86'd (also eighty-sixed) - to be out of the game, done, finished, gone; began and is still in use as a restaurant slang term with the same meaning; originated during the Prohibition years in the USA after a speakeasy in NYC named Chumley's – which had the backdoor address of 86 Bedford Street – and when a patron became unruly he (or she) was tossed, i.e. ‘86'd’ out the back door; Chumley's has been closed since a wall collapsed in 2007.

360 (also three-sixty, spinner) - a maneuver where the board (and rider) spin 360° on the face of the wave

A-frame -
1) a large wave that provides distinct shoulders on either side of the peak and can be ridden by two surfers simultaneously – with one riding frontside and the other riding backside
2) a wave, which when viewed from the side, is triangular in shape resembling the letter 'A'

A'A (AH-ah) - to send greetings of love or be joyous when greeting another

A'Ā (ah-AH) - stony, sharp lava

A HUI HOU (ah HUU-ee HOH-uu) - slang for: goodbye, farewell

A HUI HOU MALAMA PONO (ah HUU-ee HOH-uu MAA-lah-mah POH-noh) - slang for: “Farewell and take care.”

accelerate -
1) to increase your speed by making a hard bottom turn and then climbing the face of the wave in order to set up a maneuver
2) to increase your speed by trimming

accessory man - someone who has ALL the surfing gear available (and uses it all)

ace -
1) to win, to succeed
2) to be the best at something
3) to outdo somebody by out-maneuvering or out-smarting them : He aced me out of the wave.
4) South African slang for: going solo or being single-minded

acetone - a toxic, flammable solvent that can be used (amongst many uses) for cleaning and thinning fiberglass, also as a paint and varnish thinner; the primary ingredient for nail polish remover

ache - to suffer continuous dull full-body pain after being rag dolled by a bomb or after having a very exhausting physical session

aching - a toxic, flammable solvent that can be used (amongst many uses) for cleaning and thinning fiberglass, also as a paint and varnish thinner; the primary ingredient for nail polish remover

acid drop - losing your surfboard while taking off on a large, tall wave and then free falling down the face of the wave

action -
1) a dumb or stupid piece of behavior
2) an intentionally mean piece of behavior
3) the way something is done; the mechanics of something

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'AE (AH-eh) - yes, to say yes

aerial -
1) when both surfer and surfboard rise into the air and above the wave being ridden
2) part of an intentional maneuver where:
    • starting at the lip, the surfer and surfboard together leave the water –
    • then, stay in the air for a bit –
    • then, return to the same wave for further riding (requires split second timing and is only performed by expert surfers)

aerial barrel roll - while in the middle of an aerial over the lip:
    • the surfer crouches and holds a rail with one hand –
    • then, performs a 360° spin with the surfboard –
    • then, re-enters the wave and continues in the same direction as the start of the spin (can sometimes be performed without holding the rail)

aerial with re-entry -
1) any aerial maneuver that starts and ends on the same wave
2) an aerial maneuver that starts with:
    • performing a hard bottom turn –
    • then, cutting up the face to become aerial –
    • then, staying in the air until the section of the wave below closes out –
    • then, pivoting the board to enable re-entry onto the same wave –
    • and finally, continue riding it down the line

agg - crazy

aggro -
1) to be extremely aggressive and outgoing on the water; originates from the term Aggro-Aussie, because Australian surfers are known to be some of the most aggressive
2) to be annoyed, frustrated (i.e. aggravated)

AHE (AH-heh) - breeze; to breathe or to blow gently; waft

AHI (AH-hee) - fire, lightning, a match; to burn or destroy with fire

AHIAHI (AH-hee-AH-hee) - evening or late afternoon; to become evening (see also KAKAHIAKA and 'AUINALĀ)

ahu - when broken waves peak and break again close to shore; possibly from the Hawaiian word "ahu" for heap, pile, or collection

'ĀINA (AH-ee-nah) - land, earth; the homeland

AINOKEA (AH-ee-noh-KEH-ah) - slang for:
“I don't care.”
– or –
“I couldn't care less than I already do.”

air (also catch air) - getting airborne as the result of a good boost : After a good bottom turn with lots of speed, head up the face, off the lip, and into the sky for some good air.

air freak - someone who is outstanding at performing aerial maneuvers

air section - the part of the wave that is conducive to launching airs on

air to fakey - a surfing maneuver where:
• the surfer catches air –
• then, returns to the same wave and slides backwards briefly down the face of the wave –
• then, spins 180° and finishes off the ride

airbrush - an art tool that attaches to an air compressor and finely sprays paint; looks similar in appearance to a kazoo; often used to decorate surfboards

airdrop - a very late take-off resulting in dropping through the air to the bottom of the wave

AKAHELE (ah-kah-HEH-leh) - cautious, careful, moderate

AKAMAI (ah-kah-MAH-ee) - to be very smart, very sharp

ALAIA (ah-LAH-ee-ah) - a very thin, round nose, square tail, finless surfboard made of wood (usually breadfruit or koa); used by Hawaiians to surf prior to the 20th century; modern alaia boards are anywhere from 5' to 10' long, 15” to 19” wide, and ½" to 2" thick (see also paipo)

ALI'I (ah-LEE ee) - chief, ruler, monarch, aristocrat

ALL BUSS UP - slang for:
1) to be or get drunk
2) to have fought and won

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ALOHA (ah-LOH-hah) - love, affection; greetings:
“Hello.”
– or –
“Goodbye.”
(Used in the same manner as the Italian word "ciao" however more commonly as a 'hello' greeting. As a word in the Hawaiian language, "aloha" expresses a sense of affection, peace, compassion and peace.)

