What Does "Respect the Locals" Even Mean?

You make some great points and seeing that there have been no responses for 2 months outlining how and why 'respect the locals' makes sense speaks for itself; there's no argument for it beyond greed really.

It really is an unfortunate statement and mentality that is kept alive by those that directly benefit from propagating it, as well as sycophants seeking approval and some crumbs from the tribe.

Now, this is not to say that surfing doesn't have etiquette that goes slightly beyond common decency applied on land and these are a few that I can think of that might rub people up the wrong way and be met with everyone's favourite phrase that covers all manner of sins:

- If you paddle out to a spot and there's already a few people out, giving a good chance of some pre-established rotation, sit on the inside and let the next set or two sort out where everyone is sitting, and will give you a good indication of how everyone surfs, capabilities etc.
- If there's a beach with lots of comparable peaks with no one on them...put in the extra effort and walk down and grab one to yourself rather than joining an already established peak.
- Overly loud and boisterous chit chat is rarely regarded as a good thing. (Suppose this rule applies on land also in say a restaurant situation).

I don't imagine it's worth mentioning the rules we all know not to break: dropping in, snaking, paddling up someone's inside etc.

There's probably plenty more of these indiscretions unique to just surfing but I know that the real issue with 'respect the locals' is the entitlement; "you can have a wave once the locals have had their fill etc. etc. locals first!". Something along the lines of they've been waiting all year, surfing it when it's small and not so great, putting in the hours so when it finally gets good they deserve to be first in line...laughable concept that doesn't stack up. Never mind the poor sod that can't afford to live by the beach, isn't lucky enough and would love to be able to even surf the shitty days and when they luck into a good weekend swell and have to put in all the extra effort to get to the beach they are at the back of the queue regardless of how well they surf because mum and dad couldn't afford beachside property? This is mostly with regards to metropolitan and semi-metropolitan spots, anything regional enough if you follow the basic rules and etiquette you don't have too many issues in my experience.

I'm fortunate enough to live walking distance to the beach and quality surf but cringe at the thought of ever using the term 'local' beyond the fact that I can walk to nearby shops and don't have far to go. Will make sure that when the kids are old enough to ever be tempted into this immature and myopic mentality to try and set them straight.

I've also been lucky to meet mostly great people that are fortunate enough to live by great waves, good news is is that it's mostly just a saying that hopefully doesn't disrupt your surfing experience negatively too often and is only weaponized by the minority...probably because coastal living is so expensive these days it's bloody hard to be a 'local'!

Well said @fuggin_waffle. If someone paddles out and has a smile on their face and is genuine, friendly and courteous, i can't help but like them and wanna share the stoke on the situation, and give the same respect back.

ndjen - “ but other times you get a response that is trying to say "piss off" but their mouth breathing gets in the way. Nevertheless
it has never turned too nasty since as a white haired old bloke there aren't too many ego points in taking down someone 2 steps from fertilizer.”

Hahaha this is hilarious.

There’s a bloke who surfs around here who yells at kids and kooks, real fuckwit.
I’m hanging for the day that the “kook” he yells at and threatens to break their fins out is a Mma fighter just learning to surf. He needs it big time

Goofy, a very good mate of mine from Paris is pretty much a beginner and i've taken him out on small days at Vicco point breaks. He's also a kung-fu world champion. Chinese fella. Wouldn't know it but yep! 3 years in the Shaolin temple. He could probably break a spine just by thinking about it! Lovely fella but i've seen him spar. Ohh la laaaa....wouldn't wanna get on the wrong side of that. Hopefully old mate and him have a surf together one day. Pretty sure he'd just point a finger at him though and that would be enough for him. I've seen it happen!! ha

Yep, every vocal local could do with a lesson in humility....
A young fella I train with here in Vietnam is the National Muay Thai Champion.
Absolute killing machine, but he likes to spar/teach/practice with me because he is a pretty tall lad by Vietnamese standards and I am 6'3" so he loves that eye to eye thing.......and the head kick practice height........His intensity scares the shit out of me....
Anyway, a few months ago my wife invited him to our place for a get together and he spotted my board.....A few days later Mr. Minh began his first surfing lesson.....
He's up and gliding, as a goofy, but I haven't mentioned etiquette yet.....
Probably no need as there's no one else surfing our beach....
Should I bring him to Snapper?

