Glossary of surfing

Glossary of surfing

A

Aerial: A trick where the board takes off from the lip of a wave and after traveling lands back on the face of the wave and continuing…

A-Frame: When a wave breaks and creates an A effect with both a right and left wave breaking at the same time.

Aloha: In the Hawaiian language it means affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. It also has come to be used as an English greeting to say hello, also used by surfers.

A.S.P.: ASP stands for Association of Professional Surfing, established in 1982.

B

Back side: Refers to the position in which you are facing the wave. Surfing backside means that the posterior portion of your body is facing the wave face.

Beach break:  Waves breaking on a sand bottom beach.

Beach Boys: A popular American rock band (formed by Brian Wilson) from Southern California, reflecting a youth surfing culture and who promoted surfing worldwide.

Backdoor:  Name of the right breaking wave at Pipeline, on the North Shore of Oahu, HAWAII; basically it’s the reference for all the right waves in the world and it’s called “backdoor” because you enter the TUBE from the back, i.e. from behind the peak.

Baja: Mexican surf spot that is very popular among southern Californian surfers and others.  

Biarritz: French town on the Atlantic Ocean, where many Italian and European surfers go during their summer holidays.  

Big Wednesday: A cult movie (1978) directed by John Milius, that made surfing popular worldwide.  

Body Board: A short, soft foam board used for bodyboarding. It’s ideal for all ages, and it’s great fun.

Bottom: The bottom part of a surfboard, the bottom part of a wave.  

C

Channel: A trench between sand banks or reefs. Often associated with a strong current. Channels are also the design feature of a surfboard to guide water along its underside.

Cheyne Horan: An Australian pro surfer, a legend, who won second place at the ASP in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982.  

Classic: Perfect surfing conditions.

Close out: When a wave does not break in any direction but just breaks all at once and doesn't allow for anywhere to surf.

Coral reef: A mound or ridge of living coral and other organisms that create the peeling effect on such waves.

Carroll Tom: An Australian surfer, two times world champion, who was popular in the ‘80s for his surfing skills and for riding big Hawaiian waves, especially Pipeline.  

Curren Tom: A Californian surfer, 3 times world title holder. He’s still considered one of the best surfers in the history of surfing.

Cut back: An S maneuver to turn back into the breaking portion of the wave to gain speed for other maneuvers.

D

Delaminations: They are basically an air bubble or soft spot that appears under the board's surface. They are usually caused by a small hold in the outer glass that allows water to seep into the blank underneath. Can spell doom for the board if left untreated. 

Deep inside: Riding deep inside tubes.

Deck: Top part of a surfboard.

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.

Duke dive: A method for getting through a broken or large wave without being washed towards the shore. Basically, pushing the surfboard and one's body under the wave, like ducks do when they dive. 

E

Endless Summer: A movie directed by Bruce Brown (1964), in which two California surfers follow summer around the world, looking for perfect waves. 

F

Fin: Fins are found at the bottom of a surfboard to make it stable. 

Flat: When there are no waves whatsoever.

Floater: Modern frontside or backside maneuver that involves "floating" over the broken part of a wave and re-entering the more ridable crest.

Freeth George: An Irish - Hawaiian surfer (1883 - 1919) who is often credited as being the father of modern surfing.  

Frontside: Surfing 'frontside' means that the anterior portion of your body is facing the wave face.

G

Glass: Glassing is the process of pulling fiberglass cloth over a surfboard.

Glassy: A very favorable, windless surf condition in which the texture of the ocean surface is ultra-smooth, like glass.

Gnarly: Heavy, intense waves or situations.

Goofy foot: When a surfer rides with their right foot forward.

Grab rail: When a surfer grabs the outside portion of the surfboard rail while performing a maneuver or commonly seen while surfing backside in a barrel.

Green room: The inside of a tube.

Grommet: Young surfer. Sometimes shortened to “grom”. Can also refer to children in general, not just those who surf.

Gun: A long narrow board designed for surfing big waves.

H

Hang five: A longboarding trick in which the toes of one foot are curled around the nose of the surfboard.

