Category Specifications

Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP)

Design: Unlimited. No foils.

Length: Unlimited.

Safety Equipment: A leash must attach the rider to their board. Helmets optional.

Notes: Our judging is looking for high performance, short board style, maneuvers.

High Performance (HP) Class Surf Kayak

Boat Length: 2.74m or under, as measured in a horizontal plane.

Fins: Unlimited size, quantity, and placement.

Hull design: Unlimited.

Construction and Deck design: The kayak shall be of hollow construction, with the paddler sitting in, not on, the kayak. Any material is allowed for construction. In addition, each kayak must utilize a fabric type sprayskirt/spraydeck, which completely encircles the paddler’s waist, and the boat’s cockpit to attain “watertight” status from the waist down.

International Class (IC) Surf Kayak

Boat Length: 3-4 meters, as measured in a horizontal plane.

Fins: The kayak can have up to 4 fin boxes, as long as there are no fins in them. Fin boxes must be covered OR empty, and may be no longer than 25 cm and no wider than 2 cm.

Hull design: The hull may be any shape as long as the maximum concave depth under a straight edge, placed perpendicular to the long axis of the kayak at any point on the hull, is less than 10mm.

Construction and Deck design: The kayak shall be of hollow construction, with the paddler sitting in, not on, the kayak. Any material is allowed for construction. In addition, each kayak must utilize a fabric-type sprayskirt/spraydeck, which completely encircles the paddler’s waist and the boat’s cockpit to attain “watertight” status from the waist down.

Masters Surf Kayak

Age: Age 40 or over on 1st January of year of competition.

Boat Design: Boats must comply by HP or IC standards.

Waveski

Length: Under 4 meters.

Design: Unlimited.

Safety: A leash must attach the rider to their board, or the rider must wear a pfd. Helmets are required.

Whitewater

Boat Length: Under 4 meters.

Design: Any plastic production closed deck kayak.

Construction and Deck design: The kayak shall be of hollow construction, with the paddler sitting in, not on, the kayak. Any material is allowed for construction. In addition, each kayak must utilize a fabric type sprayskirt/spraydeck, which completely encircles the paddler’s waist, and the boat’s cockpit to attain “watertight” status from the waist down.

Safety Regulations for all Kayak Categories

Must have rounded ends: All kayaks must have a minimum diameter of 50mm (allowing for 6mm protuberance) in the plan view at the front of the kayak.

Kayaks Must Not have an “Extended End”: Kayaks must be more than 10cm wide, 10cm back from the front end of the kayak in plan view.

All kayaks must have buoyancy and float if filled with water; the kayak must have full buoyancy in the back of the boat and some buoyancy in the front, to keep the kayak floating level when flooded. This buoyancy can be; Full foam, a bulkhead or a proper manufactured airbag (i.e. No wine boxes, beach balls, swim aids, etc)

All kayaks must have tails fitted. Tails must be at least 20cm long with a knot in the end, must reach past the end of the kayak and must not form an entrapment (i.e. not a loop that a finger or hand can fit through). The tail, if webbing, must have a minimum width of 25mm, if rope, must be 8mm diameter or more (as measured, not manufactured). Tails must be of permanent attachment so not to break off when used.

Helmets are required while surfing in this competition.

For Kayaks Buoyancy Aids / PFD’s (Personal Flotation Devices) or Impact vests are required to be worn while surfing in the competition. Inflatable life jackets are not allowed. PFD’s and Impact vests must be Coast Guard approved and of foam construction. Inflatable vests will not be allowed. It must have an official flotation rating, equivalent to (BS) EN 393, this requires a floatation of 50N. This could be checked at the contest. (By putting a 5kg weight on the item, and seeing if it floats).

Judging

The Purposes of these Rules are to:

Provide for a fair and safe competition with a standard measure to identify the people who exhibit the most skills in moving a surf kayak, waveski, or SUP on the most challenging parts of the wave.

General Surfing Criteria

A surfer must execute the most radical controlled maneuvers in the critical section of a wave with speed and power throughout. The surfer who executes such maneuvers on the biggest and/or best waves shall be deemed the winner.

1. Radical Controlled Manoeuvres

Judges expect to see changes of direction of the boat on the wave. Such maneuvers would include bottom turns, re-entries, cutbacks, floaters, aerials, tube rides, top turns, late take-offs, trimming and stalling, etc. How radical they are, followed by the amount of control and commitment put into each of them, will determine how high they will score. In particular, judges are looking for the bigger, more radical, maneuvers, with ‘rail to rail’ surfing, rather than single rail surfing.