Only to practice his backhand.....

You could probably hire him out at Snapper Megzee!! Sounds like a legend.

He certainly is Mr. B Diamond.....
Might just keep him away from the ridiculous anguish, as the smile on his face when he paddled into his first hander, got to his feet and saw the vision stoke.....was priceless to witness....
But......I did tell him........you just can't beat up 62 year old men forever......

Hahahahaha!!
Ahhh sounds very similar to my mate.
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing Megzee.

This is a good topic. Been covered a bit before so I don't have much to add, other than to say it's worth thinking about.

'Respect the locals' makes perfect sense when travelling to new locations with regards to the local customs, dress codes, behaviours, courtesies etc. I imagine the term was well intentioned as a catch-all for travelling and beginner surfers where common sense might not be so common nor obvious; getting in the way, sitting in the wrong spot and going for waves outside of ones ability, clueless to rotation, resulting in drop-ins, waves being wasted and frustration for all.

Like the 'don't take the toaster into the bath' sticker it caters to the lowest common denominator to be extra cautious and on your best behaviour when you're at a spot you're unfamiliar with. Plenty of people out there with little self-awareness when it comes to these things that need the extra warning labels!

However, over time, it's unfortunately been extended by some to think that they own the spot and the waves and what this discussion is really about.

Couldn't agree more @megzee that every 'vocal local could do with a lesson in humility'. Have been lucky to see it a few times and always makes me chuckle.

Yeah…..cause no tourist has every acted like a hassling cnt. Lol.

I’d rather have someone think they can paddle around me cause they live in the local community, than have someone think they can paddle around me cause they’ve rocked up in three carloads of decked out transit vans and believe they have the numbers to do as they please. You’ve never been hassled in the surf till you’ve been surrounded by a flotilla of guys and gals, wearing period costume Birdswell britches and ugly high waisted nappy bikinis respectively, all riding leggie-free logs and acting like they’re the good time crew as they relentlessly burn everyone else in the lineup.

Give me a surly local who can surf, over these baby wave pests every day of the week. At least you know the grumpy local, despite his bad attitude, isn’t going to crush your skull when he can’t duck dive his log under 2 feet of whitewash. Better a possible punch in the face from an aggro resident than brain damage from a gurning hipster long-weekender who loses their board in front of you cause they think dropping in is “sharing”- until you do it to him/her.

I’d rather pull up to a carpark the day after the locals have been getting on the piss than after a couple of vanlyfers have treated it as their beachside residence for a week. The locals take their empties with them whilst the vanlyfers have treated the place like a combination tip and toilet.

It seems to many that the title of this thread is a notion which leads to genuine puzzlement.

Ha, nailed that Blowin. These surfers are known as pests.

Respecting locals is just like how you would treat any other dangerous animal, like a brown snake. You adopt a non-threatening posture, you keep your distance and you give them right of way.

I always take the approach of smile, say hello when you get out, wait your turn, then at times even when in position for a wave call someone else in. Give some respect, get some back. Sure there will be the odd surfer who's just always angry no matter what you do, they should be in the minority and likely have other issues at play.

The above is hard to do if you've paddled out to a spot packed with surfers, then again that's on you for paddling out to a packed break and expecting anything resembling etiquette to occur. I'll always happily sacrifice a bit of wave quality for a lower crowd, and can comfortably say my best surfs have never been on a pumping day with a packed break, too much hassle. Much prefer a handful out, good vibes, catching a few good ones without it being amazing, leave the water feeling great.

that works 99.9% of the time, anywhere in the world, for almost any situation.

And the odd 0.1% psycho sea-dog?

Identify and give a wide berth.

I have to laugh at the preciousness of those offended by surf localism.

