a couple of years ago i had a bad experience out at bowls. wrote this blog and didn’t post it because i was mad at that time. i’m not mad anymore so i’ll post it on a positive note that maybe somebody can learn from this. here it is:
ever since i started traveling, i learned about surfing mannerism. i learned the easy way from friends teaching me, and i learned the hard way by getting into fights. it’s something that’s not taught in school or in a textbook, but at the same time, it’s pretty simple to figure out. it’s all about plain and simple RESPECT!
so yesterday, i paddle out to bowls with my 3 friends from japan. there were only 3 other locals out, along with a couple of foreigner surfers. the waves were absolutely perfect! we were all happy and taking turns catching waves. BUT, there was one longboarder i haven’t seen before out so i knew he wasn’t local. he started ruining the awesome vibe. he wouldn’t drop in on me or any of the other 3 locals, but as soon as i tell one of my japanese friends to go on a perfect wave, the guy turned around and dropped in on him. then he would ride it all the way in. 2 freaking times in a row!!!! then he started feeling comfortable and thought it was ok to take everybody’s waves. he was paddling back out to the lineup and just being aggressive. i could feel the tension in the lineup as the other 3 locals were getting pissed off at the guy too. so he paddled back out and i said “hey brah, where you from?” he said “japan.” i said “hey, this is not japan, this is hawaii.” he didn’t seem to understand so i told him to “beat it.” meaning, go in. and he went in.
this is dropping in. and this can get you into a lot of trouble. i’ve seen guys sent to the hospital after getting beaten for dropping in.
and i seen angry locals in other countries, including japan beating up people for dropping in.
so here’s my advise. don’t drop in! especially in another country. if you are at your home break, then sometime it’s ok. but to go to another country and drop in on other people is disrespectful. pretty easy yeah?
