Surfing words · Beginner
The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.
B · Beginner · 24 words · Step 1 of 2General terms
Break
The specific location/spot where waves consistently form and break, suitable for surfing.
Lineup
The area out in the water where surfers wait for waves.
Set
A group of several waves arriving close together.
Wave and ride terms
Barrel
The hollow, curling part of a wave that surfers can ride inside of, considered one of the most exciting and skillful manoeuvres.
Cutback
A turn where the surfer redirects back toward the breaking part of the wave after riding out toward the open face.
Wipeout
Falling off the board, usually due to losing balance or the wave breaking unexpectedly.
Duck dive
A technique used to push the board underwater to get past an incoming wave while paddling out.
Regular
Which foot a surfer leads with on the board, regular (left foot forward) or goofy (right foot forward).
Also called: goofy
See also: Board
Competitive terms
Heat
A timed contest between two or more surfers. The ISA recommends heats and finals of 15 to 45 minutes, set by the contest director after consulting the head judge, with the best two waves counting and a maximum of up to 25 waves each. A five-minute warning is given, with one siren or horn blast to start and two to finish.
See also: Head judge
Priority
The system that decides who has the right to the next wave in a heat. The surfer with priority has unconditional right of way and may paddle for and ride any wave. Opponents may take the same wave if they do not hinder the priority surfer's scoring potential. Priority is lost when a surfer rides a wave, or makes a committed paddle and misses it. The Priority Judge shows the order on a colour display.
See also: Wave, Paddle, Heat, Priority judge, Ride
The ruleWhat is priority in surfing?Score
A judge's mark for a ride, on a scale from 0.1 to 10.0. The ISA's descriptors are poor (0.1 to 1.9), fair (2.0 to 3.9), average (4.0 to 5.9), good (6.0 to 7.9) and excellent (8.0 to 10.0). In shortboard the judges weigh commitment and degree of difficulty, innovative and progressive manoeuvres, combinations of major manoeuvres, variety, and speed, power and flow.
Judges
The panel that scores each ride, with a Head Judge who coaches, supervises and coordinates but does not influence individual scores. The tie-break rules assume a panel of five judges. Interference can be called only if a majority of the panel marks it, and by the Head Judge only if no majority could be reached.
See also: Interference, Head judge, Ride
Interference
A penalty called against a surfer who hinders another surfer's scoring potential, for example by dropping in, paddling interference or breaking priority. It needs a majority of the judges. The penalty is Interference Penalty 1 in non-priority situations and Interference Penalty 2 where priority applies. The interfering surfer's ride on that wave is scored zero.
See also: Wave, Priority, Judges, Paddling interference, Ride
The ruleWhat is an interference in surfing?Combo
The sum of a surfer's two best scoring rides in a heat. The ISA scoring tabulates each judge's heat placings, drops the highest and lowest placing and adds the rest, and the lowest total wins the heat.
Also called: heat score
See also: Heat
Ride
A surfer's wave, scored by each judge. Judges must still score a ride on which interference has been called, but if a majority applies the interference the ride counts as zero.
See also: Wave, Judges, Interference
Maneuvers
Bottom turn
A foundational turn made at the base of the wave, setting up the direction for the rest of the ride.
Aerial
An advanced manoeuvre where the surfer launches off the wave into the air and lands back on it.
Also called: air
See also: Wave
Floater
A manoeuvre where the surfer rides up and across the breaking part of the wave, "floating" over the foam.
See also: Wave