Localism surrounding fishing in the Gulf Prawn Trawlers was of an entirely different magnitude.

There was a Maori skipper, used to wander the decks in women's underwear.

He would frequently wield shotguns, board trawlers with iron bars etc etc for anyone who cut off his trawling line.

Surf localism is very much diminished in terms of actual physical intimidation compared to 70's/80's/90's in my experience.

Have heard the rate payer card pulled a few times...or postcode

I can remember seeing an interview with BL (who grew up around the Mosman area)saying he was constantly hassled by the "locals "at a near by beach,his reply.
"didn't bother me, i knew i surfed better than them"
and still does.

I've never really had any probs with localism and always take the smile, say g'day and ease into it approach as outlined by Dx3 above.

Having said that, I was surfing at Craig's secret spot (Manly) quite a few years ago and a bloke on a longboard sitting inside of me said I'd better not catch the next wave. I asked why and he said because he was a local. I laughed and said how does go fuck yourself sound? And then caught the next wave.

Been on both sides. Many valid points above.

As someone who surfs a spot very regularly there's nothing like a smile and a 'g'day' from any blow-in to dilute any feeling of resentment from paddling out to sit right near me. In addition, not paddling for the first wave of the set further endears and you know your surfing with a 'like-valued' person. Net result is usually a fun session and a decent level of stoke.

Despite what many people think, local status is often earnt.

One one hand, and this is my experience having grown up a few suburbs inland, many people become locals by virtue of repetition not postcode. By weight of presence. Just turning up swell after swell, year after year, climbing the invisible ladder, getting recognition, a few sets, and slowly some conspiratorial gestures from older locals that indicate, yeah, you've earned your place.

I know a great many people who didn't grow up at the wave they're now locals at, but, like Bill Finnegan finding Honolua Bay in Barbarian Days, decide that this is the wave they want to dedicate themselves to, and so they do.

I feel a bit sorry for surfers who've never had that experience, to be on the outside working their way in, because you get a broad view of surf culture and the payoff - fraternity with fellow local surfers - is arguably the best thing in surfing.

We've got a little group down here who meet and have a drink and chat every other week. Sorta Men's Shed-ish, but nothing overt. One guy comes from Wales originally but he put in his time over years and instilled himself as one of the regular morning crew. Now doesn't hide his foreign accent at one of the most localised waves on the east coast.

Had a talk one night about surfing and the conversation swung around to what it means to have a good crew of guys to surf the local waves with.

Sitting next to old mate from Wales I heard him say about the fraternity of becoming local: "Changed my life it did."

And then proceeded to headbutt you.

(wouldn't be Welsh if he didn't)

Can definitely appreciate the fraternity aspect of putting in your time with a group of people, everybody wants to belong. Surfing with friends is always better.

Plenty to think about, pros and cons, I must admit that the threat of violence associated with localism does keep the barrier to entry higher, without it you can imagine that our sport would potentially be even more crowded. However, in all honesty, this is a completely self-serving attitude as like most surfers I want to keep the numbers to a minimum so I don't have to share, lol, driven by good ole-fashioned greed really!

All up, I've had no real problems with localism by showing the line up and everyone in it respect and appropriate courtesy.

Have seen this happen a few times, which I find a little odd and embarrassing:

1. Surfer A takes off on wave as they are rightfully in position then gets dropped in on by Surfer B(either during take off sequence or down the line thinking Surfer A is not going to make the section)
2. Surfer A catches up to Surfer B (who you would expect to pull off at earliest opportunity)
3. Surfer B continues to ride the wave, clearly aware that Surfer A is there but refuses to get off the wave, doing a few turns out in front etc.. some mid-wave jostling might even occur.
4. Argument between the two surfers ensues and Surfer B pulls the 'You're not a local' card and proceeds to up the aggression.

I've seen this post-ride pulling of rank happen a few times as I imagine Surfer B is too proud and entitled to admit any wrong-doing? Having said that, this situation occurs often on a popular point wave with decent sweep so it's anyone's guess what has transpired earlier, snaking, previous drop ins etc. But the characters involved makes me think that it's just a straight up burn.

