Akaw! If you can't understand what the dudes at the pier are saying, here's a bitchin' crash course in surf lingo.
360 - a surfing maneuver that requires a 360 degree rotation of the board
A-frame - a wave that breaks with perfectly even left and right proportions
Aggro - a highly aggressive surfer or style of surfing
Air / Aerial - high flying surfing maneuver executed from the crest of the wave
Akaw – old school surfing slang shouted to announce a perfect incoming wave
Alaia - ancient Hawaiian wooden surfboard with a round nose and square tail
Aloha - a Hawaiian greeting and farewell that expresses love, affection, peace, compassion and respect
Amped - an energetic and positive feeling of excitement
Ankle Slapper – a wave that is too small to surf
Backdoor - entering the tube of a wave from behind the wave's peak
Backside - surfing with the rider's back toward the wave
Backwash - the collision of incoming and outgoing waves near the sand
Bail - a defensive maneuver that requires exiting the board and entering the water to avoid a wipe out or bad encounter
Beach Break - a rideable wave that breaks over shallow water like a sandbar
Barney - an inexperienced surfer who people consider uncool
Barrel - the hollow, tube shaped section of a breaking wave
Beach Bum - a person that spends the majority of their time hanging out at the beach
Benny - person that isn't local to the area
Betty - old school surf slang for an attractive female surfer
Bitchin' - slang for great or awesome
Bodyboard - a short surfboard ridden in prone position
Blank - an unshaped surfboard core made of fiberglass and resin
Body Surfing - the art and sport of riding a wave without a board
Bogging - slowing the speed of a ridden surfboard by shifting bodyweight to the back
Bomb - a massive approaching wave
Bombora - an Australian term for waves which form over a shallow offshore reef
Booger - a person who rides a bodyboard
Bottom Turn - a surfing maneuver executed from the bottom of a wave to adjust speed and position
Break - a submerged physical barrier that creates and shapes surfable waves
Bro - slang for brother, mate, friend or fellow surfer
Burn - the act of dropping in front of or stealing a wave from someone who has priority
Carve - a surfing maneuver requiring a sharp turn on the face of a wave
Charging - an aggressive execution of maneuvers on a large wave
Chop - rough wave conditions caused by high winds
Closeout - a wave that breaks suddenly and totally making it unrideable
Coastlander - someone spiritually drawn to the coast / ocean
Crest - the highest section of a breaking wave
Curl - a section of a breaking wave located just above the whitewater
Cutback - a surfing maneuver performed on the flats or shoulder of a wave to realign with the surf line
Dawn Patrol - a surf session that begins near sunrise
Deck - the top side of a surfboard
Ding - any damage to a surfboard
Drop - motion of entering the face of a breaking wave right after standing up
Drop-in - cutting off another surfer with right of way while riding a wave
Duck Dive - a surfboard maneuver that requires pushing the nose of the board underwater to avoid an approaching wave
Dude - a cool person or fellow surfer
Endless Summer - a 1966 documentary film about two surfers who travel the world looking for the perfect wave
Fin - a hydrofoil mounted to the tail of a surfboard to control foot-steering and direction
Flat - surfing condition with no waves
Flats - level section of water in front of a breaking wave
Floater - a surfing maneuver requiring a ride over and along the top of the broken part of a wave and into the flats
Foam Blank - an unshaped surfboard core made of foam
Foam Board - a beginner surfboard with a soft foam exterior shell
Frontside - surfing with the rider's face toward the wave
Frothing - being hyped, amped or excited
Fullsuit - a wetsuit that covers all of a surfer's core and extremities
Funboard - a buoyant surfboard with medium length, width and rail thickness
Glassy - a description of smooth water surface created by windless conditions
Gnarly - surf slang for awesome or intense
Goofy Foot - right foot forward surfing stance
Green Room - slang term for the area inside the tube or barrel of a breaking wave
Grom(met) - a young surfer
Groundswell - a deepwater wave set caused by an earthquake or extreme weather that can travel thousands of miles
Gun - a long and slender shaped board designed for surfing large waves
Hang Eleven – surf slang used to describe nude male surfing (please do not attempt)
Hang Loose - a shaka, relaxed, take it easy greeting or demeanor
Hang Ten - a longboarding maneuver that requires positioning both feet at the nose of the surfboard and placing all toes over the front edge
Haole - a Hawaiian term for (white) people not native to the islands
Header - surf slang for falling off the front of a surfboard, head first
Heat - the timed and judged elements of a surf competition round
Heavy - a dangerous wave that travels with a large mass of water
Helicopter - a surfing maneuver that requires rotating the surfboard 360 degrees from its nose
Hodad - old school surfing slang for a poser who brings a board to the beach but never surfs
Hollow - a standing wave that breaks over the face creating a gap with a tube or barrel shape
Impact Zone - the distance and depth of a set where waves are most likely to break
In the Soup - slang for floating in whitewater
Jake - Australian slang for an inexperienced surfer who inadvertently spoils the ride party
Kahuna - Hawaiian title for the best surfer on the beach
Keg - another word for the tube or barrel of a breaking wave
Kick Out - a maneuver that requires voluntarily exiting a wave over the face or top
Off the Grid - surfing at a remote or natural location that discourages big city communications
Reggae - a Jamaican music and cultural style that combines native, soul and rock music with island, political and spiritual themes
Save the Sea Turtles - an environmental movement focused on initiatives to protect the endangered sea turtle population
Shaka - a Hawaiian hand gesture for hello or goodbye that expresses peace, solidarity and a chill hang loose vibe
Shredding - aggressive style and skillful execution of maneuvers
Snaking - cutting off or paddling around another surfer to steal wave priority (don't snake me bro!)
Snap - a surfing maneuver that requires a quick, sharp turn off the top of a wave
Stoked - surfing slang for pumped or excited
Sup - friendly abbreviated greeting for "what's up"
Surf City USA - Huntington Beach, CA
Surf Hut - a tiny wood structure that offers shelter and storage for surfers and their boards above the high tide mark
Surf Report - a collection of current and forecasted tide, wave and weather conditions for surfing
Surf's Up - surf slang for good conditions or to draw attention to a passing wave
Tsunami - a long, high, and often deadly sea wave caused by an earthquake, submarine landslide, or other disturbance
