Long boarders and short on the same break

[Spoon]

There seems to be quite a few young fellas in for a rude shock when they age. It is not through choice that you get slower and not as flexible no matter how hard you try to stay "young". Your hair goes grey or just goes, your eyesight just suddenly goes to shit even if you had perfect eyesight 6 months before. There are aches from previous sport injuies you had forgotten. You can't just eat anything and get away with it. Hangovers also seem to last for 3 days, so I hope you all enjoy being young and cocky and apparently still bullet proof cuase remember kiddies, you too will age. See you on a 9'1" in about 10-15 years.

[Davros]

Great watching the 40+ crew riding the HPS as a badge of honour. Hats off to those who still ride them off the top to good bottom turn, really fun to watch an older ripper.Most dont and ride them flat when they break the peak.

[Grooter]

Some blokes never seem to age. I was surfing at Gunnamatta on Sunday, 4 foot and pretty clean and a well-known local surfer and shaper, who must now be in his 60's, was still tearing it up on a shorty

Sprightly old bastard, wish I was that good now, I'm almost half his age!

[buzzy]

This whole "paddling inside" thing is a little bit problematic, particularly at beach breaks.

If there's a defined peak then absolutely it' s bad form to just paddle out and snake a wave by going straight to pole position.

But that's a different story to paddling 20 or 30 or 40 metres further inside, imho. I don't think you can expect to sit on the very outside shoulder of the wave and not have me (or anyone else) paddling as deep as we can get and still make the wave. Not suggesting anyone is suggesting that, but just sayin'...

Had a 50 something year old bloke on a tiny day at a metro beach who kept paddling out and would then set up shop immediately to my inside shoulder. Really pissed me off. Luckily there were enough tiny waves coming through I didn't make a thing of it. I loved how he had a go at a grom for tring to tuck into a curly one as he paddled for the shoulder and into the groms way, giving him lecture on...shit. What a fuckstick that bloke was. On a longboard too. Never say him head for the nose once, which to me is the whole reason for being for longboards on 1-2 foot days.

[Beerfan]

I had a great surf not long ago with a grey haired shortboarder. Top bloke, and ripped. He had all day to surf, so there was no wave hogging. Haha i was 20 years younger and i was the one on the 9'1''!!!!. As long as the attitude is right i don't give a crap what anybody of any age rides.

One of the regulars is close to ( or over? ) 50, rips on a shortboard in any size. leashless 360's when its small no prob!

[Chillin]

The current world champ will be over 40 next year....can't see him rocking a mal though.

[purple pyramids]

The current world champ will be over 40 next year....can't see him rocking a mal though.

he seems to enjoy riding quite a variety of boards.

[Cuttlefish]

KS ain't exactly your typical surfer now is he?
40 was no big deal to me. Can't say the same at 48.
I'm sure as a supremely fit freak of nature it won't present a problem for him either.
The examples people are quoting are the exceptions not the rule.

[Chillin]

I'v gotta say Iv have a gripe with this, how many lazy old blokes will say to you "wish I was as fit as you and still riding a shortboard", but they won't make the effort to do so. Old sport injuries notwithstanding, there are plenty of old buggers out there ripping it up because they care more about surfing than they do about drinking, eating junk, smoking, not doing any form of execise etc. Weight is a big factor with many of em and it slows them down to the point where they cannot get to their feet fast enough to ride a short board, but do they make an effort to lose it? Stop whinging and get of yur arse and have a go, you might even surprise yourself. Rant over.

[pridmore]

I can handle all surfcraft in the same line up as me but I can not handle greed or bad manners..mal riders get on my nerve when they continually take off further outside due to the volume in their boards, especially when they get wave after wave and just keep doing it no matter if you are on the inside and have the right of way, some think if they start paddling first, or get up first that its their wave, even at a point....if everyone is reasonable and doesnt hassle too much and dont drop in, it can work...but with ever growing crowds, its getting rarer, especially on weekends...I pretty much avoid some spots due to crowds or surf them when its not ideal conditions....but I must say, if I see a SUP paddling my way, my mood changes, I get annoyed at the beginner SUP riders in crowded line ups....but thats another thread....

[Natho]

Ive also got pretty fed up to the back eyeballs with the bad manners and lack of general respect in the line up over the past few years. The thing I don't understand is why so many people just cop it and don't say anything. If someone is clearly doing the wrong thing to you or just plain wave hogging then say something to them. That way they will know they are in the wrong (if they don't already), and they will hopefully stop doing it. It will also show them that you understand the rules and manners of the line up and you are not going to just cop it. If you do end up dropping in on em then they will know why and they can't say you didn't politely warn them first. Don't let people push you around or they will keep doing it. simple. Stand up for yourself because its dog eat dog out there.