It's funny how the entitlement and aggression gets the headlines but for a vast majority that "local" status primarily involves mutual respect and consideration.

That last E swell here I paddled out on a Sunday. It was crowded, I was prepared to be patient. Sat outside X and was waiting my turn. He got one.
Then I saw a solid set, with a gal pal in position.
She paddled hard, couldn't quite get into it and gave me the little nod, I whipped it and went.
Half way down the face I saw someone coming around the section, he must have whipped it late too.

"sorry mate, didnt see ya, I'll get out" I said, close to bumping rails.
He said " keep going it's yours"

But I kicked out.
He paddled back later and we had a little convo about it, completely cordial.

I went on to have a great surf. I think most people out there did.

Later that week I was surfing right up the top , guy paddled through, local shredder and a set came in.
He motioned to me: yours.
He could have easily taken that wave.

This positive experience of sharing the resource is overwhelmingly what I see everyday.

Then you'll get a car load of euros or Goldy roosters who think they will paddle straight up the inside and get the next set and wonder why they get burnt.

Hard to argue with any of the above freeride76, sounds like ideal community surfing really. No issue with watching someone get burned that doesn't follow the basics of easing in to a session, paddling straight up the inside and taking a set wave without getting a feel for what's going on in the lineup. Bad manners shouldn't be rewarded.

Penny for anyone's thoughts regarding a 'local' blatantly burning someone for a wave because they just wanted it, with no prior indiscretions by the burned beyond just being out there in the first place? Seemingly grey areas like "putting in the time", "being out there on the shitty days so when it finally gets good the locals get first dibs". For me personally, it's easy, never drop-in (admittedly I would purposely burn someone if they had dropped in on me prior but this is the only exception).

There's a lot of currency in giving up a wave even if you're in the spot. Communication is partially the key too.

I like those kind of surfs Free described above.

I once had a guy paddle up my inside and say to me "don't worry, I'm not going to take off on your inside, I'm just getting into a better position". He read my mind and I thought it was a nice touch, I try and do the same thing if it comes up.

fuggin.....thats unfortunate and I don't condone it.

Occasionally what I call primate behaviour rules, and the alpha males try and dominate.

Usually on a Sat morning, when tradies have been at work all week long and the surf has been pumping.
Your angry alphas then try and stamp their dominance.

To be honest , it acts as a barrier for entry to me. No way on Gods green earth I'm going to surf Burleigh on Sat morning, I'll get burnt.
Or numerous other places.

In all honesty, in a lifetime of surfing all around the world, I've been on the wrong end of that type of alpha behaviour less than a dozen times.
If I see it happening, I'll yield.

Last time I tried to push back I ended up on the wrong side of an encounter with a genuine psycho.

I can use patience and guile to get enough waves without trying to get into physical encounters.

Once a blue moon, I'll have a few words with someone.

Sound advice and you're right that it happens so rarely that it's generally not worth investing too much energy into.

From above, maybe respecting the locals is asking if they have martial arts proficiency.

Have had a few encounters with so called locals . At New Brighton when I visit some locals are pissed off at me catching waves . I was one of the original locals surfing there in the early 70's . Same here in Vic when I visit spots I surfed in the late 70's but haven't surfed much recently .
Most dangerous situation was at Ulu's Bali . A young local was ripping catching many waves on the Racetrack at low tide . My MO is to sit much further out waiting for the odd bigger wave . Finally got a beauty which was going to my wave of the year . He snaked me but luckily I was not hurt on the reef . When he paddled past me I let him know how pissed off I was and that Australians have supported the Island ( especially after the bombing ) and how I thought is was bad for his karma . May have had some effect as saw him making a prayer to his higher power .

Worst dropper inners in my experience are Brazilians . In the Mentawi's if a boat load turned up at a break I would paddle back to our transport ( we always stayed at Hideways in the Play Ground area , which I highly recommend ) . It didn't worry me too much as I thought that their society must be dog v dog and so competitive .

