10-12 Min read
Dude? dude! Sick olas yo! Pull in, got spit out, then whooopah!Â
Many surfer slang words start off on the fringes of the English language and (in my experience anyway) end up finding their way into the mainstream over time.Â
Even though most hardcore surfers despise the way the ‘Hollywood Surfer’ is portrayed, you can’t deny we all have a pretty unique way of talking and our surfing lingo sure is kinda interesting.Â
Check out our ultimate guide to Surfing Slang and Surfer Lingo below.
Something we’ve missed? Drop us a message and we will be sure to add it! So, here we go…
GLOSSARY OF SURFER SLANG TERMS AND SURFER LINGO
360 – a surf move which finds its roots in skateboarding – the surfer will turn the board in a 360-degree motion while riding the face of a wave
A-frame – a wave-shaped like a triangle that breaks towards the left of the beach and right of the beach at the same time
Aggro – aggressive surfing/surfer e.g. ‘Hey, why soooo aggro bro?’
Air or Aerial – If a surfer performs an aerial, their board leaves the surface of the water and goes into the air, above the top part of the wave, or lip of the wave. Airs take their roots from skateboarding, pioneered by guys like Christian Fletcher and Martin ‘Pottz’ Potter
Akaw – awesome, cool
Amped – feeling excited, pumped up, e.g “I am soooo AMPED for this surf session!”Â
Let’s pause for a second and check out the ULTIMATE amped surferÂ
Backdoor – Catching a wave from the ‘wrong’ side to ‘backdoor’ the section or tube/barrel
Bailing – Ditching your board either when paddling towards the waves, or when you are actually riding a wave
Backwash – When a wave moves out to sea in the opposite direction to normal, and crashes into an oncoming wave
Baggies / Boardies – A piece of surf clothing, namely shorts for wearing whilst surfing. Boardshorts, or Baggie shorts.Â
Barney – Also see Kook. Often misinterpreted as a beginner surfer, I think the best definition is ‘A surfer who thinks their ability is vastly superior to their actual ability.’ Reason being, some beginners know they are beginners, and so they are NOT Barney’s!Â
Barrel – When the wave breaks and folds over itself creating an open tube or barrel. Riding the barrel is the most coveted aspects of surfing. See also, tube, or green room
Beach break – When the waves break over sand not rock, pebble or reef. Typically a beach break will have multiple areas to surf or multiple ‘peaks’
Benny – a non-local surfer / someone from out of town
Bitchin’ – old school adjective to describe something amazing, awesome or greatÂ
Bodyboard / Bodyboarder – a small foam board that you ride lying in a prone position. Many ‘stand-up’ surfers do not like bodyboarders and as a result many derogatory terms exist to describe them. See also booger, a boogie board, dick dragger, clam dragger, shark biscuit, sponger… the list goes on!Â
Bomb – a big waveÂ
Bottom turn – After ‘dropping in’ to a wave a surfer must perform a bottom turn in order to get into the power source of the wave. The bottom turn sets the surfer up for his or her ride and is very important skill to master.Â
Break – A beach, place to surf, or surf breakÂ
Bro – Friend, dude, brother, homie, surfer. Can be either a male surfer or female surfer.
Carve – A sharp turning maneuver putting the surfboard ‘on rail’ (the side of the board). A good carve will often result in a big ‘rooster tail’ or spray of water
Caught inside – When you are stuck between the shoreline and the lineup with waves breaking on top of you. “Dude! I was caught inside for like 10 minutes while you were all getting shacked!” Â
Charging – Surfing without fear of falling or wiping out. Often used when referring to big waves.
