1) JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD Most SUP surfers have no problem getting their wave count. “If you are out there doing laps and not letting others get set waves, you are out of line,” explains Keaulana. “Stop hording and start enjoying.”
2) GET OUT OF DENIAL If you think the #1 rule (above) doesn’t apply to you it probably does. “First sign of a kook is denial,” says Keaulana. “Denial is the byproduct of the ego, the bigger the ego the bigger the denial. The bigger the denial the bigger the kook.”
3) SEARCH These boards let you surf places you might not have otherwise surfed so take advantage of that. Search out new frontiers. “Dave (Parmentar) uses the aviation analogy. The birth of aviation meant we could expand our frontiers in a peaceful manner or bomb the shit out of people,” says Keaulana. “Let’s not repeat history. Don’t bomb the shit out of people. When the opportunity arises, when a new swell lights up an out of the way spot, attack those new frontiers.”
4) KNOW YOU ABILITY/MASTER YOUR EQUIPMENT Most surfers who try standup surfing consider themselves fairly advanced. But putting a paddle in your hands is a foreign experience. Believe it. It is not easy. “Go out on your own for a few weeks,” says Keaulana. “Even if you think you are Kelly Slater, you will be humbled. The paddle and the board should be an extension of your body. Until they are, stay out of the way.”
5) SIT IN THE CHANNEL After catching a wave, instead of paddling back out, kick back in the channel for five minutes. The other surfers will appreciate it. “You are already sticking out like a sore thumb out there,” says Keaulana. “Chilling on the inside for a few sets will keep the swelling down.”
6) COMMUNICATE Call out approaching sets. Use your vertical position as a benefit to others. “Not only do I do that, says Keaulana. “Over here (Makaha) I see sharks, whales. I let others know who and what is sharing their home with us. You call out a big tiger (shark) and people are real happy you’re standing up and seeing things.”
Hopefully some of Brian’s rules will be heeded. Etiquette is such a slippery slope. Often times proper etiquette goes by unnoticed or unappreciated. I’ll let waves go by, hoping the crowd on the inside of me will appreciate my discretion, only to watch surfers with more mouth than ability stumble and grumble their way to frustration. Then they’ll misdirect their frustration born of inadequacy toward the guy having fun, me. Nevertheless, I won’t let underappreciated etiquette efforts stop me from continuing the righteous course and either should you. There are plenty of kooks, let’s not add to the mix.
