Back at it again with the white Vans! Remember that meme? That’s me; back with another Surf Rule.
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This one came into effect for myself today, so it’s really fresh. You’ve surely heard the saying “never drive away from surf”. While this does hold true, it’s not an official rule. The reason being that your local may have surf, but you might be able to drive around the bend to find something better and less crowded. Though it doesn’t always work, it is okay to drive away from surf, sometimes.
What is not okay is to drive away from surf, and then return. That’s the rule;
DO NOT DRIVE AWAY FROM SURF, ONLY TO RETURN.
Why? Well, for one, it’s a waste. Play it out – you get to the beach and it looks like shit. Maybe the tide’s too high for this spot, but just over at the jetty it can hold better. So you drive the 10 or so minutes to find that the jetty is flat, it’s not taking the swell. Are you really going to drive the 10 minutes straight back to the same spot you just left? No, you are not. Because that’s Rule Number Four.
Also, it’s a bit embarrassing. Like “fuck! Why didn’t I just paddle out in the first place?” And then when you do that, you get yourself into the habit of just paddling out as soon as you get to the beach. Now that is no good either, because you never really surf any other waves. It’s lose-lose.
And lastly, it bugs everyone. It’s not cool. When you leave, that’s one less person clogging up the lineup. We’re all stoked when you leave. But when you return, that is just rude. Why did you come back? The ocean knows that you left this spot in search of something better. Don’t expect to get any sick ones out there. Surfers Karma.
Cheers,
hwilsin
Drew Stanfield