features

Does Your Wave Even Qualify As A Real Surf Spot?

There are
two surf
“zones” in
this world:
“surf spots,”
and the lesser
categorized
“breaks.”
A surf spot
comes with
cultural
trappings–history and legend–
which transcend national borders
and linguistic barriers. It is also,
99.9 percent of the time, a really
good wave. A break is a beach or
a reef or a physical outcropping
of geography, man-made or not,
where waves break and surfers ride,
but without any cultural signifi-
cance, without any distinguishing
facet or global renown. A break is
simply a place where swell meets
shoreline and waves topple over.
A surf spot, however, is a much
grander entity.

Surf spots are easy to rattle off:
Bells, Waimea, Sebastian. How-
ever, like the U.S. Supreme Court’s
wrangle with pornography, a break
is harder to define–you just know
it when you see it. Or when you
hear their names. Oahu’s Monster
Mush for example, or Middles
(between Lowers and Church), or
Indicator (a sign of better things to
come).

It’s quite possible that your
local spot, that place you’ve been
checking since you were a grom, is
not a legitimate surf spot at all, but
rather, just a break.

How do you know? Well, for
starters, if people plan surf trips to
ride waves at your spot, then your
spot is a surf spot. Otherwise it’s
just a break. Surfers go to Hawaii,
for example, to surf Sunset Beach
or Velzyland. Surfers do not plan
trips there to score “epic” Fred-
dyland. Now, I’ve caught some
pretty fun waves at Freddyland,
but it is not a legitimate surf spot.
It is a last resort–a place you’ve
been relegated, either directly or
indirectly, by large Polynesian men
(or, as is more often the case, not
so large men who wish they were
Polynesian).

A couple of other filters for you
to digest: Did Buzzy Trent dive
for lobster where you ride waves?
If yes, it’s a surf spot–globally
agreed upon and culturally ac-
cepted legend, history and/or lore
that propagated from where you
catch waves makes your spot a spot,
regardless of wave quality.

Does your local surf zone have
the word “little” in front of it? Not
a spot. Groms have named non-
performing, eel-grass peaks from
Point Loma to Santa Cruz with
monikers such as “Little Teah-
upoo” or “Little Velzyland.” Um…
no. Sorry. Any break with “little”
in front of it suggests less than–
therefore, not a spot.

And by the way, just because
your break has a parking lot does
not make it a surf spot. There are
plenty of crappy waves in front of
parking lots. North Carlsbad State
Beach, for example: great parking
lot, large restroom, information
kiosk…not a surf spot. Same with
surf cams. Virginia Beach has a
surf cam, but it is not a spot. No
sir, Virginia Beach is a large liquor
store with a zip code.

So, is your spot a spot? Or is it
just a break? And another question:
If you’re surfing a spot that’s not a
spot, can you even call yourself a
surfer? Chances are you don’t need
my criteria to tell you–you prob-
ably already know.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Add a Comment

By submitting a comment you grant SURFER Magazine a perpetual license to reproduce your words, name and web site in attribution.
Comments may be removed at an administrators discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only and will never be shared.

Week in Review

Random happenings in surf for the Week of May 21. ...

Occy’s Third Wind

Can Mark Occhilupo re-qualify for the World Tour at 45? ...

Behind the Cover

Pat Gudauskas gets surprised with his July cover during band practice. ...

1 Ft. Budget

Nick Rozsa makes the most of one day near Ventura. ...

Bachelors: Part II

Are you one of Gilley's unidentified rippers? ...

The Emerald Isle

Irish surf adventure with Noah Cohen and Nico Manos. ...

Dingo Inside Waves

Dean Morrison goes in and out (usually) of waves on the North Shore. ...

California Cooper

Sydney's Cooper Chapman indulging in the benefits of life in Southern California. ...

Finals Day at the Billabong Rio Pro

John John Florence Wins Billabong Rio Pro, Parkinson Takes Ratings' Lead ... More

Day Three of the Men’s Billabong Rio Pro

Quarterfinalists Decided in Pumping Barrels at Billabong Rio Pro ... More

Billabong Rio Pro Completes Round 2

Medina falls victim to local wildcard, while Florence and Melling shine in poor conditions ... More

Fitzgibbons Wins Billabong Rio Pro

Sally Closes ASP World Title Gap with Two Events Remaining ... More

Day Three of the Billabong Women’s Rio Pro

Semifinalists Decided at Barra da Tijuca ... More

Lay Day Called for Billabong Rio Pro

With small one-to-two foot waves on offer, event organizers have called off competition for the day ... More

Day Two of the Women’s Billabong Pro Rio

ASP Top 17 Battle in Challenging Conditions for Round 2 Billabong Rio Pro ... More

Day One of the Billabong Pro Rio

Top Seeds Lead Opening Round at Billabong Rio Pro ... More

Swell

... More

The Boardroom to Honor Mark Richards

The Boardroom International Surfboard Show to Honor 4x World Champion Mark Richards ... More

Surfilm Festibal 10

Surfilmfestibal 10: program sneak preview. Thursday 31.05 screening of Skatistan.org Friday 1.06 screenings at the Aquarium, Huge Surf: paddle vs tow, ... More

A Paradigm Shift Movie Premiere

Surf Film Opening Night at La Paloma Theater in Encinitas. ... More

Operation Amped Surf Clinic at San Onofre

Vets and instructors in action on a fun morning at Old Man's. ... More

Sea Shepherd Founder Arrested in Germany

Kelly Slater Calls For Immediate Release of Captain Paul Watson ... More

Zak Noyle and Billy Kemper Win Sion Milosky Steep and Deep Photo Challenge

Zak Noyle and Billy Kemper embodied the spirit of the late-great Sion Milosky with a single image from the Banzai Pipeline, winning the inaugural Ste ... More