John Florence CHARGING | Jaws, Hawaii
 Choppy – High winds often produce rough or choppy waves – not ideal for surfing
Clam Dragger – Derogatory term to describe a female bodyboarder, also see bodyboard
Clean wave – Smooth wave or ‘glassy’ wave. You will often see clean waves when the wind is very light
Closeout – When a wave breaks across the beach or surf break all at once leaving no opportunity for a good ride on a surfboard. Also known as a straight-handerÂ
Clucked – Being chicken or scared of the wavesÂ
Cooking –Â When the waves are really good – see also, pumping, firing, maxin’
Cranking – See above
Crease – nearly snapping your surfboard can result in a crease across middle. You can normally get a trained professional to repair a crease depending on severity
Crest – the top of the wave
Curl – the breaking part of the wave where it ‘curls’ over on itself
Cutback – One of the first surf moves to master, a cutback is when the surfer turns in a sharp motion from the ‘shoulder’ or edge of the wave, back towards the ‘pocket’ or power source of the wave
Cutting off – Catching a wave in front of another surfer, stealing their wave, also known as ‘snaking’ Â
Dawn patrol – Surfing at first light in the morningÂ
Deck – The top part of a surfboard
Dick dragger – a derogatory term referring to riding a bodyboard. See also, bodyboarder
Ding – Damage to your surfboard
Double up – Often super fun to ride, a double up is when two waves combine to form one, creating a sudden surge of power
Drop – The first section of riding a wave when the surfer ‘drops’ into the wave face
Drop-in – When you take a wave that someone is already riding. See also, cutting off
Duck Dive – This is done when paddling out into the breaking waves. To duck dive the surfer pushes the nose of their board downwards under the water as a breaking wave approaches. The surfer then submerges themselves and their board as the waves passes over top, and continues paddling into the lineup when they reach the surface.
Elevator Drop – When a surfer freefalls from the top of the wave to the bottom. Also called an air drop
Firing – When the waves are really good, see also pumping, cooking, maxin’
Freshie/Freshies – New surfboard or surfboards – the smell of a freshie is an exciting smell for a surfer!Â
Gnarly – Heavy, dangerous or scary situation or waveÂ
Goat Boater – Big in Australia back in the day, a goat boater is a person who rides a sit on surf ski, designed for catching waves in the ocean and not in a river
Goofy – When a surfer stands with their right foot forward
Greenroom – Barrel, tube or keg. Getting into the greenroom is the ultimate in surfing
Mick Fanning feeling totally at home in the Green Room
Grom – A young or inexperienced surfer; shortened from grommet. Note: there seems to be no age assigned to when you graduate from being a grommet into an adult!
Grovel / Groveler – To ride small waves, or ride your small-wave-board or groveler Â
Gun – a big surfboard for riding big waves
Hack – An aggressive turn, or carve is often referred to as a hack
Hang Five – Normally done while riding a longboard, this is when the surfer places 5 toes over the nose or front part of the board.
Hang Ten – An extension of the hang five, this is when the surfer places ten toes over the nose of the board. An expert move, performed by an experienced surfer
Hang Loose – Another old school term, used when making the sign of a shakaÂ
Haole – See kook, or barney
Heavy – Referring to powerful/dangerous waves or a dangerous situation. Even a 3ft wave can be classed as heavy if it moves a lot of water and breaks over a shallow ledge
Helicopter – a move where the surfboard is spun around like the blades of a helicopter – normally done on a longboardÂ
Hodad – 50’s term for someone who hangs out at the beach, but not a surfer
Hoot – To shout encouragingly at a fellow surfer. “It’s always fun to hoot your friend into a bomb set, when you know they are gonna get smashed”
Hollow – Waves that tube or barrel are termed hollow
Impact Zone – An area of the lineup where the waves tend to break most of the time – when paddling out, you want to avoid staying too long in the impact zoneÂ
Inside – The area of the lineup between the beach or shoreline, and the impact zone
Jacking – When waves suddenly rise up before they break, they are said to ‘jack’ up. Normally this occurs when the swell moves quickly from deeper water to shallower waterÂ
Jake – a less experienced surfer who accidentally gets in the path of another surfer
Juice – A wave with a lot of juice has a lot of power
Junkyard Dog – Someone who surfs with bad or no style
Keg – See also, green room, barrel, tube. “He was kegged off his nuts!”Â
Kick Out – When you finish your ride in control of your surfboard you kick out by going over the back of, or through, the wave
