Surfing can be awesome. It can also be terribly frustrating and downright depressing. The key to not having it be a bummer lies in how you approach it and, specifically, when and where you go.
Santa Cruz OG and big wave legend Ken “Skindog” Collins recently took to Instagram with a masterclass in perspective that can help anyone from adult learners to North Shore core lords. To put it simply, he says that surfing is not an orderly experience like, say, going to a Starbucks. It’s much more like a bar — no rules. Especially when things get crowded. Let’s hear it from the man himself.
“Class in session. I’ve been seeing on social media people complaining about surf etiquette now. It’s all over the place. Grown men crying, women talking about the patriarchy. Y’all better wake up — thought you went to Starbucks?
Surf spots are not Starbucks. You don’t just get in line and get a drink. It’s more like a bar. Every surf spot’s like a bar. And when you walk into a bar, the first thing you do, you get a lay of the land, see where the riff raff is, and go over, nope not there, and not over there. And, yeah — these two tech bros look like they’re not paying attention. I’m gonna mosey my way up and get a drink.
It’s just like a bar. There’s ten guys at the bar, easy to get a drink. If it’s a hundred and fifty people at the bar, it’s a fucking nightmare.
My favorite one is when I saw the prince of pipe complaining about not getting his turn at Malibu. And I was laughing, dude. Like, what? Shouldn’t post that, bro. You went to Margaritaville on Cinco de Mayo as a tourist. You’re complaining about not getting a drink, dude. You went to the wrong bar, dude. If he came up to the Lane with us, we would have Coors Lights on tailgates for you, and you would have got plenty of waves. But you went to Margaritaville and got hosed.
Stay tuned for more Skindog insights. Pro tips.”
Related: Teahupo’o and Mullaghmore Salvaged the 2026 Big Wave Challenge
Original Post from this site