Rail
The rail is the outer edge of the surfboard. Rails can be boxy, full, or thin depending on what kind of board they are on.
Foot Wells
Foot wells refers to the pressure dings that sometimes occur on
the top of a surfboard where the rider places their feet. Foot wells
happen when the rider performs intense torque creating turns that
compress the foam underneath the layer of glass.
Grom
The word "grom" is short for "grommet" and is usually used in a
positive light to refer to young or new surfers. Usually it is applied
to young locals who really know how to ride a wave.
Fall Line
The fall line is the perfect spot to drop in on a wave. It
usually makes for the fastest drop and is either on the top of the wave
peak just before it breaks or right at the edge of the folding lip.
Kick Out
To kick out is to exit a wave. Usually performing a kick out refers to doing so with style and without falling off the board.
Duck Diving
Duck diving is when a surfer pushes himself and his board under
the water in the face of an oncoming wave while paddling out. It is
incredibly hard to duck dive using a longboard. For that reason, many
longboarders prefer to do a turn turtle in which the rider just flips
the board upside down to get under an oncoming wave.
Log
A log is an extra long longboard. The board has to be at least
nine feet to be a log. Logs usually have a rounded nose and thicker
volume, especially in the rail and deck departments.
Fish
A fish does not just refer to the sea creatures swimming
underneath surfers. It is also a kind of board. The fish board became
popular in the 70's. It is shorter than a shortboard, wide, flat, and
has a pointed nose, making it look like a fish. It is the perfect board
for riding small mushy surf.
Tail Pad
This is a surface application usually applied to the back end of
the surfboard to give the surfer better traction. Tail pads are made of
neoprene or a similar substance.
Stoked
To finish up this top 10 list is a nice surf culture word.
Stoked means excited, amped, or just really enthusiastic about
something.
It does not matter if you are a grom or you have been out on the
waves for years or even decades, you know how exhilarating surfing
feels. It does not matter if you ride waves on a duck or a log, you feel
a connection with the ocean and a freedom that is one of a kind.
Practice your surf terminology and you can build the confidence you need
to ride some big waves. If you want to add to your surf lingo head to
the beach or a surf shop and listen to the locals. One day you might
just be a swami, which means an expert surfer usually getting on in
years.