Kickflip – Skateboarding move that has found its way into surfing. The surfer flies into the air and the surfboard rotates 360 degrees, with both surfer and board continuing along the wave once landed Â
Kneeboard – A smaller version of a surfboard designed to be ridden on your knees
Kook – See Barney above. Often misinterpreted as a beginner surfer or inexperienced surfer, we believe the best definition is ‘A surfer who thinks their ability is vastly superior to their actual ability.’ Reason being, some beginners know they are beginners, and so they are NOT Kooks!  Â
Layback – Often referred to as a “Larry Layback” this move is performed when doing an aggressive turn – the surfer literally lays backwards onto the wave faceÂ
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Michelle Bourez shows us how to perform the layback
Leash – Piece of urethane cord that is attached to the surfboard on one end, and the ankle of the surfer at the other end. Otherwise known as a legropeÂ
Check out our Ultimate Guide to The Surf Leash here
Left – When looking out towards the ocean, a left, breaks from the left of the beach to the right
Line up – To reach the lineup, you must paddle through the waves to the area where the swell lines approach and the waves begin to break – the area where surfers wait to catch a wave is known as the lineupÂ
Lines – As the ocean swells approach the shore they are referred to as lines, and sometimes corduroy linesÂ
Lip – The top part of the wave as it breaks is called the lip Â
Localism – Aggro from local surfers towards vising no-locals is often called localism
Log – See longboard below
Longboard – Any surfboard over 9ft with a rounded nose is a longboard
A typical longboard or log looks like this
Lull – This is the period of calm water between big waves (or set of waves)
Macking – Big waves can often be termed macking or hugeÂ
Maxed out – When the swell is too big and waves are closing out, the beach or surf break will be maxed out
Men in Grey Suits – sharks
Messy – Term to describe windy and or badly shaped waves
Mullering or Mullered – Wiping out, getting badly smashed by the waves
Mush/Mushburger – Weak, soft waves with no potential for high-performance surfing. Sometimes great for beginner surfers
New School – Opposite of old school – a modern approach to surfing incorporating the latest ‘tricks’Â
Noah – shark
Noodle arms / Noodled – A result of surfing too much. “My arms are noodled”
Nose – The pointy bit of a surfboard at the front
Nose guard – Rubber protection for the tip of the nose of a surfboard
Nose Riding – See also, Hang Ten. Riding with your toes over or towards the nose of your surfboard. Primarily performed on a longboard
Nug – A good or nice wave
Off The Lip – A modern surf move where the surfer hits the ‘lip’ and the re- enters the curl of the wave. Also known as a re-entry
Offshore – When the wind blows from the land toward the ocean. Creates clean waves and optimum conditions many surfers favourÂ
Offshore winds blowing from the land towards the sea Sydney, Australia
Onshore – Opposite of offshore, the wind blows from the ocean toward the land. Creates unfavorable conditions for most surfersÂ
Out Back – Out beyond the breaking waves, also known as the lineup
Outside – As above
Over The Falls – When a surfer falls and goes with the lip of the wave when it crashes from top to bottom. You can also be sucked over the falls (not directly fall with the lip) on a large powerful wave
Overgunned – If your board is too big for the conditions the you are overgunned
Overhead – If the waves are taller than the height of an average adult you would say it’s overhead when a wave is higher than an average surfer
Paddlepuss – Someone who prefers to stay close to the beach and not venture further into the lineup
Party Wave – A wave that more than one surfer is riding at the same time
Peak– A triangle, teepee-shaped wave that forms a peak, with a right and left breaking surfable wave
Pearl – when a surfer’s buried the nose of their surfboard into the wave
Peeling – when a wave breaks or peels from one side of the beach or break to the other
Pig Dog – A move performed when riding backside or backhand to get into the tube. The surfer will grab the toe side rail of their board with their back arm, and jam the other arm into the curl of the wave to control their speed
Pintail – A surfboard with a pin tail has a pointed tail designed for hollow, tubing waves
Pit – the barrel, tube, green room
Pocket – the power source of the wave, where you position yourself for maximum speed generation
Pointbreak – A long peeling wave that generally forms around a bend in the coastline like a large headland or point. A point break will often make waves that give surfers a long ride.Â
Poo Stance / Poo Man – Derogatory term to describe someone’s surfing style. A poo man surfs with a poor foot placement and body positioning.
