🏄‍♀️ "Surfing is ruined" or why surfers are so angry 😤

👋 Happy “It’s almost the weekend”! We’ve got a bumper edition for you this week: lots of topics, shorter stories. Let’s see how you like it!

🏄‍♀️ Let’s surf:

• Surf aggro—why are surfers so angry? 😡

• Everything I’ve learned about surfing in 15+ years 🧠

• The North Shore of Scotland: Thurso East 🌊

• Pearling sounds much better than nosediving 😬

• Good news for dogs, bad—for beginners 🐶

• When you’re a beginner, but shortboarding is life 🏄‍♀️

• Fix your pop-up and hip mobility with some yoga 🧘‍♀️

^{SURFODRAMA #1}

 😱 Surf aggro—why are surfers so angry?

It’s been a rough week for beginner surfers and kooks—alike.

First, we heard that beginners are to be outlawed at Cloud 9 in Siargao. Then, some pro surfer dudes on a podcast lamented the death of surf etiquette. And deep in the underbelly of surf culture (a.k.a. the comments sections of surf mags), the crowd rejoiced—serving up the usual “surfing is ruined” and anti-beginner rhetoric.

So yeah. I think it’s about time we talk about surf aggro. That nastiest of nasty features of surfing.

You know the vibe. Someone punches someone in a parking lot. Someone spits in someone’s face in the lineup for dropping in. Someone yells, “Get off my wave—I’ll kill you.”

“Surf aggro” refers to aggressive behavior in the surf—from stink eyes and snarky comments to full-on shouting matches and the occasional punch-up. It can come from locals, crusty veterans, or just someone having a really bad day. You almost never hear of this kind of aggression coming from beginners.

🧘 Why so angry?
I could never understand it. Don’t people go surfing to exercise, de-stress, and commune with nature? Surely not to spike their heart rate to 190. So where does it come from? Not that it’s any excuse.

Something, somewhere just doesn’t go your way in the lineup. A wave stolen. A non-local getting too cozy. An accidental breach of etiquette. Or maybe you just woke up cranky and needed someone to blame.

📜 Ancient surf beef
And surf aggro has history! Ancient history. Back in Hawai‘i, a certain Umi-a-Līloa (son of a Big Island chief) bragged about his surfing skills and got called out by a Hilo royal named Paiea. They competed. Paiea won—but played dirty, causing Umi to lose some skin on a rock.

When Umi came to power years later—depending on which version you believe—he took his revenge and either slow-baked Paiea in an oven or gutted him on a stone altar. Surf beef: 1400s edition.

🏄‍♀️ Who bears the brunt?
These days, it’s no secret who bears the brunt of surf aggro. Beginners are easy targets. They’re just trying their best but often get yelled at for breaking rules they don’t know exist.

Women, especially those who look like beginners, get policed more than others—and often receive unsolicited advice or worse. Intermediates? The most dangerous category, apparently. Skilled enough to catch waves, not always skilled enough to control them.

✨ A tiny silver lining
😮‍💨 I’ve depressed myself writing this. So here’s a tiny silver lining: after digging through forums and social media, I can confirm most people who dish out surf aggro feel bad afterward.

“I shouldn’t have done it.” “I overreacted.” “It wasn’t even his fault.” Some even apologize.

If it happens to you (and let’s hope it never does), paddle away. If you were in the wrong, you can always apologize later on the beach. But sometimes? There’s just no talking to an angry surfer.

^{SURFODRAMA #2}

Everything I’ve learned about surfing in 15+ years as a beginner

For a while now, I’ve wanted to write a retrospective on what I’ve learned since I got into surfing. It’s been a while—more than 15 years. But you wouldn’t know it from the way I surf. I’m a beginner in perpetuity.

I wrote it all up, and it’s a super honest—okay, maybe a little too honest—story about what to watch out for when you’re learning to surf. Like, taking a surfing sabbatical? Not a great idea. Banking on that upcoming surf holiday? Prepare to be disappointed.

Some things might ring true. Some you might fiercely disagree with.

👉 It’s a bit of a long read, but if you’re curious, you can check it out here.

^{SURF SPOT SPOTLIGHT}

The North Shore of Scotland: Thurso East

I recently visited Scotland, where I went to university, so it’s only fitting that we talk about Thurso East—or as some people call it, Scotland’s answer to Hawaii’s North Shore.

Thurso East is Scotland’s Pipeline. A super-duper, fast and hollow right-hand reef break across Caithness flagstone ledges—which you probably know better as a slab. It’s the same stone that was used in London on the Strand and much of Paris, if that’s of interest at all.

The break is overlooked by Thurso Castle.

Thurso Castle was built by the Earl of Caithness in 1664 and survived until 1870, when it got demolished and a new mansion was built on its site. But it burnt down—boo hoo—and all you can see now is just the ruins. It looked pretty impressive in both of its incarnations.

