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Live filter across 34 terms
Standing up on the board as the wave starts to carry you.
The moment you get to your feet. And when everything can tip over. Statistically: it tips.
Turn at the bottom of the wave that sets up the next maneuver.
The turn at the bottom. Miss it and the rest follows. Real surfing starts here, not at take-off.
Horizontal half-turn back toward the pocket as the shoulder flattens.
You go back where you came from. Like a Breton trying to move to Paris.
Vertical move on the steep, about-to-break part of the wave.
The maneuver every beginner wants to land. And the first one they miss. Nobody ever nailed their first roller.
Getting fully covered by the breaking wave (= barrel).
You disappear for 1 second. You reappear 2 seconds later. In between: the reason we surf.
Very vertical take-off, right at the edge of late take-off territory.
You fall with control. If you don't, it's called a wipeout.
Starting late, on a wave that breaks as you pop up.
You're late. But you go anyway. That's all of surfing in one sentence.
Technical jump from lying flat to standing on the board.
0.3 seconds for pros. 30 years for the rest of us.
Riding on top of the breaking lip as the wave detonates.
You surf the top. Feels like floating. Reality: you fall later.
Radical turn that cuts the wave in two with one powerful arc.
You cut. You don't skim. Carve or nothing.
Smooth, oil-slick water. Ideal conditions for clean breaking waves.
Flat sea, open sky, perfect waves. The moment you regret working until 9am.
Waves degraded by wind and current, with messy, weak breaks.
Soft waves. You paddle out anyway, then leave disappointed.
When waves are firing — powerful and consistent.
It's firing. Everyone says it's firing. Nobody says how it's firing.
No waves. The ocean is flat.
The sea is asleep. You head back to the shaping bay.
Wind blowing from sea to land. Messes up the surface.
The wind that ruins the session. You say oh well and go home.
/ɔf.ʃɔʁ/
Wind blowing from land to sea, grooming the wave faces.
The wind you wait for all week. When it hits, you burn your PTO.
A group of bigger waves arriving at irregular intervals (= set).
5–7 waves in a row. The 4th is often the best. You're never in position for the 4th.
An exceptionally big wave — the bomb of the set or the day.
The wave of the day. You see it. You miss it. You think about it for 6 months.
Foot stance. Goofy = right foot forward. Regular = left foot forward.
30% goofy, 70% regular. Nobody knows why. Nobody complains.
Surfing the wave facing it.
You see the wave. You see what you're doing. Comfort.
Surfing the wave with your back to it.
The wave is behind you. You surf almost blind. That's real surfing.
A surfer who knows the spot best and often has de facto priority.
The guy who was there before you. And will be there after you. Respect.
Novice surfer making lineup mistakes and bad calls.
You. At the start. All of us, at some point.
Young surfer, usually a kid or teen.
The 9-year-old who surfs better than you. You pretend you don't care.
Longitudinal curve nose to tail. Helps avoid pearling on take-off.
The curve. More rocker = more turn. Flatter = more straight glide. See our poll #1.
Side edge of the board. Shape varies by board type and intended feel.
The edge. If you don't know what it is, that's fine. The board knows for you.
Front of the board — roughly the first 30 cm.
The front. What longboarders love and shortboarders ignore.
Back of the board. Shapes: square, round, pin, swallow, diamond.
The back. Many shapes, many surfers. Pick your camp, we won't judge.
Grip wax applied to the deck so you don't slip off.
You wax up. When it's hot it melts. When it's cold it cracks. You wax anyway.
Cord from ankle to board so you don't lose it when you fall.
Your board's lifeline. Saves you — unless it snaps, then you run.
A fall in surfing. French surfers sometimes say boite.
You fall. The ocean reminds you you've only been surfing in your head.
Swallowing seawater involuntarily after a wipeout.
You drink. You cough. You paddle back out. Surfing is accidental freediving.
White-water zone after the break. Also: getting tossed in the foam.
You get wrung out. Like a sock in the machine. With less dignity.
French word for a surf fall, equivalent to wipeout.
The French word we should use instead of wipeout. Nobody does. Us neither, honestly.
State of joy after a good session.
We say content. Or too good. Stoked is for surf-shop starter kits.
Spectacular, exciting, sometimes dangerous or gross.
We say it's fine, it's good. French understatement beats every California superlative.
Hawaiian catch-all: hello, goodbye, love, compassion.
We say hey. Hawaii is lovely. It's not home.
Casual American way to address another surfer.
We say mate. Or nothing. French tu works fine without nicknames.
No match. Try another word.
