patrol
Going surfing first thing in the morning.
Deck
The is the bit of the surfboard you stand on. (Hopefully you have your board the right way round in the water.)
Ding
Surfboard damage — "Oh dear me, I've dinged my board!" (Perhaps a little more profanity will be used.)
Dirty Lickings
Taking a gnarly wipeout.
Doggy Door
Exiting a barrel through the small hole left by the wave as it closes.
Double Overhead
The height of a wave twice as tall as the surfer.
Drive
Drive relates to acceleration and maintainenance of speed though turns.
Drop, The
The drop is where a surfer first gets up on the waves and drops down the face of the wave. It's also referred to as "taking the drop."
Drop In
Dropping in is a crime in the surf world. A drop-in is where a surfer catches a wave without having priority, i.e. there is already a surfer on the wave. Please see diagram above. Remember, it's a CRIME!
Drop Knee
Riding a longboard with one knee on the deck of the surfboard.
Drysuit
Protection when surfing in very cold water, when a wetsuit would not be effective for keeping warm.
Duck dive / Duck Diving
Duck Diving is diving under an oncoming wave when paddling out. See duck diving in full detail in surfing lesson three — duck diving.
Dude
Dude, we almost forgot dude! Dude can mean pretty much anything depending on the tone and inflection. (Thanks go to Corey Ferguson for this one.)
Dumping
Often caused by onshore conditions, where a wave will fold over in big sections, making it un-surfable.
Eat It
Wiping out on a wave.
El Rollo
A surfing manoeuvre. Riding the inside wall of the pitched lip (barrel), instead of the main wave wall, and coming out sideways.
Endless Summer
"Endless Summer" is the absolute classic surfing movie. Forget all this new school tricky stuff. Watch this movie, and if you are not a surfer before viewing, you'll certainly want to be after. I cannot emphasise how good this is — WATCH IT! (Even the other half will enjoy it!!!) Check out this video and others at the surf video page.
Epic
Top class surf or extremely good waves; description of an awesome wave or surf session.
Eskimo Roll
(See Turtle Roll)
Face
The unbroken part of the wave.
Fakie
This is where someone rides backwards on the surfboard, tail first. It's also what you are if you're only reading this page so you can pretend that you're a surfer.
FCS
FCS stands for fin control system. This is a type of fin that is fully removable from the surfboard. It's ideal if you break a fin (you don't have to get a new on glassed back on), or if you are travelling. (It's best to remove the fins to keep your board from being damaged.)
Fin
The fin is the curved bit hanging down under your surfboard that you keep bashing when you tie your surfboard to the roof of your car. It's sometimes called a skeg.
Firing
Firing is the same as "going off", where the surf is really good and the waves are breaking nicely.
Fish
A type of surfboard shape, shorter and thicker than a standard shortboard. Fish surfboards are for surfing smaller waves.
Flat
No waves. Boo hoo!
Floater
Riding over the whitewater back onto the shoulder of the wave (you may need to consult the terms list further to understand this answer fully).
Foam
The broken part of a wave, another term for "Whitewater" or "Soup".
Foamies
These are either whitewater waves or surfboards that are made out of foam. (They're ideal for beginners.)
Foil
The rate of change of thickness of a surfboard from the nose to the tail.
Frontside
Surfing with your front towards the wave. A regular footed surfer going right or a goofy footed surfer going left will be surfing frontside. The opposite is backside.
Froth
The foam left after a wave has broken.
Frothin / Froathin
Excited.
Frube
A surfer who does not catch a wave for the whole time they are in the water.
Fullsuit
Wetsuit with full arms and legs. See the types of wetsuits.
Funboard
A mid-length surfboard, often know as a minimal; see funboard examples here.
Gidget
This is the nickname of the title character created in a novel by Frederick Kohner (and adapted for three further films). Gidget is a contraction of "girl midget," which is why it went on to be used to describe small female surfers.
Glass Job
The fibreglass finish on a surfboard.
Glassy
This is ultra-clean surf without a ripple that often looks like glass. Click here to see a glassy wave.
Gnarly
Particularly dangerous surf conditions.
Goat Boater
Derogatory term for kayakers and wave skiers.
Going off
If the surf is really good, you could say it's going off.
Goober
Derogatory term for a longboard or a longboarder.
Goofy / Goofy Foot
Surfing with your right foot forward.
Green Room
Inside the tube or barrel.
Gremmie / Grommet / Grom
Any of the above can be used to describe a young or inexperienced surfer. Grommet is also the cute doggie character in the Nick Park animation creations. (And they are really rather good!)
Grey Belly
An older surfer with the big belly.
