Surfer lingo: You may recognize the words—but what do they mean? Duck diving to the line-up? Kicking out after some kook dropped in your tube? Uhhh… come again?
Maybe the last time you eavesdropped on surfers at the beach has left you more than a little confused. Or maybe you’ve just taken up surfing and want to avoid sounding like a total grom. Either way, you’re in the right place.
Double up: when one wave combines with another, creating a twice as powerful wave
Lip: the curled part of a wave
Line-up: the spot where you catch waves, right behind where the waves begin breaking
Set: a group of (usually large) waves coming in to shore
Tube: also called the barrel, this is the hollow, curved part of a wave, where you want to surf
Blown out: bad, mushy surfing conditions caused by onshore winds
Corduroy: a series of wave swell lines that resemble the aforementioned fabric
Flat: unsurfable waters with no waves to be found
Glassy: very clear waves that look like glass
Gnarly: forceful, extreme waves that are both exhilarating and dangerous
Fin: a curved, rudder-like device under the board that helps control direction
Leash: a cord usually attached to the ankle to keep the board near the surfer
Longboard: usually 9-12 feet in length, best for beginners and a classic and relaxed style of surfing
Rocker: the curvature running along the bottom of a board
Shortboard: usually 5-7 feet in length, best for advanced surfers and a high energy style of surfing
What’s the difference between longboards and shortboards? Click here to find out.
Aerial: when you maneuver your surfboard into the air and land it back onto the wave and keep riding
Cross-stepping: a footwork maneuver that involves shifting your weight up and down the board
Hanging ten or hanging five: surfing with one or two feet on the nose of your longboard
Hit the lip: turning the surfboard upwards to meet the crashing lip of the wave
360: turning the board (you guessed it) 360 degrees in a full circle on the wave’s face
Bottom turn: turning at the bottom of a wave to gain momentum and direction to set up a trick or maneuver
Cutback: a turn on or in the wave so you can get back to the surf line
Duck dive: a quick way to get to the line-up by diving under an incoming wave with your board
Kick out: a move used to intentionally exit a wave
Pop-up: when you stand quickly from a kneeling or paddling position a board to catch a wave–hard to master, but totally necessary
Dropping in: also called “snaking”, this is a surfing faux pas where one surfer gets in the way of another surfer already riding a wave
Fin chop: being hit by the fins of a surfboard
Locked in: when a surfer is caught underneath a breaking wave
Wipeout: unintentionally falling off your board… it happens to the best of us
Over-the-falls: one of the most dangerous kinds of wipeout, where you are sucked backwards over a breaking wave and down the lip to sea floor
Dude/Dudette: a friendly name for a fellow surfer
Kook: a derogatory term for a beginner surfer who causes trouble for other surfers by getting in the way or snaking waves
Grom: shortened from “grommet,” an Australian term used to describe an inexperienced or young surfer (it’s the not-insulting counterpart of ‘kook’)
Logger: someone who surfs on a longboard
O.G.: stands for Original Gangster, a term used to describe an older, skillful, and respected surfer
Now that you know your line-ups from your pop-ups and your kick outs from your wipeouts, you’re ready to aerial on some gnarly sets!
Swim Guide shares the best information we have at the moment you ask for it. Always obey signs at the beach or advisories from official government agencies. Stay alert and check for other swimming hazards such as dangerous currents and tides. Please report your pollution concerns so Affiliates can help keep other beach-goers safe. Swim Guide, "Swim Drink Fish icons," and associated trademarks are owned by SWIM DRINK FISH CANADA.| See Legal.
© SWIM DRINK FISH CANADA, 2011 - 2023
