Surfing - The Culture

Surf Speak

: Congratulations - you are about to become a surfer!
: Surfing is one of the most fun and relaxing activities anyone can take up, and Playa Dominical and its surrounding beaches are the ideal place to learn. So stretch out your muscles, wax up your stick, and get ready to be stoked!
General Surfing Information
Waves: Ocean waves are formed by storm systems out at sea, or by localized onshore winds. Waves traveling from a long distance away are called groundswells, and travel across the ocean in orderly groups called sets, until breaking on an exposed stretch of coastline. Wind swells, on the other hand, are created by strong onshore winds that create waves traveling in more tightly packed and less organized sets. Wind swells can produce good waves, but usually have smaller waves than groundswells, with much choppier water.
Lefts and Rights: Every wave that "peels" (goes sideways down the beach for a long way before shutting down) goes either left or right. The way to tell the difference between the two is simple - when you are lying down on your surfboard, paddling into a wave, you're going to drop into the wave and angle either towards your right or your left. When seen from the beach, someone going left will be going towards your right. Everyone has their preference as to which foot goes forward - if you put your left foot in front and your right foot on the tail, you're a regularfoot. Right foot forward, and you're a goofyfoot. So, if you're a regularfoot, and you drop into a wave and go right, you'll be going frontside - facing the wave. Drop into a left, and you're going backside. For goofies, it's left -frontside, and right - backside.

Beachbreaks, pointbreaks, and reefbreaks

The types of waves that can be surfed are called beachbreaks, pointbreaks, and reefbreaks. These waves all have their own characteristics - Beachbreaks tend to be common and consistent, pointbreaks offer long, perfectly shaped waves, and reefbreaks are where advanced surfers go in search of the best barrels. Each wave also has it's drawbacks, though - reefbreaks usually have uneven and/or sharp bottoms composed of rock or coral, pointbreaks can get very crowded and are generally not that consistent, and beachbreaks can be unforgiving, with difficult paddle-outs. But drawbacks aside, all these types of waves can offer excellent surf, and as any long-time surfer will tell you, the rewards of surfing far outweigh the hazards.

Types of waves

How a wave will break depends mainly on four factors - swell, wind, bottom contour, and tides. To have good surf, the first thing you need is a swell hitting the beach. You also need good winds - offshore or light side/onshore, a good bottom shape whether it's sand or reef, and the right tide. Every surf spot has a tide that works best - low, medium, or high, and it's best to ask locals which tide is best for the spot you plan to surf. Waves can either be "mushy" - breaking slowly with a lip that just crumbles over when the wave breaks, or "hollow" - fast-breaking with a lip that pitches out forcefully into the wave's trough. Or, it can be sort of a combination of the two - medium-powered waves that have a few barrels here and there. Getting barreled is the most thrilling aspect of surfing, and it is a fact, proven in a Surfer Magazine poll, that most advanced surfers consider riding the tube to be better than... well, you know.

Danger Zones

Rip Currents

Beachbreak rip currents, or rips, are dangerous to those unfamiliar with how they work, however to those who follow a few basic rules, rips are nothing to fear. Most surfers after time will learn to paddle out right in the middle of a big rip current, in order to get a "free ride" out to the break. Here is some information about rips, and how to deal with them:

