Essential Surfing Skills - Aborting The Take-off
Posted: 3 January 2026
Picture this. You sit in the lineup, feet dipped in shimmering turquoise. The horizon darkens slightly as a set approaches. You turn and paddle. Cutting deep strokes through liquid glass as the wave rears behind, it is your moment. Powered by joy, you ready to launch down the face into undiluted bliss. But wait…someone has appeared from nowhere and is now slap bang in your surfing line!
Abort! Abort! But how?
The ability to abort the take-off is absolutely critical if you are to avoid collisions and potentially serious injuries to other water users, and possibly yourself. What follows are some tips on how to abort the take-off and stay safe.
Aborting the Surfing Take-off
The best way to abort the take-off is to use the 3 P’s method:
Pushing and leaning back towards the tail of your board
Put your legs in the water off either side of the board (provides anchor/drag)
Place your arms and hands in water, and start back paddling
The sequence of photo’s below shows a surfer taking-off. The surfer then notices other surfers have moved across into his line of surfing.
Surfer at the take-off point. When paddling for this wave the way was probably clear for the surfer.
Now the surfer sees that other surfers are blocking his path. He attempts to abort the take-off by pushing back, ie: sit up, place hands to rails, push and lean back on the back of the surfboard so the wave can pass him by.
The surfer is sitting up and has put his legs in the water (a sitting position). He now pulls back off the wave by moving all body weight to the tail of the board.
The surfer now puts his arms and hands in the water to back paddle. He has successfully aborted the take-off. The wave moves ahead without him and a potentially dangerous collision has been averted.
Above is only a single example of what can happen when out in the line-up.
The potential hazards that arise from surfers all gathered in a small area chasing the same goals are wide-ranging.
Be aware at all times.
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