the surf whistler

[dUg]

What type of person whistles to themselves sitting out in the lineup? People with no friends... people with no clue? Is it an attempt to look carefree? Genuine happiness? Some self-comforting thing? Or is it people who have achieved some zen-like state angry feckers like me could never hope to attain in a lifetime of self-help books and therapy?

If you have come across a whistler, what did you think? Is there a "type" that whistles in the surf? What did they whistle? Could you identify the tune? Or was it utterly non-descript?

Perhaps you are a whistler yourself... and if so, why do you do it? What sort of tunes do you whistle? Classics? Showtunes? Adult alternative rock? Or your own compositions / improvisations? Has anyone ever commented on your whistling prowess?

Help me understand people who whistle in the surf. I've never felt the need to do it... and can't understand people who do.

[Haz]

Don't whistle... But every surf I have a habit of getting really annoying/bad songs stuck in my head, then humming them, Riverside today for example.

Is that worse??

[marcus]

I have been known to whistle, but don't usually surf around other people.
just some song that's in my head usually

[onawave]

yeah, ive been known to hum / sing the odd tune. typically whatever record is dominating my playlist that week....

now whistling? never done that one...

[Trev]

Haven't noticed myself whistling. Haven't noticed anyone else whistling, however, now you've mentioned it I expect I'll find everyone is whistling next time I'm out there.
I do get one song in my head though. Different ones but recurring themes are (cringes mightily), "Summer Holiday" and sometimes, Walk Right In". If the surf is good it's often, "Here it Comes Again"
(still cringing)
But Hey. I'm happy.

[Sveta]

I thinks its an insecurity thing. It always seems to be as they just paddle back to the line up and sit on there board and then presto. and a lot of the time they fold there arms. I think they are loners who are a little insecure amongst a group. or maybe be they are just happy. Wouldn't say I get annoyed by it, but I find peoples behavior interesting

[steve shearer]

I whistle as a crowd control tactic : not if I'm amongst people I know, but if the lineup has euro kooks or brazilians or others a loud persistent whistling of some innocous musical showtune just seems to give you that little bit of extra space.
People seems less inclined to sit close to you or paddle up the inside if your looking around and whistling.......maybe it's just that annoyance or slight awkardness generated.
They might think your mentally deranged and capable of some completely random and unpredictable act.
It works amongst semi-competent lineups of annoying non-locals who have a tendency to crowd the take-off zone and disregard etiquette.

I don't think it would work at the Pipeline.

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[moreorless]

I sometimes find myself whistling in the surf. It seems to happen unconsciously. Usually its the tune to some song I was listening to in the car on the way down. It usually happens when I'm feeling relaxed and confident. I'm not going to read too much into it, or anything at all for that matter. Sometimes I also sing in the surf, but only when I'm alone. Doing that in a crowd would be weird.

[oldman]

If you are gonna whistle in the surf, it really must be the theme from these movies.

http://www.amazon.com/Trinity-Collectio ... B00005YLS5

Alternatively, the theme from the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Otherwise, no whistling please.

[steve shearer]

Funny, I never hear people whistling. I did last Wednesday (?) though. One guy sitting near me would whistle every time he noticed an approaching set. All well and good, but I knew the wave was approaching. He obviously did too. But on more than one occasion he alerted a bunch of other people who otherwise wouldn't've. Annoying.

I use a version of that technique regularly. It's a simple bait and switch that works in a light to moderate anonymous crowd of non locals.

If there's wide sets then sitting wide and picking up a couple is the initial bait.
Then sitting deep but just off the takeoff and whistling the approaching wide sets usually draws the crowd out wide leaving a very big hole up the middle of the ruck area.....where the deeper sets will break.
Thats the switch.
Amazing how well it works.
Again this doesn't work in a savvy crowd of local surfers......one in which I would be sitting in on the peak taking my turn.

[Grooter]

I'm fairly animated to tell the truth.

Will whistle, talk to myself, hum a tune, usually let out a yell if I manage to get a big drop, swear loudly when I wipeout, hoot if one of my mates catches a decent one etc....

Basically I'm a bit of an annoying cnut.

[LONGINUS]

For me, probably the most annoying species in the lineup are the 'ringmasters'. Mid 40's guys that fool themselves into thinking a 7S Fish is still a shortboard. They know the faces of three people in the lineup on most days so will sit there yelling out to individuals 100 yards away in different direction. "Hey Bonza...yeah ya cnut....HAAAAAAAAA Narra this mortning...Fcuk....HAAAAAAA"

Then when the sets come they try to co-ordinate everyone, who is going left and right etc. This is fine in the ments but at Manly? STFU please. Maybe it's because I have always enjoyed surfing alone and just catching up with the thoughts in my head but I really hate people making any unnecesary noise at all in the water. Conversations in the surf should be quietly conducted mano a mano in the true spirit of surfing.

[steve shearer]

Maybe it's because I have always enjoyed surfing alone and just catching up with the thoughts in my head |

And you surf where?

I hear there's lots of space in Angola.

[Nick Carroll]

Everybody knows the more conversations you have during a given surf, the less waves you catch.

I've got to admit I do enjoy letting go with an encouraging hoot now and then, specially when I'm pretty sure the result is gonna be a spectacular wipeout

But sitting there whistling show tunes ... that's clearly beyond the pale

I actually know a person (a PHENOMENALLY annoying person mind you, on land or in the water or any bloody where) who deliberately starts conversations with other people in the surf in order to distract them while he tries to snivel onto the inside.

Unfortunately for him everyone he knows is on to this tactic and just tells him to shut the fcuk up.

[Royboys]

Hey diddle diddle lend me a riddle...

Where is a whistle that blows bubble's

[steve shearer]

[quote="Nick Carroll"]

But sitting there whistling show tunes ... that's clearly beyond the pale

/quote]

I guess it depends on how much personal space you like surfing your local break.

There's many species of surfer passing through here, all of which could be in the line-up on any given day :

the uni student from Brisbane with his mate surfing DHD's, a couple of Japanese surfers, maybe a Brazo or 3, the Sydney stockbroker on holiday etc etc....
Now there not gunna be in the equation if it's 6foot but on an inconsistent 3foot day they'll just generally be making a nuisance of themselves...
Now if Col the lawnmower man is out or Walshy or Cliffy then it's not a problem....we'll hang on the button and the visitors can sit wide or get the flow through....but it's annoying to have some tosspot on holidays paddling up your inside or just lingering within arms reach..and non verbal techniques avert all conflict.
The other technique which works particularly well for those of Latin temperament is a simple deep troll....a long slow lingering paddle to a point about 20 yards too deep pretending your trolling a live slimey.....then after the alpha male of the pack brings his posse over ...a lazy stroke back before the next set hits. You can pull this shit all day long sometimes before they clue in......even more so if there are a couple of swell trains in the water.....bait and switch for the shitty ones and be on the button for the good ones.


Meat whistle that blows bubbles ?

[LONGINUS]

Maybe it's because I have always enjoyed surfing alone and just catching up with the thoughts in my head |

And you surf where?

I hear there's lots of space in Angola.

Ah Steven, I only said I 'enjoyed it' reality on sydney Northern Beaches may be a little different but I can still be in my own private Idaho at any break with a crowd. Having said that, from 0930-1030 this morning I surfed Dee Why Point alone shhh, dont want to get in trouble for leaking out info on secret spots again