Try to always go surfing with others in the water. If you get to your surf spot and there's nobody out, don't paddle out unless the surf is small and easy, and you are very confident in your ability to get out of trouble.
When you get to the beach, spend at least 10-15 minutes watching the ocean, searching for rip currents. It's not easy to spot the rips when the surf is small, because there's not much current moving around; on the other hand, it's fairly easy to spot the rips when larger waves are breaking. Look for areas where you can see water flowing out to sea, starting right off the beach. Rips always begin by a group of waves breaking and pushing water up the beach. Waves almost always travel in groups, and these groups are referred to by surfers as "sets". When a set of waves breaks on a beach, they force water up the beach and make it actually a bit higher than sea level. The water has to get back out to sea, so what it does is follow the path of least resistance. When the water starts to flow back out to sea, it will follow the deep areas on the bottom, created by sandbars. The water, now being higher than sea level, will flow sideways down the beach, until it finds a deep channel in the sandbar, and then head out to sea. This is where trouble starts for those who have no knowledge of how to deal with rips, and people who are prone to panic. Always remember - if you enter the water and you feel water flowing by your legs, parallel to the beach, it's actually part of a rip current, and will soon change direction and head out to sea.
If you're unsure of where the rips are, or if you have any concerns about safety, don't hesitate to ask a local surfer for advice.
When you do decide on the spot you want to surf, look back up at the beach and pick some kind of landmark, like a house or a tree, and surf in front of it. If you look up after you've paddled out and see that you're no longer out front out your marker, you know that you've moved down the beach.
Again - when first entering the ocean, feel for the direction the current is traveling in, using your legs. If there's a lot of current flowing sideways down the beach, it's probably moving towards a rip current, and will eventually change direction and head out to sea.
The first thing to do if you get caught in a rip current and want to get out of it, is to simply point the nose of your surfboard towards the beach, shift your weight towards the rear of the board, hold on tight, and wait for a wave to hit you from behind, pushing you in to the beach. The purpose of shifting your weight back on the surfboard is to keep the board from nosediving, and for added stability. If you find yourself in the "impact zone" - the area where waves are pitching over and breaking - try your best to hold on to your surfboard, unless the wave is too large and powerful and you have no choice but to ditch your board. If you have to ditch, make sure you get a good breath, and then calmly slip off your board and swim under the wave. If you can, look behind you first to make sure that you're board won't run into anyone. When the wave hits you'll feel it pull on your surfboard, and your leash will stretch tight and begin to pull you by the ankle. It's very important to relax your body when you feel this happen, because if you're tight, the added tension can break your leash.
If the rip pulls you all the way to the outside break, you've got two things going for you: you have plenty of time to relax and assess the situation, and you should easily be able to find help from other surfers. If you can't find anyone else in the water to assist you, look towards land and try to get someone's attention. If you have to get in without any assistance, the most important thing for you to do is to remain as calm as possible, and try to time the sets so you'll have a good shot at getting in without being pummeled by a set wave. Wait on the outside until a big set comes, wait until the last wave in the set breaks, and then paddle at medium speed in towards the beach. Don't paddle too hard at this point or you'll get tired out - not a good thing when you're in the impact zone. Eventually you'll get in closer to the beach, and a wave will push you the rest of the way to shore. When you are going in, try to make sure that you aren't heading straight back into the same rip that got you in trouble to begin with.
If you do get hit by a wave and held underwater, never ever panic and scratch hard for the surface! It doesn't matter if you got just a 1/4 lungful of air, you'll always be alright if you just simply relax. Here's something to consider: when big-wave surfers take a wipeout on a 30' or 40' wave, like Jaws in Maui, they're almost never underwater for more than 20 seconds. A 20-second holddown would be considered an extremely long time by any experienced surfer. On waves that beginners are likely to ride, from knee high to slightly overhead, wipeouts are nothing to fear at all - even on a powerful wave, you'll be underwater for no more than five to ten seconds. It is a natural reaction to panic and try as hard as you can to get up to the surface, and every second seems to feel like ten, but once you learn to relax, you'll find that being held underwater by a wave is not that bad.
Always remember - your surfboard is not just a toy that's fun to ride, it is an excellent lifesaving device and your primary means of getting out of trouble should a bad situation arise.
If you get caught in a rip current and you lose your surfboard, DON'T PANIC!!! As long as you remain calm, you'll be alright. The first thing to do is to look around for other surfers to help you - wave your arms, yell a little bit (not too much or you'll run out of breath), basically just do whatever you can to get people's attention . Other surfers that see someone in trouble will always, in our experienced opinions, paddle over to help you. When approached by someone, try your best to be calm, and ask him or her if you can use their surfboard to get in. It's very important to remain as calm as possible - the person trying to help you is concerned for their own safety as well, and may just paddle away from you if you're panicking and trying to grab onto them. So try your best to be polite if someone tries to assist you, and don't worry about them after you get the surfboard - just shift your weight back on the surfboard, hold on very tightly, and let a wave push you in.
If you can't find anyone to help you, then you'll have to get to the beach yourself. The basic rule for escaping a rip current is one that most people already know - to escape a rip, swim parallel to the beach until you reach the edge of the rip, then once you're out of the current you can swim back in to the beach. This information is indeed known by most, however keeping cool and following the advice is not as easy as you might think. The temptation is always to swim straight back to the beach, and this is why people drown in rip currents. So, if you do find yourself stuck in a rip current, again the first and foremost rule is not to panic. Keep your cool, and try to figure out which side of the rip you're closer to. Once you know the direction you want to swim, start swimming at a conservative pace towards the edge, parallel down the beach. You do not want to fight the current in any way, so you should be swimming down the beach, while at the same time letting yourself be pulled out farther by the rip. This will make your direction of travel at about a 45-degree angle out to sea. Once you reach the edge of the rip, it'll feel different - the water will usually be slightly warmer than inside the rip, there will be less choppy water and foam, and the water will usually be much cleaner. Once you do get to the edge of the rip, don't just swim straight in - if you do, you may get pulled right back into the same rip that got you in trouble to begin with. Instead, swim away from the rip, while at the same time swimming it to the beach. Again, your path shouldn't be straight in, but at an angle of around 45 degrees. Eventually you'll get far enough in towards shore that you'll be able to touch bottom, and then it's fairly easy to walk the rest of the way in.
Point breaks usually have a current that moves up or down the point, and not straight out to sea. Currents at pointbreaks can be strong, especially after a big set rolls through. When a set breaks at a pointbreak, the breaking waves tend to create a current that travels down the point, in the direction surfers are riding. Tides are a large factor in how strong a pointbreak current can get, and it's best to ask a local if you're unsure of the direction of the current. Also, there may be a specific entry and/or exit zone at a pointbreak, for example a patch of sand in between rocks, or an area where the waves are not breaking strong, allowing for an easier paddle out.
Reef breaks are the most dangerous types of waves, though they generally offer the best tuberides of any kind of wave. They are for surfers who have mastered the basics, and want to move up to a more challenging skill level. Reef break bottoms are composed mainly of rock and/or coral, are usually uneven, and may be jagged and sharp, especially in the case of coral. Reef break cuts should always be cleaned thoroughly, as they will almost always become infected if left untreated. Professional surfers use the lemon treatment - cut a lemon in half, and rub it vigorously into the wound. Hurts horribly all right, but it is the best way to sterilize the wound. Reef break currents depend mainly on three factors - swell size, swell direction, and bottom contour. The shape of the reef is what determines where the currents will be, and swell size and direction determines the strength of the current. When the surf is up, the current tends to get stronger, and when it's flat, weaker. Reef breaks usually have a very specific entry and exit point, and it's very important to use these spots to get in and out of the water. When surfing a reef break for the first time, watch the waves for at least 30 minutes, and talk to locals about the spot. Ask for any tips they might have - most surfers will be glad to take a few minutes to point out the places to surf and the places to avoid. Observe where most of the surfers are entering and exiting the ocean, and always use the same location. Be aware that every reefbreak has it's resident expert surfers who will know the wave very well, and if you see them paddle out in a spot that everyone else avoids, well then you need to avoid it too, and use the spot everyone else is using. Once again, ask a local surfer if you're unsure.
All strong currents can be dangerous, however most injuries are actually caused by other surfers. Accidents with other people and their surfboards are common, but if you follow a few basic rules outlined in the following section then you shouldn't have any problems.

