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Basic River Lineup Etiquette

I know… this should go without saying…

There is nothing better than seeing a huge line at the local river wave. More surfers means that the sport is progressing. As the sport progresses so do the riders. It is so fun to see surfers getting longer rides and having fun. How long of a ride is too long? If there is a line on both sides of the wave and one is shorter how do you rotate rides? What do you do if someone loses a board in the eddy?

Being able to surf the wave for as long as you want is a great feeling! Taking long rides is perfectly fine if it is just you and a few buddies surfing. When the line starts to get long 1 min rides are a maximum to keep the line flowing. Hack some turns and once you reach your time limit try a trick. This will keep everyone in the lineup happy as well as progress your surfing at the same time!

If your wave has a line on both sides you should rotate riders from each side. If one side has twice as many riders than the other you should rotate 2 riders from the long side to 1 rider from the short side. This will keep things even and keep the lines on both sides flowing.

If someone loses their board in the eddy and it flows back up toward the line whoever is closest should grab it for them. You can put it to the side or if they are on the other side of the river you can toss it over to them. If you are going to toss a board to the other side of the wave please make sure no one is in the wave surfing or swimming in the water around the wave. Let everyone know you are going to toss the board so no one gets hurt.

Lets all work together to progress the sport, keep each other safe and maintain good vibes in the water.

Keep the Stoke Alive!