Seriously, what a pile of crap. I can't even believe you got paid to write that! Breaks vs spots? I mean if this is something even worth worrying about or considering then there is something wrong with you. I live in the UK and there are many 'spots' that people do not plan surf trips to. There are quite a few 'breaks' that hundreds of thousands of people plan trips to surf such as Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall and Llangenith Beach on the Gower in South Wales. However if you travel up to 20 miles either side of these 'breaks' there are proper waves that these travelling surfers do not surf. Personally I am quite happy that the waves of which I speak are not globally renowned. Are they a break or a spot? I don't give a toss! Neil Newman, Gower, South Wales UK

I agree with Neil. What a pile of poo. You keep your spots Ill keep looking fro breaks. Unknown standout local. Caswell.

I'm from Virginia Beach and we do get decent waves occasionally, but if less people wanna come then its just better for me.

Little Drakes in the Hollister Ranch is definitely a "spot" despite the "little" moniker. I suspect your definitions are just meant to be a guideline and there will be plenty of exceptions to the "rule." But, I have to agree with the first comment: this is pretty trivial mental exercise. Amusing, but not worth much effort. Do you have too much time on your hands?

Trust me i don't want to go to Virgina Beach but this article is horrible spot vs. break come on. There has to be better things to write about. If this guy never wants to surf a break that awesome convince some more of the your stuck up pro surfer wanna be to also.

That's cool, I'll keep surfing my breaks. you can have your crowded spots

What a silly argument. Can't Bassy research something meaningful like whether or not surfers should support the giant £20bn Severn barrage in Britain that could possibly destroy an array of surf spots. Instead of trying to classify and separate surfers, he should be trying to unite them to accomplish good things. Cmon Bassy.

This article shows the exact opposite of what surfings all about. Its not about surfing a "spot" and using that to say your a great surfer, and trying to say that people who surf "breaks" cant even call themselves surfers is just ridiculous. Try going out and surfing to have fun, not just so you can say your a surfer or your better thna other people because you surf a "spot".

"Chances are you don't need my criteria to tell you--you probably already know. " In Bass' defense, it seems like he's admitting the whole debate is a bit foolish in itself. It's funny. Why not try to make distinctions and better understand nuances? The whole thing is in jest anyway...

Lighten the up you guys. Not everything in this world has to have some greater significant meaning. Besides he's the Senior Online Editor (Although he didn’t seem to proof his own very well.) not the Senior Online Writer. lol Maybe there's more to it than you know. Is he asking the people that surf the beach in his picture the question? "Does Your Wave Even Qualify As A Real Surf Spot?" Arguments could be made for either side.

What great fun of trying to describe the status of different places. I will remember this next time I go surfing, at one of "my" breaks, "Little Rincon" at La Conchita. Signed; Six Foot & Glassy (for now in Stockholm)

I beg to differ even though this is a bullshit article. If youve ever been to first st. in Virginia Beach then you would not have made that comment. When its shitty the crew of local guys are sitting on their bikes talking and looking at the waves. Even if it is no good. Not to mention even though it isnt the best of surf spots there is a significant amount of surf history and a great local vibe around there. i.e. If you've ever been to ECSC(east coast surfing championships) that are held annually at first street, again you would have never suggested that it isnt a "surf spot"

What great fun of trying to describe the status of different places. I will remember this next time I go surfing, at one of "my" breaks, "Little Rincon" at La Conchita. Signed; Six Foot & Glassy (for now in Stockholm)

Surf spots are any place that has a wave to ride, whether it be 2ft or 20ft. It's about the ride not the location and being a surfer is more about respect for the wave and each other. Signed, Some surfer

That was great!! I'm glad you got paid for that. You should throw in the list a surf spot is a place that breaks when the larger (6'-10'+ swells) walled up swells don't close out. Regardless of your spot, if you can stand up, your in the surfing club.

Wow !!! Scotty. you just got demolished. I grew up 25 years ago getting shacks solo in front of my house. Now that's a break for ya mate !

Sadly, my local break is a "spot" as defined by kooks from other places stinking up the waves year-round. Destination? Check. No diminutive in front of the name? Check. Famous lobster divers? Uh...nah (WTF??!!). The truth is that these places, though they are sacred to some, have been destroyed forever by becoming a "spot". The rise of a "spot" and demise of an intensely personal place to ride waves is not something worthy of celebrating, in this man's humble opinion.

a surf spot is a spot were you can surf. Period.

I don't think the writer has an opinion on which is better, a break or spot. He is just stating that the "spots" are famous, and the "breaks" are not. I think it's obvious we would all surf wherever it's breaking, and not just paddle out to a spot for the sake of saying we surfed "the spot." If he is saying "spots" are better than "breaks," then I missed his point.

Wow ! So interesting article ! I am stomacked ! What about a subject like this one : pooing before or after your session ? Or pooing while surfing ! I love fighting with ideas and concept, it is so wonderful !

Who cares if it's a break or a spot. Some days the breaks are epic, some days the spots are epic. Enjoy. But don't come here (it's a secret).

