Why experienced surfers hate beginners

Us and them. Beginners and experienced surfers.

Oh, how I wish it wasn’t so. But why oh why experienced surfers hate beginners?!

Just last week, one of the Girls Who Can’t Surf Good was told by two different dudes that she shouldn’t be at the break—no explanation given. She normally surfs on smaller days, and it was a little bit bigger on the day in question.

I’m going to park the whole “men asking women to leave the lineup” issue. It’s an awfully tiring subject, and I would like to keep my blood from boiling on this particular occasion.

🤔 But why the hate?

Makes you wonder though. Why did these two guys, independently, believe it was okay to make such a comment?

Why, oh why, do experienced surfers dislike beginners so much? They were kooks once too!

You know me—I like knowing how stuff works. So I’ve spent multiple hours researching this ridiculous phenomenon.

🛑 Safety first… sometimes

Experienced surfers will tell you that the reason they’re not all lovey-dovey toward beginners is because of safety concerns. Okay, it can be valid at times. Beginners are known for not being able to confidently duck dive or turtle roll, so we do, at times, let go of our boards—creating flying projectiles in the surf.

As one surfer on Redddit explained: “If you’re paddling out and ditch your 8’ board, there’s a 17-foot danger radius. That’s why we’re mad. Not because you’re new, but because you might hurt someone.”

A few experienced surfers in the Girls Who Can’t Surf Good group stressed that the issue isn’t “beginners existing,” it’s beginners not knowing how dangerous surfing can be—and no one properly teaching them.

Vera wrote: “Dude, the problem is not that I’m losing my wave the problem is me making a full stop because I m avoiding to hit you on the head. And I can not guarantee that the can do it always on time. People totally underestimate what a speed and an impact a hardboard has.“

🏄‍♂️ Etiquette issues and crusty complaints, let’s blame surf schools

We beginners also don’t know what we don’t know. So we could end up sitting in the wrong spot without reading the waves properly, preventing experienced surfers—hold on, we need a nickname for experienced surfers. Oh wait. We already have one: a crusty.

Anyhoo, sitting in the wrong spot may rob a crusty of a chance to take the drop of their lifetime. Understandably infuriating. And of course, if we’re not well versed in surf etiquette, we could drop in on a crusty or even snake a crusty. All of these are big no-nos.

Some experienced surfers mentioned that many surf schools only teach the fun stuff—paddling, popping up, catching whitewash—but not the etiquette or how to manage your board. This leaves beginners unaware—and everyone else frustrated. There’s a clear gap in education that’s not really the beginner’s fault. But but but, there has to be a degree of personal responsibility too.

As Clara put it:  “Are you conscious of your abilities, understand how the lineup works and doing your best to control your board? Or do you ditch your board every time a wave comes – no fucks given who is behind you, paddle for every wave whether it’s yours or not and try to drop in on everyone? In part, I blame the surf schools, who for the most part do nothing to teach people about surfing past pushing them into waves. However, there is also a degree of personal responsibility. You need to be able to keep a hold of your board when you’re at a point where you go out and catch waves on your own. For your own safety and the safety of everyone you share the line-up with.”

🎿 Surfing is not like skiing, but maybe it should be

Here’s an eye opener. An experienced skiier and now surfer, Morgan compares surfing to skiing: no one shows up on their first day and heads for the black diamond run. Surf breaks don’t come with signs, but the same principle applies. Choose breaks that match your level.

Morgan explains: “In skiing, hills are marked based of level of difficulty. Green circles, blue square, black diamonds, double black diamond. If you are brand new to skiing – you don’t dare go near a black diamond. You stick with the green circles. You go with instructors. You learn in a safe place. When you are brand spanking new to surfing – you really don’t need to be paddling out at the best peaks. You shouldn’t be alone. You should be taking classes on etiquette- learning as much as possible in the safest way.”

No brainer, right?

🏁 Surf hierarchies? Nah.

Lack of surf etiquette, I get. Hidden surf hierarchy, I oppose.

This idea that you need to earn your stripes and a spot. That there’s some magical pecking order because you surfed at this break since you were 10 years old? Okay, show me your proof of ownership.