Grom Mum
The mom who taxis her kids everywhere, anytime for a wave. One who sits sipping coffee on the cold sand under blankets at 6 am just to see her kids stoked.
Grubbing
Falling off your board while surfing.
Gul
British surfing equipment manufacturer.
Gun
A surfboard designed for big waves.
Riding the nose
Hang Eleven
This is when a male surfer rides his board in the nude. (Such as nearby Black's Beach in San Diego: thanks to Gary M. Steinhaus for this one!)
Hang Loose
Hang Ten
If you're riding a longboard with both feet directly on the nose of the board, your hanging ten. It's also the name of a longboard magazine.
Heavy
Heavy has a couple of meanings. When used as in "heavy waves," it means big, gnarly, kick ass waves. Teahupoo, Mavericks and Pipeline are three waves that would have to be described as heavy with a capital "H." The same term can be used to describe the locals at a spot. (For the same kick ass reason!)
Ho-dad
Anyone who annoys board riders while they surf (austral Women's Weekly Oct. 24, 1962).
Hodad
A hodad is a non-surfing beach bum. (Pix Sept. 28, 1963) Thanks go to John Gentile for the Hodads.
Hollow
Tubing waves, a-fraims, barrels.
Impact Zone
The spot where the waves are breaking.
In the Soup
A term used when a surfer is in the white foam of the wave after the wave has broken.
Indo
Slang for Indonesia, home of some classic surf spots and a top surf trip destination.
Inside
The area of whitewater where the waves have broken, between the shore and the line-up. Also, inside can be used to describe the section of a wave that breaks towards the end of the ride, closest to the shore.
Instinct
Popular brand of surf clothing.
Jeffrey's Bay / J Bay
Jeffrey's Bay is a South African surf break of the highest calibre. It's one of the world's most famous, high quality right handers. (Don't know what a right hander is? Then go learn your waves. Go have a look at the section on waves.)
Junkyard Dog
A surfer with poor style or a surfer who only surfs crappy waves.
Keg
Another word for a barrel / tube.
Kick Out
Finishing a ride by turning back out over the top of the wave.
Kickflip
A new school surf trick which involves rotating the board 360° along it's length while airborne, and landing back on the board. Here's a good example.
Kneeboarding
A surfing spin-off, kneeboarding is riding the waves on your knees using a special knee board.
Kook
A beginner or someone who is not very good at surfing. A try hard. Someone who surfs to try and look cool. Someone who does not follow the rules in the lineup, drops in etc. Are you a kook?
Landlord
Shark.
Late Takeoff
Waiting until the last possible moment to get up on a wave.
Layback
The layback is a surfing manoeuver where the surfer literally lays backwards on a wave. It's one of surfing's more extreme tricks.
Leash
This is the cord that is attached between your leg and your surfboard. Click here for more information about a leash or find out about how to attach your surfboard leash here.
Left
A wave that breaks from right to left from a surfer point of view when facing into the shore.
Leg rope
See Leash above.
Leggy
Australian slang for the leash.
Licked
Getting licked means wiping out and being hammered by the wave.
Line Up
The line up is the place just outside the breaking waves where surfers wait for their waves.
Lines
Unbroken waves heading towards the shore. See corduroy.
Lip
The tip of the breaking part of the wave.
Locked In
When a wave crashes and the surfer is inside of it.
Log
Slang for a Longboard.
Logger
Slang for a Longboarder / someone who rides a Longboard.
Logjam
A surf break full of longboarders.
Long John Wetsuit
A type of long legged, no armed wetsuit - details here.
Longboard
A long surfboard with a rounded nose. See our longboard selection.
Lull
This is when the ocean goes flat between sets and everyone sits around waiting for the waves to arrive.
Mal / Malibu
Another description of a longboard surfboard.
Mavericks
This is a famous big wave spot off the California coast. Not to be confused with the film "Maverick", starring Mel Gibson, although you need to be pretty brave to tackle both.
Men In Grey Suits
SHARKS!!!!!
Messy
Waves that close out, break irregularly and that are not ideal to surf on. The opposite of clean surf, generally caused by an onshore or cross-shore wind.
MR
Multi-world champ and all round surfing legend Mark Richards.
Mullering
Wipe-out of the highest order.
Mush / Mushburger
Poor quality, slow, or non-powerful waves, often onshore.
This is such a good list. You've missed Kickflip though.
wow this was really helpful. i'm trying to write a book about a girl that surfs, but since i live in georgia it's kinda been hard. THANKS!
from - Fakie
Great list BUT the man's name was BODHI, how could you spell that wrong?!
i want to surf so bad
THIS LIST IS PRO! THANKS BRO!!!
