Add farther outside to the mix. There is no one right answer. But we all know class and stoke and good karma when we see it. And its evil twin, reptilian kook assholery when we see that as well.
What you have there is the fallacy of the false dilemma. Who has priority is far more nuanced and variable based on the situation and all the variables in play. Relying on cut-and-dried "rules" will lead you astray. Don't do it.
If its a point break, or a well defined peak in a beach break, the one closest to the curl has priority. Moreover, if you are paddling and someone paddles behind you and sets him/herself closest to the curl, he/she will have the priority. If they paddle in front of you to set themselves closer to the curl, you still have priority, and the other guy is a jerk.
When you are on a beach break, and the wave can go either to the left or right, the person who stands up first and define the direction has priority on that direction.
If you stand up, and go straight, you are a kook who has priority to go out of the water, sit in the sand and tell everyone about these silly rules.
These were the ISA rules a few years ago, when I was a judge.
this made my night
"If you stand up, and go straight, you are a kook who has priority to go out of the water, sit in the sand and tell everyone about these silly rules."
well look here. if someone who drank too much coffee that morning is constantly juking to get inside of me, taking wave after wave, eventually i'm going to get tired of being polite. if, after letting some guy go three or four times, i decide to paddle in and stand up first then he's going to have to deal with it. i wouldn't drop in in front on someone, but if they drop in behind me that's their choice - and not my problem. share the friggin break. that's one of the "rules", too.
Oh man, when I've been waiting patiently for a half hour for my turn and then then when I get ready to drop and some weasel paddles around me and then drops WITH attitude. OR when the outside is a soft takeoff and you drop in right next to the curl, then a couple seconds later some guy appears from the other side just because he wanted to try so hard to make a right a left or a left a right, then that makes me angry as well.
Luckily this is pretty rare. No one even mentioned the Lindamar wrong direction takeoff. It's like going straight, only taking it to the next level. That's one of my faves, cause it's usually someone on something quite large with many layers of glass and they're unsteady and obviously unpredictable.
I'm just going to stick with gianmarcol. That's fair and I can follow it even if you don't.
What about proximity to the beach? I always thought that if you are a local and live at or near the beach you have right of way over someone who has to cross a bridge or go through a tunnel to get to the beach?
Everyone has to learn. So sending the straight rider to the beach is a little harsh (although pretty funny). If you go straight you need to be on the inside whitewash or go to LM at 11:00 AM on Saturday. Other than that I agree with gianmarcol. Be aware of who is around you. If you are going to drop in make sure there isn’t already someone on the wave or set to take off at the peak. If there is pull out or make sure that your ride does not interfere with their ride. Above all stay off my wave haole!
Proximity to Beach? Are we supposed to fly a flag off our wetsuits specifying our neighborhood? I think what you meant to say was the advantage of Local knowledge... If some guy is sitting in place, not paddling around anyone, with a shit eating grin on his face watching everyone else scrap for the discards, then magically the set of the day appears and he is near perfect position, it is his. Well played sir.
I also got yelled at for the first time for being "too agro" on a slow day. Really? I get position, not taking every wave and being respectful at a famous Hooked point break, and I get a bomb on the outside, and then YOU drop in on me cause there are "so few" good ones? After a few polite "hep! heps!" on the face and a :-| face paddling back out, I get yelled back at? What are thoughts on sharing good waves on shitty days?
The "Bill of Rights and Lefts" from Surfline. Pretty good info:
Don't drop in on or snake your fellow surfer. In other words, do not catch a wave once another surfer has claimed it by being in a deeper or more effective position at takeoff.
Dropping in and snaking are the two most common ways in which we blow each other's fun in the surf. Both are usually caused by greed, and involve a ride-crippling interference by one surfer on another.
The drop-in happens like this: Surfer A is closest to the curl, paddles into and catches the wave, only to find that Surfer B -- the dropper-in -- has also caught the wave, from further out on the shoulder. Surfer A is then blocked from making a successful ride. The two surfers may collide, accidentally or deliberately, but it's unlikely that either will enjoy the wave to its fullest. At some critical surf spots, Surfers A and/or B may even be placed in physical danger as a result.
Drop-ins can and do happen by accident, as well as through frustration and confusion in a crowded lineup. To avoid dropping in, practice the three Ls: Look, Listen, and Learn. Always Look to your inside toward the curl before committing to the wave, just to make sure nobody's already in there. Listen for the common warning - a hoot or whistle from the surfer in position. Learn from your errors - if you drop in, make sure you're off the wave as soon as possible, say sorry, and make sure the other rider's OK before going on with your session.
A more subtle, yet potentially more offensive form of ride interference is the snake. This move is very bad etiquette, a greedy exploitation of the generally understood drop-in rule, and is usually practiced by competent and aggressive surfers. Snaking works like this: Surfer A, in position and having waited his or her turn, begins to paddle for the wave. Surfer B (the snake) waits until A's focus is purely on catching the wave, then makes a quick move to the inside and takes off, claiming the wave. If both surfers end up riding, it appears A has dropped in and is in the wrong, yet both surfers, and usually most onlookers, know otherwise.
Snaking can be distinguished from dropping in, in that it's rarely accidental. The result, however, is less predictable, and if A is also a competent surfer, bad feelings and even arguments may occur. If you're being snaked repeatedly by a single surfer, don't react -- it's unlikely to be personal. Simply move to another area of the break, putting yourself and the snake out of each other's wave-catching rhythm. If you find yourself being persistently snaked by a range of surfers, you may be sitting too wide of the takeoff to fully claim the wave; paddle deeper and make your intention clearer.
Special note to beginners: You may occasionally note surfers breaking these drop-in codes, riding around each other, and grinning away in the process -- obviously enjoying the wave share. Very likely they're friends or acquaintances who've taken off on the same wave deliberately, or who're making the best of an accidental drop-in. This should NOT be a signal to you that dropping in is just fine at that particular spot.
then there is always the time when you are being real polite and letting someone you do not know go for a few waves and because the tide is rising and things are getting a little soft he misses them. at that point all bets are off and it is the first on the feet rule...