ALOHA KĀKOU (ah-LOH-hah KAH-koh-uu) -
“Greetings/Hello, everyone!”
– or –
“Goodbye/Farewell, everyone!”

ALOHA KĀUA (ah-LOH-hah KAH-uu-ah) - love, affection, and greetings that are expressed specifically to an individual

ALOHA NUI LOA (ah-LOH-hah NUU-ee LOH-ah) - lots of love, affection, and fondest regards

Aloha Spirit - a friendly, peaceful and accepting attitude

alva - to be "alva" means to be radical and innovative with little regard for conventional standards of safety, morality and the status quo; refers to Tony Alva, who is one of the original and most radical of the legendary and infamous Dogtown skateboard team called the Z-Boys : That dude is so alva he scares me. I never know what he's gonna do on the board.

amped -
1) to be energized, excited and full of life
2) to be over-excited and almost uncontrollably ready for something
(see also stoked)

amplitude - the amplitude of a water wave is the height of the wave as measured from still water level to peak level; think of it in terms of turning up the volume, the higher the volume, the more the amplitude (height) of the sound wave – and – both types of waves are always moving

AN DEN (AHN DEHN) - slang for:
“What's up?”
– or –
“How are you?”

ancillary stoke - the positive support that onlookers provide (by being stoked) : Gonna need some ancillary stoke to get my nerve up for that wave.

angle off (also anglin', angling) -
1) turning left and/or right on a wave
2) when the surfer is going with the wave in either a right or left direction
3) surfing at an angle rather then surfing straight

anglin' (also angle off, angling) -
1) turning left and/or right on a wave
2) when the surfer is going with the wave in either a right or left direction
3) surfing at an angle across the face of a wave rather then surfing straight towards the beach

angling (also angle off, anglin') -
1) turning left and/or right on a wave
2) when the surfer is going with the wave in either a right or left direction
3) surfing at an angle across the face of a wave rather then surfing straight towards the beach

ankle busters (also ankle slop) - small waves, too small to surf

ankle slop (also ankle busters) - small waves, too small to surf

ankle snappers - tiny, little waves

ankle straps - straps used to secure a surfer's ankle to a leash which is, in turn, attached to the surfboard

ANUANU (ah-NUU-ah-nuu) - cold or chilly

ĀNUENUE (AH-nuu-eh-nuu-eh) - rainbow

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ANY KINE (EH-nee KYN) - slang for: any kind

'A'OLE (AH-OH-leh) - no, never
"Never! I should say not!"
– or –
"Certainly not!"

artificial reef - a structure built underwater, or simply submerged after construction, in an area that has a featureless, sandy bottom; usually built to control erosion and promote marine life; also used to block ship passage and improve surfing conditions (see also breakwater, jetty)

as if - short for “As if that's ever going to happen - I don't think so!”; used in the same manner as 'yeah right' (which is one of the rare times where a double positive makes a negative)

ASP - acronym for the Association of Surfing Professionals (the governing body of professional surfing)

asymmetrical zipper - a zipper with staggered teeth that create a tighter seal; used in new wetsuit designs

ate it - to have had a very bad wipeout (see eat it)

atoll - a ring-shaped coral reef, island, or a series of islets; created by underwater volcanoes called seamounts; a body of water surrounded by an atoll is called a lagoon; well-known surfing destination is the Maldive Islands (Republic of the Maldives) in the Indian Ocean, which has a double chain of 26 atolls

'AUINALĀ (AH-uu-EE-na-lah) - afternoon; literally means 'declining sun' (see also AHIAHI and KAKAHIAKA)

'AUMAKUA (AH-uu-MAH-kuu-ah) - personal or family gods or guardian spirits; deified ancestors who might assume the shape of recognizable creatures (e.g. sharks, owls, hawks) or other things in nature (e.g. clouds, rocks)

AUNTIE (AHN-tee) - slang for: older woman (used with respect, not a slur)

AURIE (ah-uu-RII-ee) - slang for: “All right, then.” (used as a farewell)

avalanche -
1) any big wave that is breaking
2) the whitewater that pours down the face of a wave

Avalanche - an outer reef surf spot on the island of Oahu, Hawaii

Average Wave Period (AVP) - a period is a length of time and in physics it is, essentially, the length of time between successive occurrences; a wave period is the time it takes two successive wave crests to pass a fixed point of reference (e.g. a buoy); two or more successive wave periods need to be measured before you can have an average wave period (i.e. the total of period times divided by number of periods measured)

AWAKEA (AH-wah-KEH-ah) - noon or midday; to become or at noon

'AWE (AH-weh) - backpack, knapsack, a pack or burden carried on the back

awesome - great, fantastic (see off the Richter, off the wall, outrageous)

axed (also drilled, pummeled) -
1) to get creamed (crushed) by something
2) to get wiped out by the lip of a wave; if you have been axed, you have been fully done in : I got totally axed at Pipe!

AZNUTS (az-NUHTS) - slang for:
“That's crazy!”
– or –
“Ridiculous!”
– or –
“You're out of your mind!”

AZRIGHT (az-RYT) - slang for:
“That's right!”
– or –
“That's correct!”
– or –
“That's true!”

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