Surfing Right of Way Explained: Who Has Priority on a Wave?

Welcome to the Calibunga Surf Lessons Podcast

Hi, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Calibunga Podcast brought to you by Calibunga Surf Lessons, your go-to guide for learning to surf in the Los Angeles area right here from Santa Monica Beach. I'm your host. My name is Lucas Coleman.

I'm a permitted professional surf instructor, and I'm here to answer your questions, share insider surf tips, and help you ride your first wave with confidence. Whether you're a total beginner and you're just curious about taking surf lessons in Los Angeles, or you're someone looking to take private or group lessons in Santa Monica, or just researching the best surf schools near the Santa Monica Pier, this podcast... it’s for you.

Every episode, we dive into questions people are actually typing into their computers and trying to find answers, in theory, about surfing effectively in Southern California. We’re also going to be talking a bit about what’s current and today.

Today’s Question: Who Has the Right of Way in Surfing?

We have kind of an awesome question. It is one that is so—this question matters every single time I catch every single wave I've ever caught. But it's one of those things where you get so used to it, you don't think about it and step back from it until you're asked a direct question.

So this one came to us via email from Jake from Culver City.

So Jake writes, “Hey, Lucas, I was out in the water last week. I’ve not had professional lessons, but I’ve been learning with friends and I keep getting confused about whose turn it is to catch a wave.

Like, is there an actual rule? I didn’t want to be rude or get in anyone’s way, but I honestly had no idea what I was doing out there. Hope this makes it into an episode.”

Okay, thank you, Jake.

I’m assuming you’re not talking about your friends. I’m assuming when you say, “Whose turn is it to catch a wave?” that you’re actually talking about the other strangers you’re sharing the ocean with that day.

And as Jake—and everyone else who’s been to Santa Monica in the summertime—knows, it can get very, very crowded.

Los Angeles County is famous for world-class surfing, and there are a lot of people in the water. Some are absolute beginners like Jake who have never had formal training before—hundreds, actually. And there are a lot of people out there that are actually pretty skilled and have been doing this for a long time.

I’m one of those people. I’ve been surfing almost every day since I was a nine-year-old.

So when we get this mix and we’re out there in nature and it is an ocean that we all as people and Los Angelinos have to share, it’s an excellent question.

Whose turn is it to go?

How Surf Lineups Actually Work

Well, when you paddle out there—and I’m going to break this down as simply as possible—you may notice that when you get to the beach and you look at all the surfers in the water, they don’t spread out evenly.

Surfers tend to clump together. They’re sort of like flocks of birds. There will be 20 different surfers all jammed really tight in one specific spot, and then the surrounding area will just be open.

Well, that is because when you’re surfing and you want to surf well, the general rule is with surf etiquette and wave priority…

Who Gets the Wave?

Who gets the wave is the person who gets to their feet first.

Let’s say a wave is coming and 20 different people—they see the wave, they point their boards toward the shore, they lay their chests down, and they start to paddle to catch that wave.

Is it going to belong to the person that’s been waiting out there longest? No, not necessarily.

Is everybody keeping track of who went before who and who’s going next? It’s not a line at the grocery store. It’s the lineup in the ocean.

So all those 20 surfers are going to paddle for that one wave that’s coming.

Now, 20 different people dropping into the same wave can actually be quite rude and quite chaotic. So we tend to let one surfer ride per wave. That’s sort of the unspoken rule.

And one of those 20 people is going to get to their feet first. Okay?

So that person—it becomes their wave.

Now, here is the trick.

Understanding the Crown of the Wave

The water-dense part of a wave—it’s the peak, the very first point of breaking, right that first spot where it crashes.

That’s the most water-dense part of the wave. We call that the crown.

It’s not just the most powerful spot. It’s also where if you pop up right there at the very beginning of that wave, you’ll be able to cut diagonal and get the longest ride possible.

If you’re positioned on the crown when the wave comes, you’ve got more power pushing you, which means you get to your feet faster. And that means the wave is yours.

So when those 20 surfers are all lined up, if I am the surfer that’s right over the crown, I have got all of this power helping shove me forward.

I’m going to be able to get to my feet and use that power quicker than the person to the right of me or the person to the left of me that are on weaker, just sort of softer parts of the wave.

Now, there are some variations here. If I’m on a huge, super buoyant board, I’ll probably be able to get to my feet sooner.

But let’s say everyone’s about the same weight and on about the same board. If you’re under the crown, that’s going to be the spot that you get to your feet first.

Why Training Helps You Catch More Waves

So this is where training comes into play, people.

If you have a really good eye and you have had professional coaching and you can spot the crown as it’s rolling in—boom—every wave is yours.

Now, is it okay to take every single wave that rolls in? Hell no. That’s super rude and kind of selfish.

You want to share the love and pass the waves around. You know, catch one, cheer people on, give other people the heads up.

“Hey, man, here’s the crown. This is where you want to be.”

But to total kooks and beginners out there in the water that have never surfed, maybe in Jake’s case, he paddled out and he’s like, “How come these three dudes are catching everything and I can’t catch a single one?”

