Surfers call their friends common terms like "dude," "bro," or "brah," often adding "Yo!" or "Hey!" for greetings, but also use unique nicknames or terms like "stoke buddy" or even describe them by their surfing style or gear, with slang varying by region and friend group.
Close out - an entire wave that just breaks at the same time. Or a closeout section where you will be in a clean section, then the entire wave will break in front of you (time to do a floater) lull or lully - used to describe a long period between wave sets. bottom turn - the holy grail of all surf maneuvers.
#33 — Shaka
To make a shaka, extend your pinky and thumb and curl the other fingers in. It's often used as a friendly gesture when greeting or thanking fellow surfers. It's all about good vibes, so throw it up when you're stoked!
To be stoked means to be fired up in the best way possible. It's joy. It's energy. It's that “YES!” moment that explodes when something just feels right. In surfing, stoke is what you feel after catching your first wave—or your 10,000th.
Wipeout is a classic term used in surfing lingo to imply one being thrown off the board by a wave. It is not uncommon for surfers to get wiped out every once in a while. In fact, if you aren't getting wiped out, it is quite possible that you aren't pushing yourself hard enough. 1 min.
Tubular, surf culture slang for cool or awesome, derived from catching a wave and getting in the tube.
Nicknames can be crude and somewhat offensive, but they are part of surfing folklore. I mean, look at the man who started it all, Duke Kahanamoku, whose first name was given, but who later became known as the Big Kahuna. Some surfers have embraced them, and others shut them down.
Mate. “Mate” is a popular word for friend. And while it's used in other English-speaking countries around the world, it has a special connection to Australia.
"Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy, Oi Oi Oi" (often written as "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi") is a patriotic Australian sports chant, a rallying cry of national pride, originating from older British cheers like "Oggy Oggy Oggy," with "Aussie" being slang for Australian, and "Oi" functioning as an emphatic interjection, similar to "Hey!" or "Go!". It's used at sporting events, sometimes considered a bit cheesy or "cringey" by some Australians, but generally seen as an inclusive way to support national teams.
The shaka sign, sometimes known as "hang loose" or "hang ten", is a gesture representing "aloha spirit, love and local pride" that is the official hand gesture of Hawaii and is also associated with global surf culture.
Common surfer slang for a girl includes Wahine (Hawaiian for woman/girl), Betty (an older term for a female surfer), and sometimes Surf Bunny, though modern slang often just uses "surfer" or "girl surfer," with more inclusive terms like Gurfer (girl + surfer) emerging, while less flattering or older terms like Gidget (small female rider) or Barney (beginner) also exist.
Just "Hang ten, dude," and scream out loud: "So stoked! Gnarly!" Finally, a true classic: "You should have been here yesterday." Also, take a look at the best surfing quotes of all time.
Green room - another word for tube or barrel; Gnarly - awesome; Goofy foot - a surfer who rides waves with his right foot forward; Gremmie - nearly the same as a grommet.
In Hawaii, greetings without the “Hang Loose” greeting and the accompanying Shaka sign are no longer imaginable at all. Hang Loose! The Shaka sign means something like “Stay cool!”, “Everything's okay”, “How are you?” or “Aloha”.
Shredding is a slang term used to describe someone surfing with exceptional skill and style. It refers to riding waves with fluidity, speed, and impressive maneuvers.
Here are some Aussie slang words that you might not know. Woop Woop is used to refer to a place in the middle of nowhere. People use it to signify that a location is far away, unfamiliar to them, and difficult to get to.
Bff is an initialism of the phrase best friend(s) forever, and it's a term of endearment used for selected close friends.
C O B B A /ˈkɒbə/ noun INFORMAL•AUSTRALIAN Alternate way of spelling 'Cobber', Australian colloquial for mate, friend, good bloke.
Catchy nicknames are short, memorable, and capture a person's personality, ranging from sweet (Bubba, Angel, Sunshine, Teddy) and funny (Giggles, Stinker, Jelly Belly) to cool and descriptive (Ace, Champ, Beast, Captain, Dub/W for winner). They often come from inside jokes, admired traits, or shortening names (Dom, Cal, Gabe) and create closeness, often evoking positive feelings.
Any kind of intense or dangerous thing, person, or situation; most often applied to waves. Pipeline, Teahupoo, and Shipstern Bluff are among the world's gnarliest breaks. "Gnarly by Nature" was the title of a 1997 Surfing magazine profile on Hawaiian power surfer Sunny Garcia.
Surfing connects you with nature
And being outside leads to more sun exposure (in healthy doses) that allows surfers to access the benefits of vitamin D. Sunlight provides our bodies with vitamin D, which leads to increased serotonin, a hormone that stabilizes mood, increases happiness, and promotes healthy sleep.
Someone who is just learning to surf is a Kuk or Kook. Kukae is the Hawaiian word for manure, or poop. The word kuk is a crappy surfer.
What Does It Mean 'Getting Tubed'? Getting tubed or barreled means that a surfer finds safety amidst a big wave. There is a dredging feeling that it might break upon itself and a possibility that you'd get trapped between the lip and the wall of the water, which is how you get tubed.
Fer sure/Fersure: A casual way of saying “for sure” or “definitely.” Valley girl: A stereotype of a young woman from California's San Fernando Valley, often characterized by a particular way of speaking and slang use (especially saying 'like' and 'totally' a lot).