🏄‍♀️ Why do experienced surfers hate beginners? 😬

👋 Happy Friday! Do you know the difference between a kook and a surfer? About three seconds. Thank you, thank you very much. I’m here all week. 😜

🏄‍♀️ Let’s surf:

• Why do experienced surfers hate on beginners so much? 🥺

• Byron Bay: Beginners’ playground in Australia

• Eddie would go 🤙

• From Home and Away to Indo

• Why the F am I slipping off my board? 💥

^SURFODRAMA

😱 Why do experienced surfers hate beginners?

Us and them. Beginners and experienced surfers. Oh, how I wish it wasn’t so! But, why the hate? 🤔

🛑 Safety first… sometimes
Experienced surfers will tell you that the reason they’re not all lovey-dovey toward beginners is because of safety concerns. Okay, it can be valid at times. Beginners are known for not being able to confidently duck dive or turtle roll, so we do, at times, let go of our boards—creating flying projectiles in the surf.

As one surfer explained: “If you’re paddling out and ditch your 8’ board, there’s a 17-foot danger radius. That’s why we’re mad. Not because you’re new, but because you might hurt someone.”

🏄‍♂️ Etiquette issues and crusty complaints
We beginners also don’t know what we don’t know. So we could end up sitting in the wrong spot without reading the waves properly, preventing experienced surfers—hold on, we need a nickname for experienced surfers. Oh wait. We already have one: a crusty.

Anyhoo, sitting in the wrong spot may rob a crusty of a chance to take the drop of their lifetime. Understandably infuriating. And of course, if we’re not well versed in surf etiquette, we could drop in on a crusty or even snake a crusty. All of these are big no-nos.

🏁 Surf hierarchies? Nah.
Lack of surf etiquette, I get. Hidden surf hierarchy, I oppose. This idea that you need to earn your stripes and a spot. That there’s some magical pecking order because you surfed at this break since you were 10 years old? Okay, show me your proof of ownership.

Sure, we beginners sometimes hear about “localism,” but it’s not as if this is taught in surf lessons. In real life, no one even respects the elders anymore. How can you expect this to endure in the surfing lineup?

🔒 Surfing is gatekept. Hard.
Let’s call a spade a spade. The surfing culture isn’t built for learning—so friction happens. We don’t have to embrace it though. We can be a bit mad at it.

💸 The scarcity mindset
The real reason why crusties detest kooks? Let me put it this way: If we had, I don’t know, a million more great surf breaks, we wouldn’t have the issue.

Surfing is a finite resource—and that makes people real weird.

It’s a limited commodity. When I, a beginner, “waste” a wave—say, by pearling or falling immediately—that wave doesn’t reset. It’s gone.

This triggers a weird scarcity mindset. And when lineups are packed, frustrations grow and explode. Especially when someone is trying to learn on waves that others have waited hours to ride.

✨ Not all crusties, not all kooks
It’s not all doom and gloom. Not every experienced surfer is a crusty, just like not every beginner is a kook. Some surfers like beginners—and appreciate us for our stoke.

✅ So what can you do?
You already know:

• Don’t go where you’re not ready. Surf the spots your skills can handle.

• Learn etiquette. You don’t have to be good, but you do have to be respectful.

• Hang on to your board. That’s a big one.

• Watch and listen. Not just the waves—but the people who are navigating them well.

• Progress at your own speed. There are no prizes for rushing into the lineup.

And if you’re an experienced surfer—sorry for calling you a crusty. But give us a break, would ya? We’re trying over here. 🤗

^{SURF SPOT SPOTLIGHT}

Byron Bay: Where Aussie surf dreams begin

Byron Bay is Australia’s most iconic beach town, tucked into the far northeastern corner of New South Wales. Longboard surfers arrived in the 1960s and used natural breaks at The Pass, Watego's, and Cosy Corner, which put Byron Bay on a surf map.

🌊 The surf
Byron offers consistently mellow beach breaks that are perfect for beginners. The Pass is the most famous spot—known for its long, peeling right-handers—but Main Beach and Clarkes Beach are the best places to start, especially when the swell is small. Sandy bottoms, slow-breaking waves, and plenty of whitewash make it forgiving and fun.

🚿 Water quality
Generally excellent. The water is clean and clear, though it can get stirred up after heavy rain. It’s common to spot dolphins mid-session, especially in the mornings.

👙 Wardrobe
Warm water for most of the year. In summer (Dec–Feb), you’ll be fine in swimmers and a rashie. In winter (June–Aug), a spring suit or 3/2 mm wetsuit is usually enough.

☀️ Best time for beginners to go
Autumn/fall (March–May) is ideal: warm water, smaller crowds, and fun-size surf. Summer is also great, but it’s busier. Winter brings more swell but is still beginner-friendly on calmer days.

⚠️ Hazards
Crowds, mostly. The Pass in particular can get hectic with learners, longboarders, and locals all jostling for position. Be aware of rips near Main Beach and always check the daily surf report. Bluebottles (tiny jellyfish) can drift in during certain wind conditions.

🏄 Rentals + lessons
Loads of surf schools operate right from the beach. You’ll find gear rentals, group classes, and private lessons all within walking distance from town. Surf lessons at Clarkes or Main Beach are the safest for true beginners.

