Drop in

Tube-riding isn't just for Londoners. With this design, we're in the West Country again to illustrate perhaps the most important rule of surfing tube etiquette.

Tubetiquette's 'Drop In' t-shirt design featuring a Maine Coon cat dropping in on a surfer riding a tube.

Great Britain may not come to mind as a surfing destination, but storms in the Atlantic do actually send plenty of swell our way. With the right beach and reef set-up -- like at some of the spots in Cornwall -- these waves can roll over leaving a gap in the middle, and experienced surfers can ride inside this hollow tube as it collapses.

To catch a wave, first you paddle to match its speed. Before popping up and taking off though, do check if somebody else has already claimed it. The person closest to the peak of the breaking wave has the right of way, and cutting in doesn't only block the surfer but can also cause a collision!


Of course, honest mistakes can be made, so if you've accidentally dropped in like this Maine Coon, try then to get out of the way by surfing over the back of the wave without interrupting the other person's ride. Stay safe, and hang loose!