Check out this great clip below Â
Pop up – When the surfer moves from lying in a prone position on the board to ‘popping up’ to a standing position
Pull in – Moving your board to enter into the tubeÂ
Pumping – See also, cranking, firing
Quimby – An annoying beginner surfer
Quiver – A collection of surfboards
Racy – A fast peeling wave
Rad / Radical – An awesome or amazing surfer, surfing or moment
Rails – The sides of the surfboard
Raked Over – When you are pounded by multiple waves in succession often when paddling out to the lineup
Re-entry – High performance move when the surfer goes up towards the lip or top of the wave, and then re enters the waves face after performing a radical turn
Reef – Rock or tropical reef where the waves often break on top ofÂ
Regular Footed – Opposite of goofy, a surfer who stands on a surfboard with their left foot forwardÂ
Right – When looking out towards the ocean, a right, breaks from the right of the beach to the left
Riptide – A turbulent section of water that creates a current, often dangerous when its direction is out to sea
Rock Dance – When a surfer gets into the water via a rocky section and has to dance their way across the reef, pebbles or rocks
Rocker – When looking at the side of the board, this is the way the board is curved
Set – A group of waves that approach the lineup
Shacked – When you are riding the tube, see also green roomÂ
Shaka – Quintessential surfer hand gesture – performed by making a fist and then extending the thumb and pinky finger
Shorebreak / Shorepound – Waves that break right on the shore which cannot normally be surfed (but may be on a bodyboard)Â
Shoulder – The side part of the wave that is not yet broken
Shove-it – Originally a skateboard move, this has now found its way into surfing. The board spins 180 or 360 degrees in the air, with the surfer momentarily jumps upwards, landing back on the board, which is normally moving backwards and continues along the wave
Shubie– A wannabe surfer who buys all the gear, but does not surfÂ
Sick – Amazing, impressive, awesome
Sketchy – DangerousÂ
Slotted – When you are perfectly positioned in the tube
Snake – Someone not taking turns or sharing the waves Â
Soft board / Soft Top / Foamie – A surfboard with a soft foam top originally made for beginners, but newer models are being manufactured for more experienced surfers
Soup – The whitewater
Spat Out – When a surfer exits the tube at the same time as the wave breathes out air and water
Spit – The water and air that gets sprayed out from the tube
Sponger – Derogatory name for a bodyboarder
Stall– By weighting towards the tail of your board you will slow down or stall. A move often used to get deeper into the tubeÂ
Stick – Surfboard
Stoked – Happy, excited. “I’m sooooo stoked right now!”
Sucking Dry – When a wave begins to break the seabed at the bottom of the wave become exposed to the air – very sketchy!
Surf Camp – Place to stay on a surf vacationÂ
Swell / Groundswell – Open ocean swell before reaching the shore and becoming rideable waves
Switch – Riding your surfboard in the opposite stance to which you preferÂ
Tail – The opposite end to the nose (pointy end) of your board
Take Off – When you catch a wave
Trough – The bottom part of the wave
Tombstoning – After a wipeout the surfer gets pushed deep underwater, the surfboard will bob up and down on its end due to the leash connecting surfer and surfboard
Tow in – Primarily used by big wave surfers, a jetski is used to tow the surfer into a wave at speedÂ
Tube – barrel, keg, green room
Tubular – Old school term to describe something awesome or radicalÂ
Turtle Roll – A technique used to get a longboard (normally) through a broken wave. To turtle roll, you must hold the sides/rails of the board, and roll upside down as the wave approaches. You allow the wave to pass over top, and then you roll back to the correct way up and continue paddling into the lineup Â
Twin Fin or Twinny – A surfboard with two fins onlyÂ
Check out our Ultimate Guide to the Twin Fin Surfboard here
Wall – The face of the wave you ride along on a surfboardÂ
Washing Machine – When you are rolled and smashed by a broken wave
Wave Hog – A surfer who doesn’t share the waves or lineupÂ
Wax – The stuff you rub onto your surfboard to help your feet stick to the surface of the board Â
Check out our guide to The Best Surf Wax hereÂ
Whitewater – The broken foamy part of a wave
Wipeout – When you fall from your surfboardÂ
Worked – Sustaining a long or violent wipeout
That’s all we have! If you think we have missed anything from our list of surfing slang, drop us a message at
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