Glossary
There is a whole wealth of information available on the site, and rather than explaining everything several times!! we've provided a Glossary to try and explain some of the more technical words and phrases used in surf kayaking. If there's something in one of the technique pages you don't understand check here. If you can't find the answer here, then contact us.
Aerial: Manoeuvre where the boat becomes airborne.
Arc: The line drawn when making a turn.
Barrel: the internal space between the lip and the wave face.
Break: 1. Collapse of a wave 2. The area on a beach where waves are breaking.
Clean: Super smooth wave conditions.
Close out: A wave that breaks all at once.
Deep: A position behind the shoulder.
Drop in: 1. Take off on a wave. 2. To impede another surfer, by taking off in front of them.
Edge: Tilt the kayak to one side whilst keeping the bodyweight over it.
Face: The front surface of an unbroken wave.
Feathering: 1. Offset paddle angle. 2. the effect of an offshore wind on waves about to break.
Foil: The transverse sectional shape of a fin.
Inside: Beachside of the breaking waves.
Jacks: Sudden increase in wave height prior to breaking.
Left hander: A wave that peels to the left whilst surfing.
Line up: The area where surfers take off around a peak.
Lip: The portion of the wave that throws out from the top.
Loose: Very easy to turn.
Peak: Point where wave begins to break first.
Peeling: Describes the action of a wave breaking at a constant speed along its length.
Pit: The base of a very steep wave.
Pitching: The throwing action of the lip.
Plane: To slide over the surface of the wave rather than move through it.
Pocket: Portion of the wave directly in front of the shoulder.
Right hander: A wave that peels to the right whilst surfing.
Rail: The peripheral edge of the kayak.
Rail-inside: The rail that is closest to the face of the wave.
Rail-outside: The rail that is closest to the shore.
Section: A portion of a breaking wave.
Shoulder: The division between the breaking wave and the green wave.
Soup: Broken whitewater waves.
Swim: Abandon ship, and make for the beach like an olympic swimmer.
Trim: Surfer's weight shift forwards and backwards.
Trough: The depression between waves.
Wall: The unbroken portion of a wave.
Wipeout: Caused by an error of judgement or skill, often resulting in a battering, occasionally in a swim!
