|
A
Accelerate
To gain speed off a bottom turn to cut up the wave face in order to set up a maneuver.
Accessory Man
A surfer that has every piece of surf gear imaginable and uses it all at the same time regardless of whether the circumstances call for it.
Acetone
Flammable, volatile, toxic chemical solvent used to clean polyester resin from tools, etc.
Ache; Aching
How you feel after being rag dolled, worked by a bomb or after a physically intense session.
Acid Drop
When you take off on a wave and have the bottom suddenly fall out as you free fall down the face.
Action
Something that's either a dumb or mean act. Can also be used as a description.
Aerial
Complex small-wave maneuver in which both surfer and board launch into the air off the top of a wave, before dropping back down into the same wave. The surfer often grabs a rail of the surfboard for stability and to control the surfboard's rotation in the move. Originated from skateboarding.
Aerial with Re-entry
Usually after cranking a hard bottom turn, the surfer cuts up the face of the pitching wave with enough speed to launch his board into the air as the section of the wave closes out. The rider pivots the board in mid-air so that it drops back onto the same wave and continues down the line.
A-frame
A peak-shaped wave, with left and right shoulders, and the highest point of the crest in the middle of the peak.
Aggro
Angry. Pissed off.
Ahu
A place close to shore where a broken wave peaks and breaks again.
Air to Fakie
When a surfer gets air and lands with the tail of the board sliding backward down the face of the wave causing him to briefly surf backwards before spinning 180 to finish off the ride.
Air
After a good bottom turn with a lot of speed, the rider cuts up the face, off-the-lip, and into the air.
Airbrush
The tool used by an artist to spray color onto a surfboard. The airbrush is powered by compressor and sprays paint from a container (usually screwed or otherwise attached to the airbrush) out through a thin nozzle in a manner similar to an aerosol spray can.
Alchemy Hour
The period of time when a surfer enjoys the best a swell has to offer. The result is a seemingly magical power or process has transmuted the surfer and touched his soul. Characterized by a big ol' shit-eatin' grin.
Alltimers
Condition suffered by a surfer who claims to catch the best possible or "all-time" conditions every single time he goes to the beach.
Alaia
A type of surfboard, made of wood and usually around six feet in length, used by Hawaiian commoners to surf prior to the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in the late 19th century.
Aloha
Hawaiian word used as a greeting, a send-off, a sign of affection and/or a wish for good fortune or mercy.
Amped
Really charged up...stoked, psyched. It's on!
Ancillary Stoke
Condition bestowed upon an onlooker or crowd as a surfer pulls off a radical or insane maneuver.
Angling
Original step toward performance in surfing. Refers to a surfer's riding across the wave face at an angle to the shoreline, rather than riding straight toward the beach.
Angular Spreading
As waves in a train leave a fetch, they may leave at different angles to the main direction of the wind within the fetch. Thus, swell waves may arrive at a forecast point though it may lie to one side or the other of the predominant wind direction.
Artificial Reef
An underwater structure man-made for one or more reasons: 1) aiding ailing ocean ecologies by giving sea fauna a home/feeding ground or 2) creating quality surf where there's otherwise none or 3) helping with beach erosion by lessening impact of swells pushing sand away from shore.
Assmunch
Another name for a kook who tends to be aggressive and cut other surfers off on a regular basis. Example: "That assmunch just cut me off!"
Asymmetrical zippers
Wetsuit zippers with staggered teeth, invented to keep a tighter seal and let less water in. Common in newer zippered suits.
Ate It
An especially gnarly wipeout.
Atoll
A coral island or islands, consisting of a belt of coral reef, partly submerged, surrounding a central lagoon or depression; a lagoon island.
Atmospheric pressure
The air pressure or force exerted on the Earth's surface caused by the weight of the air above, usually between 950 - 1050 millibars at sea level. Air pressure is also measured to indicate the presence and movement of weather producing high and low pressure systems.
Average Wave Period (AVP)
The average time in seconds of all the waves observed during a given period of measurement. Time between successive wave crests.
Axe/axed
A heavy wipeout, usually involving the wave's lip impacting directly on a surfer. Also called drilled, pummeled, etc.
|