Get ready for your surf tour with a good SHAKKA!
If you’ve been on a surf tour before or you have been in contact with someone in the surf community, you’ve probably heard or seen people “throwing shakkas” and you’ve probably been confused. “What the * does that mean?”
Well, don’t be! It’s just a Hawaiian hand gesture. It means to “hang loose” or to chill. In surf lessons it’s often used as a positive reinforcement and you can see surf instructors showering their surf students in shakka’s when they stand up on their first waves. So, when you are joining us on surf tour and you see someone catch an epic wave, shakka away! The amount of shakkas thrown in and around the surf is phenomenl, if there was a shakka-o-meter, it would be off the charts!
You can also throw someone a shakka as a sign of praise or approval, give the shakka as a sign of “what’s up” or hello, use it as a way to say goodbye and even use it as a thank you. Next time you’re in the surf, have a look out for shakka’s. You can feel safe to use it knowing that it will be understood and appreciated. Driving past someone with a surfboard on your way to the beach is also a very appropriate time to throw a shakka to a fellow surfer. There are also a few variations on the surfing shakka. For exceptional events, such as your first ever barrel, you can combine two shakka’s to form a giant mega shakka! It is the academy award of achievement in surfing.
Throwing shakka’s is accepted throughout the entire surfing community. Even if you are surfing overseas and don’t speak the language, a shakka is the universal sign for the positiveness in the surfing lifestyle. Much like a smile, it is an internationally positive recognition and emphasises the surfing philosophy of a laid-back, friendly attitude.
So whether you have been surfing for a while or have just learned to surf, it is never too late to begin your shakka-throwing career and see how much it brightens up someone’s day!
When we see you for your surfing holidays this summer at Double Island Point, make sure to throw us & our surf crew your shakka!
Yewww! Shakkas!
