It’s August, the month when Europe’s lineups will be at their most heinously crowded. Unless you’re planning on taking up night surfing, you might need a few crowd control tips to maximize your wave count.
Over to Pepe:

– ‘Ride a thicker board, maybe a bit longer too. The extra volume will give you that little bit more paddling power and give you an advantage over everyone else. It really helps at crowded beachbreaks with shifty peaks to be able to move around quicker and easier.’

– ‘Go out the back and wait for everyone else to get one, but when they have just stick your chest out and go. Play fair, but at the same time when it’s your turn, make it yours or somebody else will snake you for sure.’

– ‘Think about wearing slightly more rubber so that you can stay out longer. The longer you’re in for, the more waves you’re gonna get. By staying in longer you’re gonna notice all the windows that happen when crew are getting out, those in-between times when the crowd is changing over.’