I was vibed by today, by a female SUP'er

[Strand Leper]

So the swell really didn't come through.  I wanted to cruise up to Ralphies spot, but didn't want to deal with HB weekend crowd, or traffic in Zooport or Laguna on the way home... So Adam and I cruised to Dog Patch, (15 minutes instead of 45).

On my Mach 1.  Out with people I have surfed with before, and an unknown female.  She seemed to be fairly competent.  A regular foot.  The sets were few and far between.  The swell was getting swamped by the tide rise.  It is probably 7:30. I am on the right edge of the lineup looking to back door the lefts. Not to call priority over other riders going right, but to go above and around (adjusting my takeoff so i dont run across anyones line) and go left should the opportunity arise.  Maybe seven or eight people are out.

Remember, this is dog patch, (nukes actually), soft as a baby's bottom at this size (2-4 ish)...

So a decent sized set rolls in.  A female is going right. The left looks ridiculously good, with a fat section to hit, and no one is going to be able to get to it as they are all inside of the woman paddling. She is furiously paddling and clearly has position for the right.  So I paddle up the wave, behind her, and paddle to take off left.  "What are you doing?" she screams loudly. "GO!" I scream, not wanting to see a wave wasted (at this point a right and a left).  Apparently this discombobulated her and she missed the wave. Luckily for me, there was a big left behind it that I surfed fairly competently all the way in to the inside.

I paddle back out, recognizing that we were likely in for a long lull and that i might be having a frank conversation, i sit down to be in a less threatening posture.  This female paddles back out, standing right behind me... She starts up a conversation just loud enough for me to hear with another woman who is out (who I have known for a few years, is a competent SUP'er)..

"So there aren't enough waves out here so he thinks he needs to paddle right behind me... He practically hit me... There are two girls out here and he needs to paddle right behind one of the girls (blah, blah, blah)". Putting my female friend in a rather delicate position.  I wait, she continues to go on... So I said, "I wasn't trying to snake you, I didn't call you off... There was a really good left that was going to be wasted and that is not going to happen when I am out here.".

Her:  "Well you we're like a foot from me... Even Kelly Slater falls once in a while... And I am uncomfortable when people get so close to me."

I thought for a moment about the most delicate way to put it, and said,"Well, as I said, I am not going to be letting any waves get wasted... Perhaps your skill level is not sufficient for this spot today." (said without rancor, from a sitting position, and facing her... Who remained standing)

Her:  "Are you telling me that I need to paddle in... Are you chasing me out of the water?"

Me:  "I am saying nothing of the sort.  I am simply saying that if you are not comfortable with people paddling close to you, perhaps this isn't the right spot for you today, that's all."

Her:  (paraphrasing). "I don't need this attitude this morning... Blah, blah blah" and she paddles back to Dogpatch.

I don't like to call people out... And wouldn't have if she did not start trash talking immediately behind me... But there were maybe 25 set waves that came in this morning before that spot shut down.  Her being nervous when i got close to her let a wave go through unridden... (a right and a left) ... AND Had me riding the wave that everyone was in position for rather than the wave before it and wasted a wave.

To be clear, there is no question that I was close to her, probably about two feet, maybe three... At NO TIME was I in her line...I had been at that spot sice dawn... Surfing pretty competently (until I whipped out my Glide later and was a full on kookaburra... But at that time it was just Adam and me)

The bottom line is (from my perspective) that it is not the lineup's responsibility to surf in a way that makes you comfortable at your skill level.  Sorry if that sounds harsh. 

The penultimate bottom line is, however, that I was compared to Slates... So I've got that going for me!

The bottom, bottom, bottom line is that when you are out in the lineup and the waves are good, you are a surfer... Not a chick surfer... Or a dude surfer... Or a black surfer... Or a gay surfer... You don't get special treatment... Or favors...

Of course Adam starting ribbing me for chasing girls out of the water.

SL

SL

[Cardiff Sweeper]

People who don't take responsibility for the thoughts in their heads, are good at heat reversal.  She had the problem, not you, but blamed you for her being uncomfortable.  

She did the right thing...
Paddled away.

Last weekend, I paddled out to a local spot that's my backup when the reef is packed. One other Sup in the water with a handful of surfers.  Immediately as this guy saw me, he began yelling, "geesus, another f'n stand up idiot!! Get a longboard, go to the reef.  You guys are dangerous!"

