Call it what you want – leg rope, surfboard leash, kook cord – but plainly put, a  leash is something that connects a surfer to the surfboard. It serves a number of purposes, such as not letting your board get away from you, a safety device for flotation, allow you to kick your board away from you if you know your are going to crash, and can prevent your board from dangerously flying at others in a crowded situation.

So should you use one or is it a bad nod to the watermen of days gone by to wear a leash? Does it steal from the purity of the sport of kings?

If you are a beginner you should always wear a surf leash. This will be the most convienent and safest way for you to surf. By wearing a leash, you will prevent your somewhat new surfing skills from becoming hazardous to others, as well as save yourself many long swims to retrieve your board after you have fallen. You are not experienced or trained enough to surf without a leash, and there is no reason for you not to have one on at this point.

In crowded surfing areas, it is pretty much always in everybodys best interest that everyone have a surf leash attached. Because of the high density of surfers in the waters, the threat of flying boards being flung at others can be greatly reduced by wearing leashes. Although, please do know that not everyone will always be wearing a surf leash no matter what the circumstances, so make sure to always be aware of your surroundings and on the look out for danger as much as possible.

Once you become a more advanced surfer and get relatively good, it may become okay for you to ditch the surfing leash during certain circumstances. Make sure you are surfing in an area that isn’t overly crowded, for the reasons list above. Also, make sure that the waves aren’t overly large or out of your skill range, because generally if you are going to be crashing a lot, wearing the leash will benefit you more than it will hurt you.

Some surfers will argue that a leash on larger waves can be more dangerous than not wearing one, but most will disagree. All things considered, we believe that it is better to wear a leash than not when in doubt.

Basically, the rules of wearing surf leashes are as follows:

• If you are a beginner, wear a surf leash
• If the surfing area is crowded, wear a surf leash
• If you are an experienced surfer and the waves are well within your riding ability and you won’t be struggling much if at all, you may opt to ditch the leash (providing the area isn’t overly crowded and you have sufficient swimming skills if necessary)
• When not sure of whether or not to wear a surfing leash, wear it!

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