Sure, we beginners sometimes hear about “localism,” but it’s not as if this is taught in surf lessons. In real life, no one even respects the elders anymore. How can you expect this to endure in the surfing lineup?

Let’s call a spade a spade. The surfing culture isn’t built for learning—so friction happens. We don’t have to embrace it though. We can be a bit mad at it.

As one of the redditors put it: “I’ve taught myself so many hobbies. Surfing is by far gate-kept the hardest.”

🌊 Not everyone grew up by the beach

Several surfers in our community pointed out that much of the judgment beginners face overlooks something basic: not everyone grew up near the ocean, had surfy parents, or learned young.

As Hollee put it, “Not everyone is privileged enough to live near water or have parents who support your passions. People are allowed to begin surfing whenever they want.”

If you’re new and committed to learning safely and respectfully, you deserve to be there—period.

💸 The scarcity mindset

The real reason why crusties detest kooks?

Let me put it this way: If we had, I don’t know, a million more great surf breaks, we wouldn’t have the issue.

Surfing is a finite resource—and that makes people real weird. It’s a limited commodity. When you, a beginner, “waste” a wave—say, by pearling or falling immediately—that wave doesn’t reset. It’s gone.

This triggers a weird scarcity mindset. And when lineups are packed, frustrations grow and explode. Especially when someone is trying to learn on waves that others have waited hours to ride.

🫣 Intermediates, beware

There’s a silver lining, if you could call it that. Intermediate surfers who think they’ve graduated sometimes get it worse.

Because they sit too close to the takeoff spot without being ready, get greedy without having the skills, and try to charge bigger days before they’re ready.

“Intermediates clog up the lineup. They should know better. But they forget the etiquette.”

I guess it’s a good reminder that progressing doesn’t mean you get to skip the rules. If anything, the expectations go up.

👎 Sometimes, it’s just macho vibes and Mean Girls energy

Okay, okay. Elephant in the room. I was going to park the whole gender dynamics, but since then more discussions on the subject occurred, and it appears—unavoidable.

Yes—sometimes it’s just toxic masculinity. It’s not about safety or etiquette. It’s just dudes being territorial.

Clearest evidence of it? I quote: “I’ve been mansplained while other clueless dudes next to me get a pass.”

The machismo, the posturing, the aggression—just because it’s ingrained in the surfing culture (I refer you to the ancient Hawai‘i incident of one surfer literally roasting another over a surfing dispute)—that’s not respecting the history. It’s just not cool.

But girls can be mean too.

Experienced gal surfers are calling out “adjusting bits” and “fiddling with bikinis” as a potential safety hazard, and being disrespectful in certain cultures.

I have to admit—I did not see this one coming. Probably because I surf the coolish waters of SoCal and the only bikinis we see around here in the summer are worn by the experienced surfer girls who have no time to fiddle with anything. The culture aspect—that is something I need to research further.

For now, I’m going to side with Isabella on this: “Plenty of women and girls can wear a bikini and surf beautifully. Some beginners are just excited to be at the beach and maybe a bikini is all they brought. They just need to be told how to surf safely, regardless of what they’re wearing.”

✨ Not all crusties, not all kooks

Listen. It’s not all doom and gloom. Not every experienced surfer is a crusty, just like not every beginner is a kook.

Some surfers like beginners—and appreciate us for our stoke.

“If someone’s trying and being respectful, I’ll give tips.”

We like tips!

✅ So what can you do as a beginner?

You already know:

• Don’t go where you’re not ready. Surf the spots your skills can handle.
• Learn etiquette. You don’t have to be good, but you do have to be respectful.
• Hang on to your board. That’s a big one.
• Watch and listen. Not just the waves—but the people who are navigating them well.
• Progress at your own speed. There are no prizes for rushing into the lineup.

And if you are an experienced surfer and reading this—sorry for calling you a “crusty”! And give us a break, would ya? We’re trying over here. You get the lineup, you deserve. So if you see other experienced surfers talking smack about beginners, maybe—just maybe—call them out.