Hutchy 19 wrote:

Worst dropper inners in my experience are Brazilians . In the Mentawi's if a boat load turned up at a break I would paddle back to our transport ( we always stayed at Hideways in the Play Ground area , which I highly recommend ) . It didn't worry me too much as I thought that their society must be dog v dog and so competitive .

Most Brazilian crew we met in the Mentawai were super frothers, but responded quickly to a few friendly words. Lots of sessions went from anarchy to good fun and harmony, just from paddling up and shaking hands and introducing yourself.

Highly recommended.

I recently watched a YouTube video by that Kale Brock fella and he tackles this very issue. He tried to be balanced and it was OK considering he basically makes a living through catering to the beginner surfer market. He wrote off locals who threw their weight around at crowded breaks, by trying to portray them as broken people who were making up for some perceived inadequacy.

He attempted to mitigated this by stating that he understood the taciturn locals at less crowded waves, the type of local who was likely to soften to a visitor who could surf and was polite.

All well and good, I suppose, but I’d have thought it was obvious to someone as smart as he is ,that the difference between locals at spot A and locals at spot B was a simple result of the relentless assault of outside surfer pressure upon the lineup. For him to not be able to comprehend why a local at Kirra would respond to a tourist with less empathy than a local at Yorke’s was bizarre.

It’s a basic equation:

Take a reluctantly accepting local from a relatively uninvaded spot

Plus

A relentless tourist turnover numbering upwards of a couple of thousand interloping surfers every single swell, meaning you will never, ever surf your local spot without hundreds of entitled and frothing tourists

Equals

A local who barely looks inside as they burn crew without compassion.

It’s not about short man syndrome- lol- it’s about being able to go about satisfying your basic requirement as a dedicated surfer, without having to give way to the planet’s entire transient surfer population every time you paddle out.

Kale should go to Hawaii and tell the Pipe locals about their short man syndrome. Maybe he thinks Parko only burns tourists at Snapper because he’s a hollow shell of a man inside?

Essentially some think it's ok for locals to be aggro because that's how it's always been, while others say, nah, the ocean is for everyone and waddayagonnado about population growth anyway.

Interesting thought experiment to apply it to other sports:
- Do surf coast Cats fans offer their seats at the G to East Melbourne locals? Maybe.
- Do Western Sydney Wanderers fans offer their seats to Victory fans? Yes but only after ripping them out first.

Blowin wrote:

...it’s about being able to go about satisfying your basic requirement as a dedicated surfer, without having to give way to the planet’s entire transient surfer population every time you paddle out.

Feel like this could go be argued equally for both the local and non-local...does the weekend warrior have to just settle for the crumbs after the local has satisfied their personal requirement.

Even though I now live by the beach (all very intentional and better late than never!) I grew up in the suburbs so can really tap into having no waves... even the rubbish most of us on the east coast would never go out in would have been a dream. Reciprocated rights of being a blowin at one spot but local at your spot was never an option.

Growing up by the beach, as I saw it, was only really for the lucky ones, then to add insult to injury, when you do finally get to go to the beach, you have to wait your turn for the same lucky ones to get their fill first because they've put in the 'hard yards' of surfing it the rest of the year? Always odd that 'putting in the time' at a wave is somehow equivalent to shovelling coal to keep the wave machine going, keeping the lights on for the rest that don't contribute.

I can say from experience that it takes a lot more dedication and effort to get the waves the less 'local' you are, this effort shouldn't be rewarded by being second class citizens automatically.

I'm all for surfing skill and ocean capability to sort it all out equitably. I'm confident that the 'locals' would generally come out on top anyway.

