Board race rules

Course

• Juniors, seniors and masters: two buoys about 75 m apart and 200 m out, with an apex buoy about 16 m further (§4.4.4).
• U11 & U12 nippers: 60 m; U13 & U14: 80 m (§4.4.5).
• Bodyboard (U9 to U12 only): 60 m (§4.4.6).

Which board

U9 and U10 surf nippers use 2.6 m or 2.9 m soft boards; U11 to U14 may use soft, hard nipper boards or the standard 3.2 m board; from U15 up only the 3.2 m board is used (§10.4). At the SA championships U9–U12 race bodyboards and U11–U14 race boards (§11.4.2).

Start, finish and rules of the race

Athletes stand on or behind the start line with boards at right angles to it, about 1.5 m apart (§4.4.4). You may lose your board on the way and regain it, but you must cross the finish line from the sea side, on your feet and in contact with the board. A board can be swapped for a replacement placed at the water's edge before the last buoy (§4.4.1).

Up to 16 race at a time (§4.2.9).

Board relay

Teams of three each paddle the course, leave the board at the water's edge and run around the turning flags to tag the next paddler (§4.4.7). Nippers race the board relay as U12 and U14 teams, and U9–U10 race a bodyboard relay as U10 (§4.4.8).

Common disqualifications

Deliberately impeding another paddler, using propulsion aids such as hand webs or long sleeves, starting a relay leg from the wrong position, and using a craft without the LSA compliance decal (§4.4.1, §4.2.16).