I did the best thing...said nothing. He shut his mouth and went back to helping his kids catch waves.
Yep, that's quite the role model, Dad.

So many things run through my head when being confronted.
It's best to be polite, or ignore them. Best thing I think of, is to catch a wave straight for them and send some spray their way.

[sup_surf_giant]

I've discovered all types of personalities out there...

As has been said....ignoring them has always worked out best for me...otherwise I end up saying something foolish or selfish and make myself and others look foolish.

Some folks feel entitled to every concession that crosses their mind...we can't beat that but move on.

Glad your left turned out! So jealous!

[pdxmike]

People who don't take responsibility for the thoughts in their heads, are good at heat reversal.  She had the problem, not you, but blamed you for her being uncomfortable.  

Cardiff--I think you nailed it.  Anger is what appeared on the surface, but the underlying emotion was fear.  And the stronger their fear, the stronger people lash out. 

I hear these stories and think a surf spot would be a great place for a psychoanalyst to go undercover and write about what's really going on--what a buffet of bizarre human behavior all set out in one spot.  Not that you need to be a psychoanalyst to figure out what's going on--it seems like the same basic stuff happening over and over again with slight variations. 

If nothing else, if you did have a bunch of psychoanalysts out surfing to study behavior, it'd be an opportunity to see a lot of Freudians slip. 

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

“Freudians slip”?

That's funny.

[SoCalSupper]

stuff happens-no matter if youre male or female-you have to have somewhat thick skin out there nowadays-lets face it-sup surfing is way different crowd wise than even just a few years ago.

I rarely get vocal out there-im a real low key guy by nature, however, there are occasions where something has to be said.

It was a good left too, one of a few SL got for the hour it was fun.

Epic conditions today as far as sunny and no wind, patch was a zoo for a while, complete with a tandem prone duo!

Never thought id say this but come on winter....

[Strand Leper]

It was a super fun morning and we are blessed to be able to live this life.

SL

[headmount]

That's right, we are blessed and it's important to realize we aren't responsible for psycho therapy for loons.... even if they're girls.

[colas]

Actually, I understand the girl reaction. If she has been snaked before, she most probably have seen your behavior as threatening. Snakers in my experience often are trolls lookig for confrontations and do not announce their intentions, I guess to have the perverse pleasure of calling you out once on the wave, of provoking an interference to have an alibi to verbally abuse you. Having a snaker intent on provoking a fight one foot beside me would have made me quite nervous, too. I do not accuse you of being a snaker, of course, but we do not know the history of this girl. As we say in French: "A cat burned by hot water fears even cold water"

I think you should have well in advance said "going left". This is what I do on the water.

[Wavecloud]

The 'girl' is a KOOK!!!!

Plain and simple

Having a grumble because 'you' made her feel uncomfortable..... If she is that uncomfortable, why doen't she hang up her gear and take up Knitting

[Wavecloud]

 

I think you should have well in advance said "going left". This is what I do on the water.

If she had ANY surf awerness, she would already know that....

I often get dropped in on, if on my longboard... Kooks think

"he'll never make that, I'm going anyway"

They get the scare of their lives, when I come hooning out of the barrel at mach 2, as they try to take the drop om their 'shortboards'  

KOOKS.....

[SoCalSupper]

The 'girl' is a KOOK!!!!

Plain and simple

Having a grumble because 'you' made her feel uncomfortable..... If she is that uncomfortable, why doen't she hang up her gear and take up Knitting

Seriously Wavecloud?-were you there-do you know her?
Right now shes on a plane to Malawi for a missions trip and to supply clean water filters to war orphaned children, im gonna take a wild guess that you are not on that plane...

[Tom]

The lady was probably out of her comfort zone and you scared her. You're not going to have a meaningful discussion in that situation,  so I'd suggest you just say 'sorry I scared you' and move on. It was only one wave.

[Wavecloud]

Seriously Wavecloud?-were you there-do you know her?
Right now shes on a plane to Malawi for a missions trip and to supply clean water filters to war orphaned children, im gonna take a wild guess that you are not on that plane...

No, I do not know her and probably never will.

I could jump on a plane to anywhere in the world at any time.

I am just about to help a whole bunch of children from various backgrounds, this afternoon.

[Wavecloud]

I am sorry if my post offends you but I still think that anybody who gives bad vibes out in the water does not get the point and is in the wrong place.

If somebody drops in on me, I go to another break and surf alone. I do not go and bad mouth them to others, spelling out what a loser the drop in is.