It’s because you’re not on the crown. You’re over the soft part of the wave.

So of course somebody else is going to get to their feet before you can. And that makes it their wave.

Now—

What Is Dropping In and Snaking?

There’s something else I want to talk about.

Something called dropping in on a person, or snaking.

You may have heard someone say, “Don’t be a snake in the water,” and wondered what they’re talking about.

So let’s say that I am surfing and I’m right over the crown of the wave.

I’m paddling. I feel that rush of power under me. I feel that crown kind of whooshing me forward, and I get to my feet.

And then there’s a dude about—or dudette—20 yards away from me, and they’re paddling for the wave too, but they’re way over on a softer part.

They have to paddle longer and harder in order to catch that wave.

But uh-oh, look out—I’m already up on the wave, cutting to the side, and cruising.

If that person drops in in front of me, we call that dropping in on me.

You dropped in on my head. You dropped in on me.

Once someone’s up, and they’re established, and they’re shredding, and they’re having a good time—leave that wave alone.

Don’t go for it. It’s theirs.

You’re going to drop in, you guys are going to collide, or the person who was trying to enjoy the wave they paddled to the right spot and worked oh so hard for isn’t going to be able to take it.

And everyone in the water is going to keep their eye on you because they’re going to be like, “Whoa, no. That’s reckless. That’s how people get hurt. That’s no bueno.”

So you don’t want to be dropping in on people. It’s immediately a bad look.

And yeah, unfortunately, some people will call you out on it in the right setting.

Now, there’s also something called snaking, where it’s like, “I see this guy’s on the wave, but I’m just going to go for it.”

And it’s deliberate, and you know you’re cutting that guy off.

We call that snaking.

That’s kind of rough. You don’t want to be that guy.

You don’t want to be a snake. You don’t want to snake in on someone else’s wave.

So that is something you definitely want to avoid.

Always Check Left and Right

Now, listen.

Let’s say you’re paddling for the wave. You’re on the crown. There is another person literally right next to you and you’re both going for it.

And you get to your feet and the person next to you doesn’t see and they get to their feet just like two seconds later.

Accidents happen.

We have to be aware when we’re paddling into a wave.

Sometimes we get tunnel vision. We’re really, really excited to catch this perfect wave. We know we’re on the crown. We’re like, going for it.

But a good surfer, a skilled surfer, a trained surfer who’s put in some hours with a professional instructor—they’re going to know you always have to glance to your left and right.

You’ve got to make sure you have the right of way because those collisions—it’s not good for you. It’s not good for the other person. It’s really not good for your boards.

You don’t want to take fin.

You don’t want to clank your boards together and break the epoxy on them.

So awareness—that is a central component to all this.

Quick Recap of Surfing Right of Way

I just want to give a little recap here.

When you paddle out to surf, you want to spot the crown.

Every surfer’s going to sort of swarm around that crown of the wave like a beehive.

Everyone has the right to go for the wave. Everybody shares the ocean. Everybody’s paddling for it.

Whoever is over the crown and has the most power under them and gets to their feet first—boom—it’s their wave.

Not a big deal. You can catch the next one.

We have an infinite number of waves on this earth. A little patience only builds character.

So whoever gets the crown gets the wave.

Learning This in a Real Surf Lesson

If you want to be a skilled surfer who catches the wave every time and you want to learn how to spot that crown—

Hey, take a lesson.

You can even sign up for a surf lesson at Santa Monica Beach with Calibunga Surf Lessons.

And on your sign-up questionnaire, say, “I want to designate a good amount of time towards spotting the crown and watching that water movement.”

Honestly, it’s one of the more fascinating things to teach.

That’s when things start getting really technical and really mind-expanding and fun.

A good surf instructor in Santa Monica won’t just teach the pop-up on the sand.

They’ll paddle out with you and show you all of this in real time.

Like, you will be sitting on the board next to your instructor as they teach you how to read the lineup, how to spot the crown before the wave even reaches you, how to know when it’s your turn and when to pull back.

Honestly, having someone out there with you pointing it all out as it’s happening, it’s a total game changer.

If you’re planning a surf lesson near Santa Monica or you want to get back in the water with some guidance, head to calabungasurflessons.com and book a session and we’ll see you there.

Board in hand.

Closing statement on who gets wave priority when surfing

I want to thank Jimlet for that song, Funky Golden Sun.

And if you are like Jake and you have a question that you would like read on the podcast, or you just want to write it in and have us answer you—or give us a call—that’s another thing.

You can reach us by sending an email to info@calabungasurflessons.com.

You can visit us on the web at www.calabungasurflessons.com.

You can hit us with it on the socials.

Or if the surf is up, you can find us at Santa Monica Beach near the Santa Monica Pier right in front of Lifeguard Tower 26, a little spot we call Ocean Park, and ask us in the flesh.

I’m your host, Lucas Coleman.

I’m going to be coming at you with another question very soon.

In the meantime—surf’s up!