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Lineup positioning

Surfing / Popular

Choose takeoff spots while respecting priority, currents, and crowd flow.

What coaches agree on

  • Pick a landmark on the beach, or a natural marker like a boil, reef feature, or the trail of whitewater from a previous wave, and keep checking yourself against it, since current, wind, and tide will drag you off your spot between waves.
  • Learn to spot the peak, the tallest and most powerful part of the wave, by looking for a height difference along the swell line or a darker, richer patch of color, and use that as your takeoff reference.
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  • Before you settle into a spot, read the crowd: how many surfers are out, their skill level, and where they are sitting, then choose between sitting outside, at the peak, wide, or inside based on that.
  • Respect the priority order in the lineup: whoever has been waiting the longest, or is sitting deepest and closest to the peak, gets first choice of the wave.

Common mistakes

  • Taking off too far out on the wave's shoulder means you will likely miss it, while taking off too deep past the peak means it closes out on you before you can ride it.
  • Snaking: paddling around or inside another surfer to grab a better spot and take a wave that was not yours to take.