🍉 When you’re not surfing

• Stroll the Cape Byron Lighthouse walk for sunrise

• Go for a swim at Tea Tree Lake (Lake Ainsworth)

• Shop the local makers’ markets or visit the Byron Bay General Store for classic surf-town vibes

🧳 Solo friendly?
Definitely. Byron is full of solo travellers and surf-curious wanderers. You’ll find hostels, yoga classes, shared beach rentals, and no shortage of new friends in the lineup.

^{GIRL-WHO-COMMITTED-TO-SURFING}

🏄‍♀️ Vivian’s late bloomer surf tale

From Home and Away to Indo every day—Vivian’s late-blooming surf story is the reminder we all need that it’s never too late to chase the glide.

Pure commitment. Total kudos.

Read her story

Follow us on IG @girlswhocantsurfgood

^{WORD OF THE WEEK}

🌊 🏄🏻‍♂️ Eddie would go

You might’ve even worn it on a T-shirt or shouted it out to a mate as they tried to take a terrifying drop on a 2-foot wave. But do you know what it actually means, where it came from, and—more importantly—who was Eddie?

Who was Eddie Aikau
Eddie Aikau (Clyde Aikau’s older brother) was a Native Hawaiian lifeguard and big wave surfer, born in 1946 in Kahului, Maui. He was the first official lifeguard on the North Shore of O‘ahu—credited with saving over 500 lives at Waimea Bay.

He’d paddle out when no one else would. He surfed Waimea despite it being massive, chaotic, life-threatening. Eddie would go whenever no one else would.

The story behind the phrase
The phrase was cemented by a tragedy. March 16, 1978. Eddie was crew on a traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe called the Hōkūleʻa. It was sailing from Hawai‘i to Tahiti using only traditional navigation techniques—no GPS, no compass.

The canoe capsized in rough seas south of Moloka‘i. No rescue was in sight. So Eddie did what Eddie always did: he went. He took his surfboard, a few oranges, and paddled for help. He was last seen paddling toward Lāna‘i. His body was never found. The crew was eventually rescued—but Eddie was gone.

What “Eddie Would Go” means
The “Eddie would go” saying started as a way to honor him—and became a rallying cry in big wave surf culture. It means: go when it’s scary. Go when others won’t. Go because it’s the right thing to do. All heart—not ego. Just like Eddie.

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational
Following Eddie’s passing and in his honor, the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational was established. It’s a big wave surf contest held at Waimea Bay. It only runs when the waves are consistently 20+ feet Hawaiian scale (which is like 40-foot faces in mortal terms), so it doesn’t happen every year—and invitees are handpicked. And that’s when you hear: “Eddie would go”—yelled out loud.

^{WEEKLY POPUP}

🤦🏽‍♀️ Why the F am I sliding off my board?

It’s hard to pop up if you can’t even stay lying on your board. 😂

You’re paddling out, everything feels fine, and then… boom—you’re sliding off the board like someone greased it with coconut oil. Again. Or you finally catch a wave, you’re buzzing, and the board just… vanishes out from under you like it’s trying to get away from you.

It’s maddening. “What am I doing wrong?” you may ask.

🤷‍♀️ It’s not just you
First of all: it’s not you—well, it’s not just you. This isn’t some rare freak thing. Loads of beginners report the same issue—and even some intermediates get the occasional slip-n-slide when conditions or gear aren’t on their side.

You’re thinking it was the foam board. Or maybe it’s what I’m wearing. Or how I’m lying on it. Spoiler: it was none of the above entirely. It’s a mix of factors.

🧽 Foam boards = Slippery soap bars
Foam boards—especially the kind used in surf schools—can get super slick over time.

All that use, sun damage, no wax, plus sunscreen, sea grime, and 1,000 beginner butts… yeah, it’s like trying to paddle on a bar of soap.

🕯 Wax that thing
We all assume that the foamies shouldn’t or don’t have to be waxed. They don’t come with a bar of wax, nor the instructions to wax them.

But yeah, wax that thing. Even just a quick layer will give you way more grip.

And yet—some surf schools don’t wax their boards on purpose. Why? Because they’re teaching knees-first pop-ups and want you to slide around “smoothly.” 🙃

🦵🏼Where you lie matters
Slipping isn’t just a gear issue—it’s also about where you are on the board.

Paddle too far back? Your nose is up, board tips back, and yep—you slide off.

Too far forward? You nosedive.

Just right? Goldilocks zone, baby.

Use this test: Lie on your board and look at the nose. It should be about 1–2 inches out of the water. If it’s poking straight up like a periscope, scoot forward.

💪 Core engagement = connection
Now about that core engagement. I can literally tell when I’m not lying on my board correctly because it feels, for lack of a better word, unglued.

You don’t need to go crazy here—just engage your abs slightly, keep some gentle pressure through your chest and hips into the board. Imagine that you're hugging the board with your body.

🧴 Rash guards, sunscreen, and slippage
If you’re slipping when catching a wave, that’s definitely a no-wax or too-little-wax issue. There’s no grip. And yes, you should be able to surf on a foamie with no wax on it, but if you wear a rash guard or you’re in a bikini and covered in sunscreen, slippage is more or less guaranteed.

🏄‍♀️ Final tip
Let me leave you with this gem: beginner instinct is to lean back when the board goes too fast. But that sends the board flying forward without you. So, lean slightly forward instead.

Counterintuitive? Totally. But it works.

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY FOMO}

⬆️ Aaaaaaand that was the last wave of the week!
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^HOUSEKEEPING

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