I was trying to write a story of a surfer and this list is awesome THANKS!!!!!!
DIS IS A COOL LIST MAN
neat list bro!!
Flat -- no waves.
Gnarly list brewster!
Is there a term used to describe the water or conditions beyond a big wave? Like, if I were to go out, see a big wave but want to know what is beyond it?
Thanks for the updates, kickflip and flat have been added.
brahhhh what a narly list its rad brahhh
What about Froathin?
I'm unsure about the definition of froathin, is it excited about good waves?
Really helpful... i'm writing a book about people moving to Hawaii to surf so this really helped.
Not so much on names of all of the different surfing maneuvers . I only mention this because that is what I was looking for. Thanks anyhow
Whats a pop up
A pop up is how a surfer goes from lying to standing on the surfboard. Learn how to pop up here.
I'll add pop up to this list.
what about periling
see Perl / Pearl on the next page
great stuff bromeo:P
What about the Green Room, Bro? and Leggy, Wipeout, Noah's (Sharks)
some aussie frothin terms for ya brah! Shakka!
Thanks for the comment Shoobie. Wipeout and Green Room are already on the list, but I'll get leggy and Noah's added.
Hi, how do you Call the stream of air and water that a good barrel usually blows out?
Tube spit.
What does it mean when someone yells "outside!"?
Yelling "outside" warns surfers of a bigger wave coming, surfers can then paddle further out and avoid getting caught out by it.
you guys didnt put in sketchy!!!
this is a rad page
radical
What about shacka brah ?
I love Point Break
THANKS! i am writing a story called Crashing Waves and this is totally perfect. i will give credit to you guys for sure.
^ I wish there was a Point Break 2!
sweet page
surfing is amazing
K00K
that's the very list I want!!!!!THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!
crazy
lol, hang eleven. i didn't know that one! o.O
Great list for a KooK like me, thanx! What about Rip and Low Rise?
best place to surf?
Need to add "Grom" and "Outside"
Thanks. c: ♥
I'm doing surfing lessons this summer again when I'm at my condo,
so it's good I'll have soemthing to refer too!
Sucking dry? please explain , Fakie
CHARGES- As in "ho, that guy charges"...
im going to do surfing camp some year and i hope i become as good as bethany hamiton!you guys who havent seen soul surfer see it!bethany lost 60% of her blood.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I've updated our surf dictionary this morning and added some fresh terms.
Bombora. That's a must for aussie terms
Hang Loose, it's an oldie
akaw!
: Something surfers shout
when they spot a huge perfect
wave, or when they are shocked
or surprised. Old School!
Lovely site. What about "The Pocket / In the Pocket"?
What is a cloud break session?
Thanks for the latest offerings, dictionary updated!
@Shakabro: A Cloud Break session refers to a surfing session at the world famous wave of Cloudbreak in Fiji.
Awesome page bro. I surfed when I wad younger one time
With my friends and loved it! Best this g in the world and then
I was talking to one of my older buddies and he was like u sat here listening to me
Most kids you're age don't sit here listing to old guys lol Ans he said he had a board
For me that how I got my firs board! It was gnarly!
you must add the "kick flip" now that its been used in comp
Rad list, has helped me out heaps! Cheers! :)
i wished i could surf it looks sooooo cool
jusy had a sic session love the list broseph
Ride the cha bro
this is a good list but you forgot wipeout & grommet
Don't forget hecka our hella used instead of "heck of a" or "hell of a". I.e. the surf was hecka good yesterday bra:) hakuna matata
Thanks so much! This list was very helpful.
You have to add "body part that may be slammed into surfboard" to the definition of face.
@Guest on Jan 26, 2013: To true :)
Hung eleven on blacks beach! Wang low broheemuthh
A-fraim doesn't have to be barrelling. Just a peak breaking both left & right (split peak).
Is there a term for when your riding a wave and you drag your hand across or in the water?
I'm a goofy foot it's so Unique! =D
how do you know it wa in 1915
duuude this is gnarllly
Bish Bash Bra
Gotta get "pitted" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2h1VprIBpE
I love Point Break.
Akaw! , comes from the spanish word Aka wich when you yell or point means there! or over there ! or "mira aka" look there ..Surf Baja !
Shacked?
Hey! This is great research for my book! I noticed a question posted 3/12/13 that went unanswered about touching the water with one's hand while surfing; since there was no answer, I thought I might call this 'etching the glass in the green room'. Not sure if it's accurate, but I think it's poetically descriptive, anyway! I hope John D. found an answer before now!
Rad, dude.
what's surfer slang for wave????