Hang loose: A Hawaiian term; "Hang Loose” or "Shocka" is used as a non verbal expression or greeting to tell the recipient that everything will be OK, Relax. 

Hang ten: An advanced longboarding trick in which the toes of both feet are curled around nose of the surfboard.

Haole: Hawaiian term whose original meaning was "foreigner".

Hawaii: It’s basically surf heaven. The Hawaiian Islands (Hawaiian: Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands: Oahu , Maui , Kauai ,Big Island, Molokai, Lanai. Captain James Cook visited the islands in 1778 and named them the "Sandwich Islands"; in 1959 they became the 50^th state of the United States of America.

Head high: A term used to describe wave size. Roughly 6-8 feet.

Heat: During a surf competition two or more surfers compete in each “heat”.

Hossegor: A French town north of Biarritz; one of the best beach breaks in the world, it has legendary, perfect tubes. Many surf brands, such as Rip Curl and Billabong Europe are headquartered in Hossegor. 

I

Impact zone: The zone in the surfing lineup where the set waves break and make it difficult to paddle. This isn't the best place to hang out!

Inside: The inside section to where waves are breaking, this is closest to the beach with surfable waves.

I.S.A.: International Surfing Association. It’s an international organization that has been running biennial competitions for professional surfers since several decades.  

J

J-Bay: Jeffrey 's Bay shortened; it’s a South African surf break of the highest caliber. It's one of the world's most famous, high quality right handers.

K

Kahanamoku Duke: (1890 – 1968) a Hawaiian swimmer and surfer, credited with spreading the sport of surfing in California at the beginning of the century and in Australia in 1915. He won a gold medal in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm and in Belgium in 1920.

L

Lacanau: A small French town near Bordeaux on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s renown because it was the first European town that hosted the ASP Championship.   

Late take off: Taking off in the non-critical part of the wave and catching the broken part of the wave.

Leash: The cord, consisting of rubber and rope, that connects the board to the surfer.

Line up: This is where the waves consistently break and where most of the surfers sit and wait for the set waves to come in.

Lip: The breaking crest at the very top of the wave that has not fully broken yet.

Local: Locals who regularly surf a specific surf spot.

Localism: Term given to hostility displayed by local surfers to surfers visiting what the locals consider to be their break. The hostility can range from verbal abuse in the line up to physical violence.

Longboard: A longer surfboard (9 ft/2.7 m or more); longboards have been used since the 1940s. Sometimes the term is incorrectly used for boards of 8 feet or more.

Lopez Gerry: A Hawaiian surfer, also called Mr. Pipeline, who became popular for his appearance in the movie “Big Wednesday” and for his legendary house, which was right in front of the spot. 

M

Mavericks : This is a famous big wave spot off the California coast.

Morey Boogie: The original bodyboard invented by Tom Morey in the ‘70s.

MundaKa: Considered by many the best surf spot in Europe. It’s located near Bilbao and has long, perfect left-hand barrels.  

N

Natural foot : When a surfer rides with their left foot forward (also see Regular Foot).

Noll Greg: Nicknamed "Da Bull" in reference to his physique and way of "charging" down the face of a wave, he is an American pioneer of big wave surfing and is also acknowledged as a prominent longboard shaper. Noll became known for his exploits in large Hawaiian surf on the North Shore of Oahu. He first gained a reputation in November 1957 after surfing Waimea Bay.

North Shore: the north shore of Oahu, Hawaiian Islands; it’s full of perfect surf spots and produces some of the biggest waves on the planet.

Nose: The front of the board.

O

Off the lip: A re-entry. Turning the board quickly off the top of the wave to come back down into the face of the wave.

Offshore: This is when the wind at a surf break is blowing off the shore ; It makes for ideal surfing conditions.

Onshore: This is when the wind is blowing towards the land, spoiling the waves. Always remember; offshore good, onshore bad!

Overhead: A term used to describe wave size. Roughly 8-10 feet.

P

Pintail: A very narrow, nearly pointed, tail. Pintails are used almost exclusively on big wave gun surfboards.

