Author Topic: Foil Etiquette  (Read 2435 times)

red_tx

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Foil Etiquette
« on: September 13, 2020, 01:19:07 PM »
Touchy subject, yet important in my opinion. I do not want to re create the crappy wheel so if this is on another thread here, tell me, and then Admin, delete it.

I am seeing more and more foilers pumping back out in the lineup causing confusion for prone surfers. You see them(prone/standup surfers) start to drop then pull back because they are scared and or do not know where the foiler is going to go.. I even see foilers cut in front of surfers (coming from behind) to then smash the powder. You have all seen this if you look at as many foiling videos as I do. I guess I can't ignore it.

I understand we all don't have places where we can foil without others and I cannot help to think that this is causing eminent stink. i would hope that foilers can just stay away from the line but.... ANYTHING FOR THE GRAM!

To me its hard enough learning to surf, learning which direction people go, then all of a sudden you have folks pumping back out towards you. Are they going left, right....

I know this is a subset of the larger foiler population.

One of my favorite parts about foiling is that you do not have to do it in the line. If anyone asks me about foiling I tell them its amazing AND NEVER do it in the line.

It would be good to preempt this and call it out like it is to correct.
What are your thoughts?
-red

Califoilia

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Re: Foil Etiquette
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2020, 02:28:42 PM »
Thoughts are that it does get confusing, and can be a PITA when there are several prone foilers in the lineup, and all are pumping back for multiple waves, many times even cutting off other foilers paddling for the wave they're headed back out to for their "connection".

So it becomes a matter of how patient one is, and how considerate have some of them been in the past as to whether you just say "F-it", paddle in on them anyway, and let them figure out wtf to go, and if they want to bump rails with a guy with a bigger board, and "persuader" in his hands.

Because seriously, what would you do if someone surfed a wave and then paddled back out in front of you to take the very next wave that you're in position for and have priority on? So what's the difference if someone paddles out in front of you to snake you on a SUP or a surfboard, or if they do it pumping out on a foil?  >:(

Btw, I don't/can't pump back out, so I obviously have a certain bias when writing that...that might be different if I were the one pumping back out to connect waves. ;) :)
« Last Edit: September 13, 2020, 02:30:57 PM by SanoSlatchSup »
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VB_Foil

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Re: Foil Etiquette
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2020, 02:49:32 PM »
I think it’s pretty simple. Whoever is paddling closest to the peak has right of way. Connecting flights are ok so long as you are 30 yards plus from the paddler, way out on the unbreaking shoulder.
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PonoBill

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Re: Foil Etiquette
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2020, 04:30:11 PM »
And of course, it even happens foiler to foiler. Lots of guys (yeah, it's guys, women have more sense) will do two, three or four loops and act as if they have priority because they pumped back out. In the early days of foiling that was such a great accomplishment that no one minded--it was cool to see and everybody cheered. The bloom is off, now lots of people think you're a dick if you do it. I think it's an incredibly lame thing to do unless you are certain you are taking a wave no one can or would get. I had a discussion about this with one guy who blanked me on three waves in a row, and of course, it went nowhere. He said I dropped in on him several times previously so I had no room to talk. That was probably true. Until I worked with a PT to get my neck loosened up I couldn't see anyone coming from my left. That doesn't change what was happening, but people will take any excuse to forgive their own behavior.

The REALLY good guys don't do it. I've probably surfed with Dave Kalama, Junya, and Chris P hundreds of times over the last ten years on various surf toys and I've never, never seen them take a wave that wasn't clearly theirs. It's the sort of good guys that are a problem, and really, it is an issue so rarely that under normal circumstances it wouldn't matter. But foilers are very visible, and no one wants to get hit by one.

No one wants to be the traffic cop but if you see egregious behavior, you might want to say something. We went through all this with SUP boards, and the end result hasn't been great. The only thing that took the pressure off getting SUPs banned from more spots was foilers. It's their turn in the barrel (old sailor joke), and the likelihood of getting banned is MUCH greater. There's a legitimate concern--the old "high volume, heavy boards" rap about SUP was bullshit, but I've whacked myself with a foil--not fun.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2020, 04:40:00 PM by PonoBill »
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Hdip

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Re: Foil Etiquette
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2020, 06:01:22 PM »
The Hawaii guys who were running the surf contest had it right. The paddler has priority. The guy pumping can go out for the next wave.

If someone pumps WAY outside and comes back in on the unbroken swell they should also be giving way to the true peak. There's no wakes on foils. You should be able to get multiple foils on waves and everybody give each other room. If you're trying to rebound off the white water then just take off on the closeout and let the other guys get out to the shoulder, then you'll have room to do your stuff.

Paddler on the peak has priority.

frenchfoiler

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Re: Foil Etiquette
« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2020, 11:09:36 PM »
The Hawaii guys who were running the surf contest had it right. The paddler has priority. The guy pumping can go out for the next wave.

If someone pumps WAY outside and comes back in on the unbroken swell they should also be giving way to the true peak. There's no wakes on foils. You should be able to get multiple foils on waves and everybody give each other room. If you're trying to rebound off the white water then just take off on the closeout and let the other guys get out to the shoulder, then you'll have room to do your stuff.

Paddler on the peak has priority.

Totally agree with that, this should be the rule.

Unfortunatly when people can finally pump back out and catch mutiple waves they tend to forget the etiquette....
Now with the new wings it is so easy to catch multiple waves so yes we definetly need to warn people and spread the good spirit.

Beasho

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Re: Foil Etiquette
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2020, 07:59:20 AM »
I am witnessing that it is the Prone guys that are causing all the mayhem.

1) We on SUP's can't get multiple waves as easily

2) The prone guys tend to be the Agro people that generally hated SUP and therefore wouldn't even think to try SUP foiling. 

PS: When I am foiling in a crowd I generally takeoff and run way, way wide.  I will tell the better surfers that they can take all the inside they want. I want nothing to do with the whitewater.  And lets face it OLD fashioned surfboards are GLUED to the whitewater.  We can fly 50 or 100 yards down the should and turn, turn, turn.  When they run out of steam we can come back and then hit the whitewater. 

clay

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Re: Foil Etiquette
« Reply #7 on: September 14, 2020, 11:01:39 AM »
I've been the out of control nearly missing dangerous guy on a shortboard, longboard, sup, and foil.  Sh!t happens.

It's common etiquette in the biking when coming up blindly from behind to call out on your left/right.  I would like to see pumpers do the same.

I drop in on everyone and let everyone drop in on me, except if I'm to late and don't have enough speed to get out of the way, or the wave is perfect and I want the other person to have that open canvas to express themselves.
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Evan Lloyd

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Re: Foil Etiquette
« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2020, 12:52:18 PM »
In my opinion, the fact that someone has the skill to pump back out and catch multiple waves does not mean they have priority in any way.  If I see a guy pumping back to get on a wave that I'm paddling for, I ignore him.  It's my wave - period.  If he jumps on and impedes my ride, he will hear about it.  I keep saying 'he' - simply put, I don't argue with women in the line up.  All this to say, so far, where I surf, it isn't a problem.  So far. 

 


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