💥 The wave
But back to the break. It gets big—up to 15 feet—and you get nicely barreled on clean NW swells. It gets compared to a cross between Jeffreys Bay (a break in SA) and Nias (a break in Indo).

Thurso East needs NNW to NW swell to deliver the best surf, plus SE or SW winds to keep it glassy and barrel-friendly. Oh, and it’d better be mid-tide—too high weakens the wave; too low can be dangerous.

So how often do you think Thurso East works?! Not very often for those perfect conditions.

During the peak season—late autumn to early spring, when Atlantic systems are most active—is your best bet. Otherwise, it’s gonna be flat and messy. And all that’s left is sightseeing.

🥶 A cold water commitment
Either way, you gotta be pretty committed to surfing in the north of Scotland. Water temp is 8–12 °C / 46–54°F even in summer.

This means a 5/4 mm wetsuit—maybe even a 6mm steamer—plus hood, boots, gloves. Oh, and bring sturdy footwear for the rocky entry and exit points. What a fun surf spot!

🏄‍♂️ A brief history of Thurso East
Some people like it. The first surfer to discover—quotation marks—Thurso East was the New Zealander Bob Treeby in 1973. Then in 1975, the Scottish Surf Federation was created and started running the championships.

Most recently, Thurso East was home to the O’Neill Cold Water Classic competition—a WQS circuit stop—but that was from 2006 to 2011. So now, it’s the locals.

If you’re not ready for Thurso East, Thurso Beach and its beach break is okay for intermediates.

If you’re a beginner—then sightseeing, and perhaps some neeps and tatties.

^{WORD OF THE WEEK}

🧋Pearling sounds much better than nosediving

Word of the week is pearling. Such a pretty word, such a lousy thing to happen to a surfer.

Pearling is when the nose of your surfboard digs into the water as you’re catching a wave—usually during takeoff. The nose buries itself, and it checks or stops the motion of the board. As a result, you lose balance, and over you go.

The name comes from pearl diving, as the surfer is about to find themselves in the bed of pearls.

It’s a dangerous way to come off the board for sure.

⚠️ Why does pearling happen?
Pearling is usually the result of the rider putting too much pressure on the front of the board or from hitting the water chop. Or if you’re hesitating with your pop-up or being late on the wave takeoff. Either way, not fun.

Sometimes, it’s unavoidable. For those avoidable time, here’s how to avoid it:

1️⃣ Shift your weight back during takeoff
Start paddling with your chest slightly back from center if you’re prone to nosedives. As you feel the wave pick you up, subtly lean back a touch to lift the nose.

2️⃣ Pop up clean and quick
A smooth, confident pop-up gets your weight centered where it needs to be. No hanging out in push-up position or creeping to your feet—that just invites the nose down.

3️⃣ Angle your takeoff
If the wave’s steep, don’t go straight down the face. Angle a little left or right to help avoid the nose burying.

4️⃣ Choose the right wave for your board
If you’re riding a flatter board, look for gentler, rolling waves, not pitching shorebreak.

5️⃣ Get to know your board’s rocker
If you’re switching boards, remember: flatter nose = be extra mindful on steep takeoffs.

6️⃣ Paddle earlier
Pearling often happens when you’re too late. Give yourself time to match the wave’s speed.

7️⃣ Learn to read the waves!
Better wave judgment means fewer unexpected nosedives.

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY SURF NEWS ROUNDUP}

Good news for dogs, bad—for beginners 🫠

• Beginner surfers supposedly banned from Cloud 9, Siargao in the Philippines

• The Hawaiian princes return to Santa Cruz for the MAH exhibition

• Puppies hit the lineup at UK Dog Surfing Championship

👉 Read the full news roundup

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY POD}

When you’re a beginner, but shortboarding is life — with Crystal Dombrow

Bodyboarder, skimboarder, snow skater, freediver, and child-sized, shortboard-obsessed Crystal—who “manages fishes 9–5”—popped up on the pod last week.

We chatted about growing up on fishing boats, learning to surf via YouTube, and why the lineup isn’t always as scary as it seems.

🎧 Listen to The Wipeout Weekly on your fav pod platform or right here.

^{WEE PROMO CORNER}

🧘‍♀️ Fix your pop-up and hip mobility with some yoga

You might already know Inessa Love from her funny and inspirational surfing videos over at Sassy Silver Surfers on Instagram.

Now she’s offering a series of video courses designed to help you level up your surfing—including Yoga for Surfers, Yoga for Pop-Ups, plus PDF guides on push-ups, hip mobility, and even diet. Some are free, and others are available on a sliding scale depending on where you're based.

👉 You can check them all out here.

P.S. If you’d like your product or service featured in our newsletter—for free—just reply to this email and pitch us.

⬆️ Aaaaaaand that was the last wave of the week!
If a friend forwarded this and you liked it, hit subscribe & join us! We will see you all next week! 🌊

^HOUSEKEEPING

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