Surf Etiquette: The Rules of the Lineup

The lineup is the place outside the breaking waves where surfers wait for their turn. It has rules that nobody writes on a sign, but everybody expects you to know. They are not about being polite: they stop people and boards from crashing into each other.

This guide covers the rules every beginner should know, how they work at the busy points around Taghazout, and how to stay safe in the water.

Priority: who gets the wave

The surfer closest to the peak, where the wave starts to break, has priority. Everyone else lets that surfer go.

• On a right-hand wave, like most points around Taghazout, the wave breaks from left to right as you look at the beach. The surfer furthest to the left, nearest the breaking part, has the wave.
• On a peak that breaks both ways, two surfers can share it: one goes left, one goes right. Call out “left!” or “right!” so the other surfer knows.

If someone is already standing up and riding, the wave is theirs, wherever you are.

Don’t drop in

Dropping in means taking off on a wave that someone with priority is already riding. It is the biggest offence in surfing, and it is dangerous: two people and two boards on the same wave often end in a collision.

Before you paddle for a wave, always look towards the peak. If someone is up and riding, or paddling for it from a better position, pull back.

Don’t snake

Snaking means paddling around someone to get to the inside, closer to the peak, so that you have priority on the next wave. It is a way of jumping the queue, and people notice. In a busy lineup there is an unwritten rotation: wait your turn.

Paddle out the right way

• Use the channel. Paddle out where the waves are not breaking, often next to the rocks or beside the peak, not through the middle of where people are riding.
• Don’t cross a surfer’s path. If you are in the way of someone riding, paddle towards the whitewater behind them, not into the open face in front of them. You may take a wave on the head, but they get a clean ride.

Hold on to your board

Even on a leash, your board can fly several metres behind you. Don’t throw it away when a wave comes at you, especially with people behind you. Learn to turn turtle on a longboard or duck dive on a smaller board, and keep a hand on the board when you fall near others.

Check your leash before every session. A broken leash means a loose board in a crowd.

Beginners: pick the right place

Most trouble in the lineup comes from surfers in the wrong spot for their level.

• Learn in the whitewater on a beach, away from the surfers on unbroken waves.
• Don’t paddle out at an expert point such as Anchor Point or Killer Point until you can catch and ride green waves with control.
• When you start on green waves, sit wide of the main peak and take the smaller waves the others leave.

The surf spots guide shows the level for every spot around Tamraght.

Respect the locals

The points around Taghazout are some of the busiest waves in Morocco, and the people who grew up surfing them are in the water every day.

• Say hello. A “salam” in the lineup goes a long way.
• Don’t paddle out to a point in a big group.
• Let local surfers have their waves, and don’t take every set wave because you can.
• Respect the village too: swimwear is for the beach, and in the streets and cafés you cover your shoulders and knees. See the local customs in the Tamraght guide.

Stay safe in the water

• Rip currents. A rip is a channel of water flowing back out to sea. It often looks darker and calmer than the water around it. If one pulls you out, don’t fight it: paddle parallel to the beach until you are out of it, then come back in with the waves.
• Rocks and reef. Several points around Taghazout have rocky entries and exits, and at Boilers there are sea urchins on the reef. Ask where to get in and out before you paddle out.
• Your limits. If the waves look too big, they are. Watch for a while before you go in.
• Never surf alone at a spot you don’t know.
• Sun. The sun is strong all year. Use waterproof sunscreen and drink water after your session.

Learn the lineup with a local

The rules are easier to learn when someone shows you where to sit. At Travel Surf Nature in Tamraght, instructors teach priority, paddling out and safety as part of every surf lesson, and the guides on the surf guiding package explain how to get in and out at each point.