I love pulling rank occasionally when my local point break comes to life .
I also accept it's not just a matter of waiting my turn when I'm travelling to other 'localised' spots.
I remember dropping in on a Burliegh local when I was grom . He started foaming at the mouth and chased me all the way to beach ,, I only lost him when I sprinted through the crowded flagged area like Grant Kenny. It was my first lesson in who not to fuck with in the water. And even though I escaped a smack to the head , the PTSD stays with me.
Most of my other 'encounters' on both sides of the fence only really involved water splashing and the usual verbal abuse . Sometimes you have to stand your ground a bit . If the pack senses weakness you're done.

One of the things i have gotta get down pat are what the culture is like at all the different breaks within reasonable driving range. So, if i show up at a spot where a certain brand of localism exists, and paddle out... it's kinda on me when the experience lives down to it's rep. I am lucky though in that the guys at my two beach breaks i am relegated to (until i improve my skill set) are older and pretty mellow. Generous with their stoke. The word around here is that it is that way because of the threat of the real Local (guys are actually happy to see others paddle out.. safety in numbers) and these breaks hold alot of traffic well. But i have driven south to Santa Cruz and it lived down to it's rep as an aggressively localized area.

Seemingly grey areas like "putting in the time", "being out there on the shitty days so when it finally gets good the locals get first dibs"

So Fuggin paddles out at perfect Pipe/Backdoor. What do you do/expect?

Edit: not throwing barbs mate. just chasing your thoughts on perhaps one of the most ‘localised’ waves..

Buddhists would start talking about attachment here ....

another great Buddhist saying : "you have to work with what is in the bowl", meaning your position in localised time and space, would also be appropriate.

I mostly resect the pure hard core surf bum locals who have forsaken a normal life and grovel in the dust in 45 degree heat living rough with no money at remote desert camps to live the dream. Always first in and last out and deepest at their beloved break. I feel sorry for them when a pack of spoiled east coast hipster brats in air cond. 100k Saharas with ten logs on top rock up on a seek and destroy mission and ruin the ambiance and vibe and act like they own the joint. An all too common occurrence these days. One good thing about covid is the borders are shut. Cheers.

Someone should do a PHD on this subject as it's obviously a real front and centre concern for a lot of crew.

Personally I've never really given 2 fucks about localism and had no real stories worth telling after 40 odd years of surfing around OZ and extensively overseas.

Don't be a cunt (whether you're a 'local' or visitor) and don't take a backward step if some fuckwit tries to intimidate you. You might cop a smack in the head but if the aggressor sees you won't back off they will nearly always look for a weaker target.

Choose your spots carefully when travelling. If you know you can surf a particular spot with competence and at a level consistent with the majority in the water and blend in then get out there! If not, then go somewhere else more suitable.

If you're a 'local' somewhere then treat people on their merits rather than where they're from. Nearly all the barneys I've been in with other people where I live over the years have been with crew that also live here. Funny about that....

Nick Bone wrote:

So Fuggin paddles out at perfect Pipe/Backdoor. What do you do/expect?

All good Nick. Lol, shit, I'd probably die! But I guess if I was to give it an honest crack I'd paddle out and sit in the channel first making sure I don't get in the way, I'd then creep in still shoulder hopping and wait for one that the pack didn't want....all scraps at this stage. Wouldn't expect much. This would probably repeat for a while..lol.

If I was a super confident and capable surfer would I eventually get anywhere near the peak area? I mean, Pipe is pretty shifty so I imagine there'd be something that would come through if you wait long enough. If I then caught a wave without dropping in on anyone and someone dropped in on me just because they didn't know my face, I'd be bummed and think to myself this is exactly what's wrong with this localism system. I'd then hope for an opportunity to drop in on them in Australia, just to make the point that it's a silly system that doesn't work and we should all put more energy into being able to read the ocean better...if nobody drops in then merit will sort it all out.

Mind you, localism has worked a treat in Hawaii, definitely intimidated which I guess was the entire purpose.

ringmaster wrote:

Personally I've never really given 2 fucks about localism and had no real stories worth telling after 40 odd years of surfing around OZ and extensively overseas.

Don't be a cunt (whether you're a 'local' or visitor) and don't take a backward step if some fuckwit tries to intimidate you. You might cop a smack in the head but if the aggressor sees you won't back off they will nearly always look for a weaker target.

