In surfing, a deliberate drop-in is the ultimate sign of disrespect.
The simple act speaks volumes. It can mean, “you’re not from here, and I am, therefore I can take any wave I want,” or, “I surf better than you, so you don’t deserve to let this wave go to waste,” among other unspoken (un)pleasantries.
We’ve all done it; and we’ve all had it done to unto us. But this next clip shows a different outcome than the traditional snake, something a little more heartwarming. Check out the clip below from self-proclaimed surf yogi, Jacob Mellish.
Mellish narrates:
“As I was coming out of this little tube, I noticed I was getting dropped in on by a random local I’d never met before. Initially, I was a little angry. But I was like, ‘how can I make the most of this kind of shitty situation?’”
The location of the wave is undisclosed. It appears to be a sand-bottomed pointbreak, and somewhere warm. It’s not a wave of consequence, otherwise the drop-in might have taken a more serious turn. However, as Mellish mentioned, he decided to make light of the situation, and try something different when it comes to the slap-in-the-face of a snake.
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“So, I grabbed his hand,” Mellish continues, “and I was like, ‘come here, come here.’ I jumped onto his board, and we shared the wave together, which was so much more fun than having to surf the wave by myself. Everyone thinks this is fake. It’s not fake. I wasn’t wearing a leash. The waves were breaking right on the beach. What a cool moment.”
This is a rare outcome for a situation like this. If it were to happen elsewhere, or with a not so friendly local, things would’ve been different.
But in this case…warm fuzzy feelings?