Pipeline: Pipeline is a world famous surf spot on the North Shore of Oahu so known because it lays down tubed waves like pipe being laid down. A very dangerous spot.

Point Break: A cult movie (‘90s).

Potter Martin: A British surfer (born in 1965). He was World champ in 1989 and was popular in the ‘80s for his radical surfing moves.

Pope’s living room: The inside of a tube. The same as green room.

Q

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R

Rail: The edge of a surfboard.

Reef break: When set waves come toward the beach and break further out as a result of a reef under the water. Most reef breaks are a combination of rock and reefs that create the peeling effect on these such waves.

Reentry: Turning on the lip of the wave to come back down into the face of the wave.

Regular foot: When a surfer rides with their left foot forward.

Richards Mark: Australian surfer, 4-time world champion (1979 – 1982); a legend…

Right: When a wave breaks from left to right from the surfer's point of view.

Rocker: The longways curvature of the underside of a board. More rocker means a more curved board, less means a flatter board. Generally a flatter board goes faster, but some curve is needed to stop the nose digging into the water, or to "fit" the curve of the wave.

Roundhouse cutback: A complete 180-degree directional change in which the surfer turns from the shoulder all the way back into the curl or whitewater of the breaking wave, before completing the ride. A very advanced maneuver, which is difficult to complete if enough speed isn't carried throughout the entire 180-degree turn. A roundhouse cutback is usually complemented by a foam bounce recovery off the approaching whitewater.

Round tail: Round tail of a surfboard.  

S

Secret spot: A surf spot that’s kept secret. 

Section: A segment of a total wave.

Session: The time you spend surfing.

Set: A group of waves, usually large, that come in from the "outside." Surfers usually paddle towards the outside (towards the horizon) when they spot a good set.

Shaka brah: It’s a common greeting gesture. It is often associated with Hawaii. It consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while keeping the three middle fingers curled, and raising the hand as in salutation with the back of the hand facing the person that is being greeted; it means hi, how’s it going, etc.

Shaper: The person who shapes a surfboard.

Shore break: Waves that break very close to the shore or on the shore.

Shorty: A summer wetsuit with short sleeves and pants. 

Shoulder: The end section of the wave that has yet to break or be ridden.

Skimboard: A small, flat, wooden or fiberglass board used to glide across the water's surface.

Slash: An extreme maneuver that entails executing a radical cutback.

Slater Kelly: A pro surfer, born in Florida, 9-time world champion (a record!!) and the youngest to win the title. He’s one of the most talented surfers in the world.  

Spot: Where the best waves break.

Snaking or to Snake a Wave: To “steal” a wave. The surfer closest to the breaking portion of the wave gets to surf that specific wave. Taking off in front of that surfer is referred to as snaking and shouldn't be done.

Sponger: A body boarder, soft board or body surfer.

Stick: Another term for a surfboard.

Stoked: To be very happy and excited. Surfers are usually very stoked after a good wave or an awesome session of surfing.

Stringer: This is the bit of wood that runs up through the length of your surfboard.

Swell: Swell or groundswell refers to solid, real waves.

T

Take off: The point when you drop into the wave and are about to start your ride.

Tomson Shaun: South African surfer who won the world title in 1977 and revolutionized the way of riding inside tubes in the ‘70s.   

Tube: The tube of the wave where it pitches outward and creates a spherical tube in the wave where you can get covered by the wave.

U

Ulluwatu: It’s one of a large number of quality Indonesian surf breaks.

V

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W

Waimea Bay: A legendary bay on the North Shore of Oahu, which produces some of the biggest waves on the planet.

Wax: It’s used to prevent your feet from slipping off your board.

Wetsuit: A neoprene (rubber) garment used for surfing in winter or when it is cold. Originally invented by Jack O'Neill, founder of a famous surfing brand, O'Neill wetsuits.

Whitewater: The white foam part of the wave that occurs after the wave has broken.

Wipeout : Falling off your board is referred to as a wipe-out.

X

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Y

Young Nat: An Australian surfer whose nickname was "The Animal" due to his aggressive attitude; he was world surfing champion in 1966.

Z