How not to crash into people

If you’ve ever been run over, run over someone else, dinged someone’s board, or had your board damaged in a collision—this post is for you.

Do you remember that scene from The Bourne Identity where Jason Bourne goes:

“I can tell you the license plate numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and the guy sitting at the counter weighs 215 pounds and knows how to handle himself. I know the best place to look for a gun is the cab of the gray truck outside, and at this altitude, I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking. Now why would I know that? How can I know that and not know who I am?”

If Jason Bourne were a surfer, he’d navigate the Pipeline lineup like it was choreographed.

Observation: The underrated surf skill

Having your head on a swivel and being spy-level observant is a surf skill we rarely talk about. We get so focused on positioning, paddling, and popping up that we sometimes don’t even realize we’re dropping in on someone. Once again—it’s not you. It’s your goddamn brain.

Ever heard of target fixation or object fixation? It’s when your brain locks onto the thing you don’t want to hit… and then, because you’re staring straight at it, you end up steering right into it.

Sounds familiar? That’s because our eyes lead our body. Where you look, you go. And under stress—like dropping into a wave or seeing another surfer in your path—your brain zooms in on the danger. Instead of scanning for a safe route, you unconsciously zero in on the hazard… because that’s where your attention is.

So picture this: you’re looking at another surfer instead of the open wave—boom, you collide. You’re staring at your nose during the pop-up—boom, you fall right there instead of trimming down the line. You’re eyeing the sand instead of looking forward—congrats, you’ve booked yourself a guaranteed nose dive.

Advice from the lineup

As one of the Girls Who Can’t Surf Good put it:

“One of the most important things I teach students is to be aware of object fixation. You will run into what you look at—simple as that.

As kids, we learned this after our first collision and never did it again. As older learners, there’s a lot of overthinking. Instead of just learning the lesson and moving on, we get stuck. Always only look at the shore if you’re going straight, or the wave face if you’re up to that.

Don’t worry about other people in the water. In my opinion, there’s too much emphasis on having to socialize and surf in groups. Just go surfing by yourself and ‘reset’ what surfing means to you. Settle into your own practice mindfully, like training. Take the time to work on this stuff. You’ll be fine. It’s all part of the journey.”

How to stop crashing into people

So—how do you not crash into people? Look where you want to go, not where you don’t. On a wave, turn your head and eyes down the line—your body (and board) will follow. If someone’s in your way, don’t fixate on them—look for your escape route: the shoulder, the channel, open water. That’s where you aim.

You can practice this on land too. On a bike, a skateboard, even when driving—keep your eyes on the path ahead. If you ride a motorcycle, you probably already do this instinctively.

Basically: your board is a very obedient dog. Point your eyes somewhere, and it’ll follow. Stare at trouble? You’re headed straight for it.

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team