Surfing Etiquette

Having a good time while you surf doesn't just mean to ride the best waves you can - it means enjoying some time in the ocean with your friends, riding a few waves and just having fun. The best surfer in the water isn't the one you see riding each wave perfectly; it's simply the one who's having the best time. Of course, it doesn't hurt to surf well too...

Drop Ins

When you see a wave you want to catch, and paddle over to it and take off, you want to make sure that nobody is already up and riding. If you take off on a wave in front of someone, you're basically stealing the wave, as the surfer who was already up and riding has to give up the wave or risk having an accident. This is the most common offense in the water, and it's a fact that nobody likes to have their wave stolen from them. You can also think of it this way: Imagine you're taking off on a wave - you've made the drop, and now you're angling across the wave's face, or going "down the line", when someone takes off on the wave, right in front of you, nearly causing an accident. They keep riding down the line, while you wipe out and roll along in the whitewater. That would be a blatant drop-in. The easiest way to avoid drop-ins is simple - stay away from crowds. Crowds tend to get competitive, and there are always those in the water who don't care so much about having fun as they do about showing off and catching all the waves they can. If you get dropped in on, the best thing to do is to consider it an accident, and not worry about it. If the same person drops in on you more than once, you might want to say something about it - nothing much, just a "hey dude, I was behind you on that wave" is usually enough to stop it from happening again. Of course, paddling away from the hazard is always the best option. There will be times when you drop in on another surfer by accident. It's no big deal, everyone does it once in a while. Just make sure to apologize, and try to give a wave to them if the opportunity presents itself.

Crowding

Besides looking for rip currents, another thing you want to spend some time on the beach looking for are good sandbars. Of course you can't see the sand itself, so what you look for are areas where surfers congregate, which will usually have better formed and pealing waves. Sandbars are what make good beachbreak surf; a shallow sandbar with a deep area on either side will usually produce good waves. The best sandbar will almost always be the most crowded one, so it's a good idea to look for a sandbar that still has decent waves, while having a smaller crowd. Never fall victim to the tendency many surfers have, which is to not really check which sandbars are good, but to simply paddle right out into the biggest crowd they can find. The reason surfers paddle out in crowds is simple - the belief is that if that's where the crowd is, that's where the waves must be best! That may be true, but if you're surfing in a crowd, you're not likely to get many good waves. On the other hand, if you paddle out on a sandbar that has slightly lower quality waves but also has less people, you're bound to get more waves and have a better time. Also, if you're going surfing and you notice that there's not many people out, say just a few people on a decent sandbar, don't paddle out right where they are - there's plenty of waves around, and no need to intrude on others. Instead, look for your own sandbar, paddle out there and have some fun.

Enjoy Yourself!

The most important thing you can do for both yourself and others in the water is to simply enjoy yourself. It's easy to have a good time in the surf, but everyone does have a bad day every once in a while. If you find yourself getting frustrated, ask yourself why. Are you missing waves that you're trying to catch, and wiping out on the ones you do manage to get into? Maybe someone has dropped in on you a few times, or hit you with their surfboard and didn't apologize. Try to always stay in a relaxed frame of mind, and encourage others to do the same. Share waves, smile, and give a kind word to both friends and strangers alike. Hoot for others when you see them get a good wave, and soon you'll hear other surfers hooting for you on your good ones.

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