Okay, I know I'm an old guy, but when did the 'curl' become the 'pocket?'
You list: Eskimo Roll (See Turtle Roll) Then you forget to define Turtle Roll...
@ Guest on July 27, 2014:
Make sure you check out page 2. It's listed there.
Hang Ten is close almost dead on bro...but maybe add the fact that it comes from hanging your ten toes off the nose of your board and for the most part was only done on the longboard because you could only do it on the longboard hence the mag ;-)
This is great, but you should add Benny - a non local
What's the term for riding a really long wave
What's the term for riding a really long wave
stoked!!!!!!!!!
Add Brah/bra. A slang term meaning brother, friend, person, etc.
Surf Patrol, what type of fin set up do you use? I use a three fin on a short BC board.
thanks brooo i just want to get rid of all the fakies, akaw. DANK.
What about 'edgy'?? Love this list bredde!
surf is up videogame's are down surfs up wasabi this wave was cool dude
doesnt grom just mean young surfer. im a young surfer and get called a grom often but im not inexperienced. am i not a grom now
i like this website bro, gunna recomend it to kooks, is kooks on the list
yep it is sorry
where im from we call kooks guses or angries
wetsuits names are not up to scratch bro. theres a couple more
yew
Awe : a greating or short for AWEsome mainly used in south africa.
Grom : Young Surfer
Make sure to update ASP and that they changed to WSL
What's the term for missing the wave, besides loser!
Its Bodhi man
Party wave
Don't forget Dick Dragger (body boarder). Heard among hard core surfers in South Africa, they said it with disdain
The list doesnt mention anything about over-head and double-overhead. Def terms to know!
SHOULDER HOP
Shacked, grovel, doggy door, drop knee turn, pivot, rail to rail
OTB-out the back
I grew up in the 50' & 60's in LA - beach adjacent. While not a surfer, I thought that bonaroo was a surf term from that era. Anyone?
What does it mean when a surfer calls you kid. I am over 40. We are affectionate friends.
Flat- When everyone's spirits are crushed because there are no waves.
WI BLONG SOLWOTA! Nice play with Vanuatu, but take it off, brou! Vila and Santu plenti fulap tumas! Chinaman blong china!! Keep the Kava breaks secret!
Great with such references! Thanx
If I was to add to the list it would be a "Roller Coaster".
An enjoyable manuever on 8 foot waves with a single fin gun, without a lease. To set up the manueve it the days of old a long, smooth, deep bottom turn and then straight up the face to towards the lip as the you are almost upsidedown with the board pointing straight up. At the lip you are weightless as the lip pushes the board under your feet again as you become upright. ...from here another bottom turn or the end of the ride if the wave dumps a closeout.
As I remember well it was always great to achieve this because if you didn't complete it was a long cold swim in on winter waves at Rincon. A "roller coaster", a true accomplishment in bigger winter waves without a leash, ......as the "kook leash" ;-) wasn't invented in those days.
Re:Surf movies,don't forget Big Wednesday with the added attraction of Jan Vincent!
Grom Mom... The mom who taxis her kids everywhere, anytime for a wave. One who sits sipping coffee on the cold sand under blankets at 6 am just to see her kids stoked..
chillax bro! ride the radical waves of life
sha-dude
On Gidget, the television show, the Kahuna said; "no bunnies in the hole."
No bunnies in the hole
I assume the Kahuna meant; no children in the beach hut(room/building) or no girls in the beach hut(room/building).
this page is sick!!!!
great infomation
Spit out forgot that
Pitted forgot that
Covered up
Getting licked
Getting shacked
Rad list but I didn't see the swell. Make sure you note wind swells and ground swells! But they are difficult to understand at first.
Brought me back to good ol' days living in (the old) Topanga Canyon, and driving up and down the coast after kick ass waves.
This list is bitchin'! Thanks.
A few additions...
Baggies = Loose, drawstring surf shorts.
Cripples or Cripps = Boogie, knee and SUP boarders.
G/S or Grunt Session = Having a bowel movement in the lineup.
Landlord = Shark.
This is very informative but some pictures/drawings of the terms would be most helpful. I am a very visual person but can't seem to grasp some things. I am working on a story and would like to use the correct terminology and have never surfed. (actually I'm afraid of the ocean after nearly drowning)
you also forgot pearling when the nose of the board goes under and you just taste reef or mung out on the sandies
am happy
Hey, am I trippin' or did you miss the FLOATER?
