Hi Will
This is a good topic, because many folks experience the same concerns.
So I will write the long answer.... cuz it's as complex, as it is simple.
Simple:
Being a life long surfer, you already know the drill.
Just surf as you always did as a proner, without over doing your SUP advantage.
Complex:
Less SUPs in the water is a
good thing.... if they were increasing, the anxiety from surfers would get worse.
I road trip a lot (frequently hours from home)
I always go to good breaks
I like it best when I am the only SUPster at a break
There are always "A"team breaks and "B"team breaks
I tend to leave the best "A" team breaks alone.... but will surf the best of the second tier breaks
Usually that breaks down to... super hollow are tube riding spots, that the best surfers prefer.
Points and reefs that break softer, are where most of the "B" team surfs
One thing you have to realize is that 80% of surfers in a "B" team line up aren't very good, and don't get a lot of waves.
Most of the good guys are decent people, so all you have to deal with is a few D'bags
Surfing is a "Big Dog" sport, so in order to compete at the peak, you must earn your place in any line-up, same as you did as a surfer.
That almost NEVER happens by being polite and giving away too many waves that you are in position for.
Etiquette is a fallacy that almost never happens in the surf world.
No one knows when it is your "turn"... it's always
their turn.
Status is achieved by being respectful of
the rules, but using all your wave and conditions knowledge to find waves you can "claim" by being in the best position, and go for it!
Don't backdown... surfers love that and will use that against you..
In the very infrequent times that someone gives me shit, just for being a SUPster, I paddle right to them and tell them to shut the fuck up... they usually just paddle away when you call their bluff.
Line-up politics aren't for the feint of heart.
It's been exactly the same for the past 54 years as a surfer.
I always traveled alone, to the best breaks in the world.
Sunset Beach, Pipeline, Hossogor, Noosa, Burleigh Head, Ragland, Swami's, Blacks, the Ranch, San Miguel, Sebastian Inlet...
doesn't matter, it always been the same... prone or SUP
My SUP tactics in a crowded proner line-up, at a good break:
Paddle out wide
NEVER be in the way. Period.
It happens... but really go out of the way to stay way clear of the rider on the wave.
survey the crowd... learn who's who.
There is always a dividing line between the chargers and the also-rans.
I will pick a spot where the biggest sets will swing wide of the main peak, where that surfers can't get to fast enough.
Usually outside of the also-rans
I don't worry about the also-rans and will take the best set waves....
just be aware that the also-rans will always scramble for the shoulder and get in your way.
After a I grab a good set wave, I might move right
inside of the main peak.
Note: Surfers tend to push each other further outside to claim the best waves
That frequently means they get too far out to actually catch many waves
I simply snag some smaller inside ones they miss
(you have to know how to stay out of the way, when main peak guys get a set)
Then I'll go outside main peak and grab a prime set wave.... then I'll move back over to the "swing wide" spot again
Move around the break... so no one feels your presence for too long.
Pick good waves... and
make the most of them.
I don't get the whole "Wave count" thing.... I have always been a "set surfer".
Quality matters
far more than sheer numbers for me.
When I am established at a break:
I am usually the furthest guy outside.
I have a video of a proner from New Jersey (who hates SUP) saying:
"You're the most invisible SUPer I have ever seen.... you don't bug anyone, but you get more waves than anyone in the water"