Good Karma while surfing leashless

That's very cool of him...especially at a locals' spot like that. I surfed leashless once on an easy day at a safe spot figuring I could do so without issue. After my 2nd bale (and paddle to shore), I went back to the vehicle to fetch the leash for my master...all the while thinking to myself "WTF was I thinking...I'm a tool". Learned my lesson and won't go leashless anymore.

very cool indeed...i always try and help someone as well and grab their board for them as well regardless of their surf craft.........although i gave up riding leashless years ago after i had an incident. i was surfing cocoa beach fl on a 2 ft day about 250 yards from shore, i lost my board and the beach was pretty empty except for a small girl and her father wading in knee deep water with their backs to ocean........dont you know that board, like a heat seeking scud hit that little girl ..........no real harm done but boy did i fell like an ass and pretty damn lucky her father didnt thump me.......needless to say i always wear a leash nowadays.

Thats nice to hear although I was taught that when riding a longboard one should ALWAYS go leashless. Its part of the dance...

@ncalsurfer, do you get involved in that Longboard Classic contest in SC? Looks like the perfect board for it ; - ) Good for you not using a leash too.

I sometimes feel that when a person first gets into surfing they should use a heavy log/Longboard, no leash, and no wetsuit for a year. That's how I started, but the crowds and equipment have come so far over the decades, best to make it safe for all in the line ups.

There are waves in California where it's frown upon to wear a leash. The people who fall have to swim. It opens up the lineup.

I understand the concept of going leashless and also aware of the etiquette of some beaches such as the S***** cliffs in SD. But lets say for argument sake, my board gets away (and it will eventually no matter who you are) and hits someone paddling out, say a proponent of going leashless, is that person going to give me a smile and a shaka for going leashless after they get steamrolled from my 25 pound volan clothed longboard? Probably not. Unfortunatley people frown upon a lot in the surfing world from the kind of board you ride, to car you drive, to the neighborhood you live in, to where you were born and so on and so forth..........the 4 rules I abide by are posted at steamer's lane and to hell with the rest.

@Kma, You read my mind! The wave I was referring to is in that area but it's not a longboard wave. At a spot where a majority of people don't wear a leash, isn't assumed that there will be some loose boards? Your hypothetical assumes the opposite. Were there functioning line ups with waves ridden before leashes?

Sure but generally there was a lot less people surfing back then before leashes. (except for places like malibu). I dont really care if you go leashless or not. I've done both and now choose to wear a leash these days and wont be pressured by others to surf as they would choose for me to surf. I usually only catch six waves or so in session and then call it quits. My first few waves of the session are almost always my best ones. I don't paddle battle or constantly jockey for position, and always try to let a few waves pass even if I'm in position. In my opinion, how someone conducts themselves in the water says a lot more than whether they wear a leash or not. Would you rather surf with someone that constantly jockeyed for position and paddled for every set wave and was leashless or someone that showed a little aloha and wore a leash?

"I dont really care if you go leashless or not."

Oh no, the leash issue is once again...unleashed. I thought the only leashless ones left were the "old school" ideologues on logs and the occasional hipster sportin a retro fish. Sure, lineups stay a bit more crowded now without those swimmimg for their boards like back in the day. But the safety aspect of the leash is obvious, and the less consequential and increased risk taking that a leash affords has elevated performance as much as the tri fin short board has. Personally, rather surf than swim....a no-brainer. The only issue I have is calling it Steamer's Lane:)

My dog knows what she should and shouldn't do off leash.