Well there’s a first time for everything. Can I categorize this under “the guy is just getting grump in his old age”?  I can’t stand people yelling at others taking off in front of them. Not dropping in on them but taking off in front of them.

There is a difference… dropping in on someone = there is a surfer on a wave, on their feet and maneuvering along the wave face and someone takes off on that wave and drops down the wave face getting in the other persons line. Taking off in front of someone = a wave is approaching a lineup and 2 people start paddling for that wave and catch it at the same time.

In a crowded line up 2 people paddling for the same wave happens all the time. Does the person in front yield and stop paddling or if they both catch the wave does the person in front yield or keep surfing?

It comes down to manners. Do you have good manners or not so good manners? Well, yelling at someone that is paddling for the same wave as you in my book is just bad manners. And… it happened to me last week. Normally if I paddle for a wave in front of someone and see they will catch the wave I back off. Or, when I catch a wave and someone is behind me I pull out.

Anyway, last week I started to paddle for a wave and a guy was above me paddling too. But, before I even could stop paddling the guy yelled at me “HEY”. That was it… I kept paddling and got to my feet in front of him. We had words… or I had words for him and I think he tried to explain himself, which didn’t matter to me. I can’t stand being yelled at and I’m sure what I said to the guy didn’t make any sense but, cause and affect. It happened.

I paddled back to the line up and said to a friend as I did “I’m getting to old for this” And maybe I am but, I’m not going to stop surfing and if I get grumpy in the line up it will most likely be because someone is being rude. What happens after that will be cause and affect or cause but no affect. We shall see…

I’m not getting old; I’m getting older but surfing anyway grumpy or not.

D.R.