[Beanpole]

I'v gotta say Iv have a gripe with this, how many lazy old blokes will say to you "wish I was as fit as you and still riding a shortboard", but they won't make the effort to do so. Old sport injuries notwithstanding, there are plenty of old buggers out there ripping it up because they care more about surfing than they do about drinking, eating junk, smoking, not doing any form of execise etc. Weight is a big factor with many of em and it slows them down to the point where they cannot get to their feet fast enough to ride a short board, but do they make an effort to lose it? Stop whinging and get of yur arse and have a go, you might even surprise yourself. Rant over.

Yes true, true but all you young wippersnappers just can't believe the fact that after fifty your body starts to pack it in. You can be lucky, you can exercise to counter act it, you can try and use will power but its a fact. All those broken bones and strains start to come back to haunt you. You can have good days but you can really pay for it too. I've seen more old fit blokes on mals than shortboards. In fact riding too short is the quickest way to end your surfing career. Even if the young crew think your great as they drop in on you and steal your waves.

[purple pyramids]

last time i slapped someone - a brazillian - around for constant snaking, i was told i was setting a bad example for the kids. i suggested that they were the ones setting the bad example letting someone snake every wave and not even saying anything. if the rest of the lineup had told the guy to fuck off and not left it to lonesome me, it wouldn't have ended as it did.

Ive also got pretty fed up to the back eyeballs with the bad manners and lack of general respect in the line up over the past few years. The thing I don't understand is why so many people just cop it and don't say anything. If someone is clearly doing the wrong thing to you or just plain wave hogging then say something to them. That way they will know they are in the wrong (if they don't already), and they will hopefully stop doing it. It will also show them that you understand the rules and manners of the line up and you are not going to just cop it. If you do end up dropping in on em then they will know why and they can't say you didn't politely warn them first. Don't let people push you around or they will keep doing it. simple. Stand up for yourself because its dog eat dog out there.

[pridmore]

I understand what Natho is syaing and I have had plenty of arguments with guys in the waves and even a few biffs but no matter who is to blame in these incidents , I always feel really shit...so I choose to explain what they did wrong and why its pissed me off, usually they say they didnt see you, or they'll fire up and tell you to fark off....but with my son surfing with me alot, I definitely try to lead by example coz if we all teach our kids to drop in and fire up and fight in the water, we are in for some shitty and aggro times ahead....its gunna be bad no matter what we do but I prefer to teach my grom the rules and ethics of surfing and so far he does the right thing, when I see him drop in, he gets a serve from me....its a bloody hard balance, trying to get waves in crowded line-ups and not hassling and dropping in , you just gotta be considerate to a certain degree and not be a greedy bugger I reckon....or surf less busy spots...or move to where there's less people...or deal with the crowds I guess.....and really cherish those days that are pumping and uncrowded.....

[purple pyramids]

yeah, i felt like shit afterwards. i do my best to avoid such situations now. despite the crowded shit i generally surf, everybody pretty much gets along well...then summer happens.

[Cuttlefish]

I'v gotta say Iv have a gripe with this, how many lazy old blokes will say to you "wish I was as fit as you and still riding a shortboard", but they won't make the effort to do so. Old sport injuries notwithstanding, there are plenty of old buggers out there ripping it up because they care more about surfing than they do about drinking, eating junk, smoking, not doing any form of execise etc. Weight is a big factor with many of em and it slows them down to the point where they cannot get to their feet fast enough to ride a short board, but do they make an effort to lose it? Stop whinging and get of yur arse and have a go, you might even surprise yourself. Rant over.

Due to the low volume of typical shortboards, especially through the 90's there's going to be a lot of guys who are going to suffer for it as they age.
The arching of your lower back when paddling, with your neck in a craned position can really lead to problems with your shoulder and neck.
I know I suffer with shoulder pain, especially through winter.
Shorter boards with low volume (for me) that have me arching my back while paddling set it off.
There's been periods where I've had to ride longer boards 7'6" and above to avoid it.
When it's marginal I can ride 5'6"s.
Nothing to do with my fitness.
A lot to do with overuse and too much surfing.

[Beerfan]

I really like midlength and long boards. I can surf shorter fishy boards, but i like them best when its clean n hollow, so they usually stay home hahaha. Just too much fun, which is why im out there. Me and 2 regulars this morning. Me 31, on a 7'10, another bloke, 40's, 9'4, another bloke 66, on a 6' something shorty hahaha, we all got waves, no hassles no worries. Some good ones around too, and they were even left's!

[buzzy]

45 yoa and a number of torn rotator cuff injuries mean my paddling power isn't what it once was, no matter how much time I spend in the water. Consequently I always carry a tad more volume in my board than is the typical recommendation for my weight (usually an extra eighth of an inch).