Surfing Slang

Through the course of writing my article on Baler, I stumbled upon a surfer girl site with the following surfer lingo. Just thought I'd share it. ^_^

(Ding, guess what 'Ding' means...ehehe. No wonder the cute surfer dudes kept on glancing my way whenever I called you...hmm...I swear, it was an unintentional way of making pa-cute!)

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Avalanche: Any big wave that is breaking; a name for a surf spot located in Hawaii.

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Backdoor: Taking off behind the peak on a hollow wave.
Bail out: Abandoning ones surfboard before getting wiped out.
Baggies: Surf or swim trunks.
Barney: An inexperienced surfer or one who acts immature.
Barrel: A barrel is where the wave is hollow when it is breaking. For some surfers it's the be all and end all of surfing. Sometimes called a Tube.
Board: Short for surfboard.
Beach break: Waves breaking over a sand bottom.
Blank: The foam used to shape a surfboard.
Blown Out: Where the onshore wind turns the surf in to unrideable mush.
Bodyboard: A small soft foam "board" used primarily with swim fins, and ridden prone.
Bodysurf: Surfing the waves without a board.
Bomb(s): Large and very large waves.
Brah: Hawaiian slang for brother, (Brudda).

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Carve/Carving: The classic surfing manoeuvre. Basically what turning on a wave is called.
Choppy: Ocean wave conditions that are rough not smooth.
Cannon ball: Going into the fetal position during a wipeout.
Caught Inside: Surfers that are inside the breaking waves and can't get to the outside smooth water because of the white water
Clean: Good conditions, good waves, and good surfboards.
Close out: A wave that breaks all at once. A wave that peels, and then breaks all at once.
Cord: The urethane leash used to attach the surfboard to a surfer.
Cross Step/Stepping: The art of walking up and down a longboard - walking foot over foot.
Cutback: Reversing the direction that you are surfing in one smooth fluid move.

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Deck: The top side of the surfboard.
Dipping: A short board maneuver used when paddling out to get under and through on coming waves.
Ding: Damage to a surfboard.
Double up: When two waves combine.
Dawn patrol: Early morning surf session
Drop in: Catching a wave and going down the face; catching a wave late and then standing up in front of someone already ridding.

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Face: The complete front of a wave.
Fan: A trail of water sent shooting out momentarily suspended in air; the result of a high powered or quick turn.
Feathering: When waves are about to cap or break; the very first sight of white water at the top of a wave, just before it breaks or spills.
Fin(s): The rudder(s) used on the bottom of surfboards for control.
Foam: The material used to shape surfboards out of; the white water of a breaking wave; the bubbles left over from a breaking wave.
Front side: Facing the wave while surfing.
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Glassy: Very smooth ocean and wave conditions.
Gun: Surfboard designed to ride big waves.

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Hit the lip: When a surfer maneuvers the surfboard up to meet the lip of the wave as it is coming down, and then comes down with it.
Hammered: Taking a pounding from a wave.
Hollow: A cylinder shaped wave.

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Inside: Surfing in the tube of a wave; being positioned on the shore side of the breaking waves.

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Leash: The urethane cord used to attach a surfboard to a surfer. (see cord).
Line up: Were the surfers are sitting; where the waves are breaking; a marker on the beach used to position off of.
Lines: The unbroken series of waves coming in.
Locals: Long time regulars at a particular surf spot, or area.
Long board: Any board 3 feet longer than your height with a wider rounded nose, (front).

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Mushy: Non-powerful waves that crumble.

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Nose: The front of the surfboard.

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Overhead waves: Higher than a person�s height over the falls: A wipe out where a surfer goes over with the breaking lip of the wave.

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Peak: The highest part of a wave. The position where a wave first breaks.
Pearl: A wipe out where the nose of the surfboard goes under the water.
Phazer: A surfboard designed with a dimpled bottom.
Point break: Waves breaking off and around an outcrop of land
Pop-up: Getting to ones feet, after catching the wave.

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Rail: The curve on the sides of a surfboard.
Reef break: Waves that break over a bottom other than sand.
Ripping: Surfing well.

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Set: A series of outside breaking waves.
Shaka: The universal pinky-thimb hand signal for "awesome"!
Shooting the curl: Angling or trimming with the breaking part of the wave.
Short board: A small surfboard.
Shoulder: The unbroken edge of a breaking wave.
Sleeper set: Usually the biggest wave of the day that catches surfers off guard
Soft board: Surfboards made of soft materials for safety.
Soup: The white water from a broken wave.
Spray: Water being blowing off the face of a wave, the "plume." The release of water from a surfboard as it moves along; especially strong after quick turns.
Stall: A maneuver intended to slow the surfboards' forward momentum in order to let the wave catch up, or to get in the barrel.
Stick: Slang for surfboard.
Surf wax: Wax that is used for traction, and applied to the deck of fiberglass surfboards.
Swell: Waves

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Tail: The back end of a surfboard.
Thruster: A 3-finned surfboard.
Tube: A hollow breaking wave, when a surfer rides inside a hollow breaking wave.

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Wipe out: Falling off while surfing.
Worked: To "get worked" is to wipe out and get thrown about while being held under by the wave.

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Zipper: A fast breaking wave.
Zone: Where the waves are breaking; when rhythm, timing and flow come together.