Surf vocabulary

Basic vocabulary to understand a session

At the spots of Hossegor, Seignosse or Biarritz, conversations between surfers are full of words of their own. Here's what you need to follow along more easily, whether you're a beginner or just want to understand what people are talking about on the beach.

• The line-up: the area where surfers wait for waves, usually just beyond the breaking zone.
• The take-off: the moment you stand up on the board to catch the wave.
• The peak: the exact spot where the wave starts to break, often the best starting point.
• The shore break: a wave that breaks very close to, or even right on, the shoreline — common on the beaches of the Landes.

Surfing gear

• The leash: the cord that attaches your ankle to the board, so you never lose it after a wipeout.
• The wax: the bar of wax you rub onto the deck of the board so you don't slip when standing up.
• The wetsuit: essential on the Atlantic coast, chosen according to the season and water temperature.
• The poncho: the hooded towel you slip on to get changed in the car park without ending up half-naked in front of everyone.
• The fins: the small keels under the board that provide stability and direction.

Expressions you hear in the water

• Getting barrelled or tubed: surfing inside the curl of the wave, when it almost closes into a tube.
• An aerial: a manoeuvre where the surfer briefly takes off above the wave before landing again.
• Getting washed or caught in the washing machine: being tumbled by a wave, often after a fall.
• Priority: the rule that determines who has the right to take the wave first, usually the surfer closest to the peak.
• Flat: when there are no waves at all and the sea is flat.

Vocabulary for conditions

• The swell: the undulations generated out at sea that turn into waves once they reach the coast.
• Offshore: wind blowing from the land towards the sea, usually sought after because it smooths the face of the waves.
• Onshore: wind blowing from the sea towards the land, which tends to make the waves messier.
• The tide: to keep a close eye on at the Landes spots, as it greatly changes the shape of the sandbanks and therefore of the waves.

With this little glossary in mind, you should have no trouble following the conversations as you come out of the water, between two sessions at the spots of the Basque Country and the Landes.