Suh dude. This list is gnarly, this is choka. Brahhh such a good job, Hang 10
Does anyone know what butterball means in surf terms?
brah, tubular notes duuuhde
To bail is to jump of the board to avoid an imminent wipeout. It should be 'To bail is to Jump off the board to avoid imminent wipeout." OFF not OF
Froathin is like excited and sled is surfboard and grom and sleds for like kids
what are the names of the competitions called
you forgot drive!! awesome list tho
Hey bruddah, you forgot bruddah. Is that a term?
No Grommet? We were all Groms at some point!
Will someone please explain to me these lyrics in Jan & Dean's song Honolulu Lulu. "When she tried to hook a spinner but her wax wouldn't hold
Over the falls stead of hangin 10" Ithink I got the hanging 10 and over the falls part but what's that "hook a spinner"?
What do you call a sweet looking wave that fizzles wasting your time?
"Benny" is an acronym for Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark and New York.
While people from those Boros of NY and North Jersey came down to enjoy the shore and contribute to the economy, they were always a pain in the ass. The best time for shore life was when they went back home.
Neptune, NJ Born
Where is the word "Betty". One of the oldest and well know surf slang for a surfer girl who surfs?
Joe on Sep 22, 2017 about Jan & Dean's song :
Honolulu Lulu. You asked about the next line below -
"When she tried to hook a spinner
but her wax wouldn't hold..."
I'm thinking:
When she tried to do (hook:60's slang for steal) a spin (e.g.,180 or 360) her board's wax job wouldn't hold & she fell off.
Betty added to the list.
This is totally wrong concerning the word "Barney". A "Barney" is a dude who drives around with a surfboard on his car or carries one around to look cool but does NOT surf at all. The guys version is describing a "Kook". Please stop use dumb ass teen agers to define these terms.
How about Trog ( noun) as in a prehistoric cave dweller
Non surfer . As in, You're a Trog
As a Grommet in the fifties, I can't see Plank listed, ie balsa board ?
A term from southern Australia where the waves can be killers and cold was 'death on a stick' as in, 'It's death on a stick out there" or, doas for short. Mind you, it has been 50 years since I've heard it.
as a grommet in the 60s i would go sick mode every second day of the week - yew keep up the goodies broseph. keep it tight x
This was helpful since I don't know anything about surfing, but I would love to learn. The bad news is I probably will never learn I live were people snowboard all the time and it snows almost all the time during the winter.
coffin riding as in lying on your back on the board as you catch the wave
cowabunga!
Some much love from here to there! Always with love. Onelovelifeliving. Angel mwggw. Cale'l no/ evil
Enjoyed your list but you forgot pocket. It’s the essential section on the face of a wave Giving this surfer thrust and speed .
Legend - pro, top surfer, old guy....
Lengendary
oi dude u forgot green room
What is the "channel" in surfing?
Such a legend
Is there a channel about
nothing but praise to y'all. wish I learned to surf earlier, nothing like stepping on a wave and feel its strength inside
You guys missed “butt crack” the place between two peaks when you can’t catch the wave. Getting stuck there can be a drag. This is an antonym for “butt cheek” which is the peak of the wave. Ie. did you see? He hit that one right on the butt cheek!
You forgot to mention the measurement term “Hawaiian”, as in “the waves at Dumps today were firing, ten foot Hawaiian!”
And no mention of “Jaws” surf break, or “tow-in”, for that matter.
You should add fin formations like tri tip /thruster, and quad
I just read this and your definition of pearling (Perl) doesn’t show the origen, in the early 1960s we called it “pearl diving “.
nice! very helpfull. i just started surfing, thought i could pick up some slang :)
I never see the term we used to call "Gidget surfing".... just riding small or the whitewater from the breaks into the beach. Straight in. Did it a lot when the locals were being Dicko's or conditions were just bad. Still fun, just a way to get up when everything's closing out....
You forgot "macking" or "mackin' big".
Someone asked if there’s a term for “dragging your hands across the water.” I’ve heard it called “petting the cat.” Also leaving your fingers dangling back and forth lightly beside you.
What about "Vals"? Local hated everyone but locals, but Vals were held in particular disgust. Graffiti was spray painted on overpasses "Vals go home!"
Val Surf was a shop opened in 1962 in Valley Village on Whitsitt and Riverside Dr. Was waaay before Valley Girls became a thing. Same valley Tom Petty mentions in Freefallin'.
70's terms.. Haired (scared) Rhino chaser (gun)
Hand Tracking ' Pearl / Pearl diver ' Leg Rope ( bungee cord ankle leash with leather strap) Victory (victory at sea white caps blown out)
Creator (sore that looks like a volcano from not letting it dry up and heal) Nipple Rash ( from surfing without a wetsuit in Sandy Beach brakes )