Surf like it counts.
Heats, judges, priority, tricks and the world tour — how competitive surfing actually works, on the same rules your heats in Lineup use. New to the water? Start with the course.
How a heat works
Heats run 20–35 minutes with 2–4 surfers. You can ride as many waves as you like, but only your TWO best scores count — exactly how heats work in Lineup.
Five judges score every ride from 0–10. The highest and lowest scores are dropped, and the middle three are averaged to two decimals.
The surfer with priority has unconditional right of way to any wave they choose. Priority passes to the next surfer once used — or lost by paddling for a wave and missing it.
GLOSSARY: PRIORITY ↗Catch a wave when someone else holds priority, or hinder their scoring ride, and it's an interference: your second-best wave score is halved. Heats are lost this way.
GLOSSARY: DROP IN ↗The judging scale
5 judges · drop highest & lowest · average the middle three · your two best waves make your heat total (max 20).
Commitment & difficulty
How critical the wave and the take-off are, and how much risk the surfer takes on. A late drop at a heavy reef scores over a safe shoulder ride.
Innovation & progression
New or rare manoeuvres — big airs, rotations — score higher than the expected.
Combination of major manoeuvres
Linking several big turns and moves on one wave, not just landing one.
Variety
Showing range: barrels, carves, snaps and airs across the heat, not one trick repeated.
Speed, power & flow
The classic trio. How fast, how hard off the top, and how seamlessly it all links together.
The moves that score
From the turn every wave starts with to the airs that win finals.
Bottom Turn
FOUNDATIONThe turn at the base of the wave that sets up everything else. Speed and line start here — judges see a weak bottom turn instantly.
Carve
COREA long, drawn-out rail turn back across the open face, throwing spray. Power surfing's signature.
Cutback
CORECarving back toward the breaking part of the wave to return to the power source, then rebounding off the foam.
Snap
COREA short, sharp direction change off the top of the wave — quick, vertical and aggressive.
Floater
CORERiding up and along the top of a breaking section, then dropping back down with the lip.
Tube Ride (Barrel)
ADVANCEDRiding inside the hollow curl of the wave, hidden then released. The deeper and longer, the closer to a 10.
Aerial (Air)
ADVANCEDLaunching off the lip, flying above the wave and landing back on the face. Rotations (air reverse, alley-oop, full rotations) score highest of all.
Layback
ADVANCEDLaying the back into the wave mid-turn and recovering — stylish, committed, and easy to blow.
The world tour, stop by stop
The championship season visits waves you already know from the atlas — tap a stop to read its spot.
Pipe Pro
Banzai Pipeline, HawaiiThe season opener at surfing's most dangerous arena.
Sunset Pro
Sunset Beach, HawaiiBig, shifting Hawaiian peaks straight after Pipe.
Portugal Pro
Supertubos, PenicheEurope's heaviest beachbreak barrel.
Bells Beach Pro
Bells Beach, VictoriaThe longest-running event in surfing — ring the bell.
Margaret River Pro
Main Break, Western AustraliaRaw Indian Ocean power.
El Salvador Pro
Punta Roca, La LibertadCentral America's best right point.
Rio Pro
Saquarema, BrazilAirs and adrenaline in front of Brazil's loudest crowd.
J-Bay Open
Jeffreys Bay, South AfricaThe world's best right point, wall after wall.
Tahiti Pro
Teahupo'o, TahitiThe heaviest wave on the planet decides the season's nerve.
Fiji Pro
Cloudbreak, TavaruaLong, flawless reef walls in the South Pacific.
WSL Finals
Lower Trestles, CaliforniaTop five surfers, one day, winner takes the world title.
The leaderboard is coming
The world's best surfers, ranked — alongside your own Lineup career once the game launches. Until then, learn the moves above and start scoring.
Learn the ocean first in the course · every term in the glossary · every venue in the atlas