It is important to note, a surfer has to complete a manoeuvre for it to be scored. It will not score well if they lose control or are not able to continue on the wave.

1. Most Critical Section

Higher scores occur if the surfer stays in the critical section of the wave, the “pocket” closest to the curl. The degree of commitment and the risk involved in performing close to the curl is the reason that it scores higher.

1. The Biggest and/or Best Waves

Wave selection is a critical factor for a surfer in their heat. The waves selected will dictate the maneuvers they are able to perform. There is less emphasis put on wave size in small to medium conditions due to the fact that the best waves may not necessarily be the biggest. However, in a contest with big wave conditions, a large part of the criteria would be the size. A surfer should be prepared to demonstrate the greatest commitment to the critical part of the wave. A surfer does not automatically score high because of wave size or quality. What the surfer does with the wave is a more important criteria.

1. The Different Categories

HP Kayak/Waveski/SUP: More emphasis will be put on big, more dynamic, maneuvers than on long rides.

IC Kayak: More emphasis is put on large carving type maneuvers with longer rides.

Note that the longer the ride, the more potential time to score points, so the higher potential score, in all categories. Length of ride is not scored.

Judging in Bad Conditions

In poor surf, judges concentrate on surfers who utilize the mini power pockets on the wave with explosive moves that are normally timed to occur at each of these spots on the wave. Higher scores will occur if maneuvers are being linked directly to another without paddling all the way to the next section.

Interference

To determine interference, the judges first decide which surfer has the right of way as a situation arises. The judges then determine whether the surfer with the Right of Way has been possibly hindered in his scoring potential. The key word in these criteria is “possibly.” If the judge has to consider whether or not they have hindered the other surfer, then they have possibly hindered the scoring potential of the Right of Way surfer, so the interference must be called.

What Judges Consider:

1. Which surfer has the Right of Way? At the take-off point, the inside surfer always has unconditional Right of Way.

2. Was there interference or not? Did the surfer with unconditional Right of Way have his scoring potential possibly hindered?

3. What rule in the book reflects to the infringement? Drop-in, snaking, paddling, breaking down a section, or excessive hassling?

The Interference Rule is:

The surfer deemed to have the inside position for a wave, has unconditional right of way for the entire duration of that ride. Interference will be called if during that ride, a majority of judges feel that a fellow competitor has possibly hindered the scoring potential of that surfer deemed to have the Right of Way for the wave.

Anyone who surfs in front of a surfer with the Right of Way has the chance to kick out of the wave without being called for interference, unless he/she hinders the scoring potential of the surfer with the Right of Way by any means, including excessive hassling, hindering progress, or breaking down a section.

1. Point Break (Single Direction Wave) – The inside surfer has unconditional Right of Way for the duration of that wave.

2. Single Peak (Left & Right Breaking Wave) – The surfer considered to have the inside position at the initial point of take off has unconditional Right of Way in the direction he chooses by making an obvious turn. A second surfer may surf in the opposite direction.

Paddling Interference:

Paddling interference may be called if:

1. The offending surfer makes contact with or forces the inside surfer to change his line while paddling to catch the wave, causing possible loss of scoring potential.

2. The offending surfer obviously causes a section to break down in front of the inside surfer, which would not normally have happened causing loss of scoring potential.

3. When a surfer is put in a position while paddling out that he cannot get out of the way and a collision happens due to this, it is up to a majority of judges to call interference based on whether it is felt to be accidental or not.

Note: If two or more paddlers collide there must have been either dangerous surfing or poor judgment from at least one of the paddlers involved. If one of the paddlers is not at fault for the collision, then both/all the paddlers must have an interference called against them. This is to enforce safety as a prime directive of the sport.

Snaking

The surfer who is farthest inside at the initial take-off point is entitled to that wave for the duration of his ride. However, if a surfer takes off on the white water behind the first surfer, he will be penalized if the surfer taking off at the peak is forced to pull out and loses the wave. (Note, this does not prevent behind-the-peak takeoffs started in green water).

The Right of Way rule says that the surfer who is farthest inside at the initial take-off point is entitled to that wave for the duration of his ride.  Judges expect that there will be jockeying for position on some waves.  However, paddling in front of, around, or behind a competitor who has inside position and is about to take off on a wave, in order to impede the competitor and take possession of a wave, is considered to be snaking, and will result in an interference call.

In all cases in the graphic below, Green (A) has Right of Way.