Choose your spots carefully when travelling. If you know you can surf a particular spot with competence and at a level consistent with the majority in the water and blend in then get out there! If not, then go somewhere else more suitable.

If you're a 'local' somewhere then treat people on their merits rather than where they're from. Nearly all the barneys I've been in with other people where I live over the years have been with crew that also live here. Funny about that....

Really well put, great summary.

I have seen a few fights in the water . It's usually hilarious .
I knew one guy , he was a competitive water polo player and frankly , a bit of an arsehole in the line up with a real ugly style . He had a fight with a bloke in the surf and definitely got the better of the other guy . When he got out of the water old mate was waiting on the sand and returned the favour big time.

"Whoever doesn't flare up at someone who's angry wins a battle hard to win" Buddha

Some great comments and observations......
I reckon Ringmaster nailed the general overview of the uselessness and shallow thuggery home grown heroes of localism pride themselves in.

Maybe it's time to turn the subject matter from Localism as a position of demanded "respect" and hierarchy, to how it can go pear shaped......{ Nat Young, Angourie, springs to mind.....That went well didn't it Mr. Young]

There was a particular Kalbarri local throughout the 80's & 90's who was very far from a thug, but just a weedy little rat, who, although he ripped to a degree, always placed himself perfectly on the take off "suck rock" position through sheer gall and time spent there......Now this guy was a fairly spineless character in the fact that he always surfed in the comfort zone....you know, perfect 4-6 foot days , no earlies before sunrise, no late arvo's.......just perfection.......In fact he scarped once the sun hit the horizon in the afternoons in fear of shark hour......

Now enter my old cray fishin' mate from Gero......I will call him "Giagantor" for this true story.....Big tough, gentle giant, who tore the bags out of anything over 8 foot.....a real charging quiet lad......
Giagantor, myself and a couple of other low key blokes were sharing some pretty nice solid 6 foot sets on the point with the occasional 8 footer, when low and behold rat boy paddles out in all his localism glory. [ no g'day's, no hello boy's ]......Straight to the inside, where the giant man is respectfully and humbly waiting his turn without a single thought that the rat might play the snake card......Boom Shanka!!!......Set approaches and Giagantor calmly positions for the stroke in, when the fucken rat slides in next to him, unannounced, and calls it as his, in the last two seconds....
The rodent makes the drop, Giagantor, in disbelief, tries to sit up and pull back in the last, late second and a half, and goes over the falls, sitting on his board, and proceeds to get flogged for the full length of the point......yep, suck rock to fuddy......bounced, dragged, and, I suggest, fucking fuming.........

So.....while rodent boy paddled back out with smug look of a guy who just caught a gem of a wave, and placed himself back in the near prime take off position, the giant one was brushing off the time underwater, checking the amount of flesh missing, and no doubt......planning murder.....

This is where true localism kicks in.......the rat, sensing something is seriously amiss, possibly due our reminding him of the deed just perpetuated, and the fact angry beast man is now taking mega strokes in his direction, weasels his way into a 3 foot pus bag wave, and scampers up to the carpark, like the local rodent he was........disappearing in a cloud of red dust...

In the end, it took me half a carton of Emu's to settle the giant lad down......later that arvo.......and the second half to stop him driving around town to find him......

gotta love a brave local ....

Just an observation, but there's places i surf quite regularly, that are very good waves, with no humans around. The term 'local' gets flipped pretty quickly in these places. Huge cliffs, deep water drop offs, Extreme exposure to the SW quadrant...wild ocean swells coming in from all angles. Do i subscribe to the hierarchy of the local pecking order. Hell yeah! You have to be ready to adapt to anything. Are humans a part of the pecking order i subscribe to? Somewhere in the middle i guess. Nothing special. I reckon we place too much emphasis on the human condition due to being crammed into crowded places like sardines in a can.

Well said BlueDiamond.....The "no humans around" part is inviting mate..
Your last sentence......pretty well spot on sir...