Lineup Land Marker

Definition: A lineup marker or land marker is the way a surfer puts himself in the right place every time. After catching a great wave or two and once back out in the lineup (outside the breaking waves), a surfer will often find markers on land like a house or tree or a specific mountain peak to line up with. The reason: the good waves that he has been catching seem to be breaking in the same spot (maybe over a rocky crag of reef or a shallow sand bar) and a landscape marker or land mark is an easy was to stay where the best waves are. Some surfers triangulate their location, maybe between a series of land marks. This is why surfers at their local breaks often get all the good waves. They know where to sit and wait for the perfect nugget. Surfers in many areas are fiercely secret about their lineup markers and will not divulge them. Markers at reef breaks vary with tide and markers at sand breaks vary with the conditions. Using land markers in big surf is also a way to stay safe from getting caught by sweeping sets. If you want to know where the sweet lineup marker is, look where the guy is catching the most and best waves.