Scott Bass, you are a jack-A. First, I don't care if I ride a spot or a break, all I know is it's a great wave 99.9 percent of any W or NW swell. I LOVE secret SPOTS. Also I hope my spot NEVER becomes a spot because I would rather surf a crappy wave by myself and catch 30 waves in 2 hours any day over a crowded "spot" like Blacks, Wind and Sea or uppers/Lowers and catch 4 waves the whole time. 2nd, I did not mind the article too much until the end, when you say, “If your surfing a spot that’s not a spot, can you even call yourself a surfer?" That pissed me off. So according to you, Greg Knoll was not a surfer when he was riding Waimea with a handful of buddies back in the day. I guess Jeff Clark was not a surfer when he surfed Mavericks for 15 years by himself. Since they were not considered surf spots back then, I guess the guys ridding them were not real surfers, according to Scott. Ridiculous. Well I hope you see how stupid you sounded. I hope your surfing is better than you

" I guess Jeff Clark was not a surfer when he surfed Mavericks for 15 years by himself." totally agree, you couldn't have put that better! For the article kind of BS, but at least something different as opposed to kooks vs/ longtime surfahs and articles on dream places that I'll probably never be able to afford ( Teahupoo one day after I win the lottery)… I’ll stick to searching out my own little secret spots that are way out of the way and involve a long drive and/or boat with no tourist facilities; of course I can tolarate the crowds at inlet for a quick session after work since it's only a five minute drive. Tim, Fl

Seriously man. If your gonna shit on all other surfers just because they cant always have the prime spots like your little trust funded ass has probably had all your life can you really call yourself a real surfer. I work all winter just to spend every penny of it driving 45 minutes every day in the summer to OC MD or Assateague MD. And by your pretty boy standards neither of those qualify as a "spot". I'm not calling myself an incredible surfer but I know there are tons of surfers out there just like me, I am however saying that I am more of a surfer than you because i spend all the money I have to go to the only spots i can afford. Your probably that typical guy on every beach who drops in on everyone else yelling at them that its your wave even though you have had 3 waves since they had their last one. Its cocky arrogant surfers like you that are killing the sport. Thanks to all the dedicated surfers who stay true to their home spots where they have been going since they were groms. OC SURF O

Ok I am recovering from melanoma so I have time for such nonsense and forgive me cuz I haven't been out for awhile. Perhaps the most perfect machine grade tube riding "spot" in all of CA for 5 months out of the year has "Little" in front of it. Probably most of you have never suffered there, and if you did get in there, chances are you never got a wave to yourself. It just becomes such a hassle, its so much more fun to go surf some lesser "spot" instead, with maybe "Big" in front of it. Most of you have probably never even seen a picture of the "break", thanks to the respect that the mags have mostly shown over the years. I had a full page color photo of myself at the little "break" published in Surfer mag over 30 years ago. I was setting up for a barrel ride that went all the way across the reef, behind the curtain. You can't really tell from the photo, but I remember I got about 10 feet back behind the opening and never made it all the way

Im shocked and disgusted. As a surfer from Virginia Beach,(wait, according to your standards I am not a 'surfer'!) this article really had my blood pumping. Are you kidding me Scott b.ASS? First off, Im sorry that I am not rich enough to travel to REAL surf spots considering that I am only 19. For now Virginia Beach is good enough for me. It is not crowded and it is the closest beach to home. I agree, it is not always a 10, but it has its days. Secondly, Virginia Beach has culture. I understand that it is not as cultural as the West Coast (where you reside) but we have been holding the East Coast Surfing Championships(ECSC) for the past 46 years. In addition, we have carried on our tradition of The Neptune Festival for 36 years. And what about the polar plunge? We hold this even annually every winter for the special olympics. Look, all I know is that I enjoy the sport, culture, and lifestyle of surfing. Hey, I might not be on your "HIGH CLASS LEVEL", but guess what, EFF YOU DUDE. -Kiley. Fem

This artical was dumb, I read this and was angry, I am a surfer from Virgina beach. On the normal summer day our surf isnt that great I will say, but we had some epic day in the fall of 08. 2 hrs after hurricane hannah we had about 10 ft surf with straight of shoe winds, hurricane kile wich pumped 9 foot surf early Sunday morning, and other storms. We had a crazy 12 ft may swell and our winters are normally good except for the worst winter this year. O and you cant forget the slabs we were getting durring hurricane noel. We also have history hmmm, the ecsc ring a bell. IN 1998 Tom Curren won the pro shortboard. The person who prolly wrote this is some guy from kansas playing video games, and looking at pictures from surfline. Probally hasnt surfed a day in his life. But what ever. I know i am a surfer, i dont need a land locked person from kansas to tell me im not.

"Virginia Beach is a large liquor store with a zip code." Go Bassy! That is epic. If you Virginians take this seriously you should go for a surf - at a real break in Hatteras.

Well Scoot, let's apply the same rule to, let's say, your job for example. We should only consider a person an editor, only if, this person contributes for a major news media of the caliber of The New York Times, Los Angles Times, CNN, etc... The type of media that reaches millions and millions of people every single day, across the border. Your job might have a nice title that sound really good, Online Editor whatever, but come on... Depending on the point of view, you can be mistaken just as a mediocre writer at the best. Put a little more effort and use your one page column to write something more meaningful. It's a monthly magazine, I'm sure you can do it. Aloha Brother.

What a bunch of morons surfers are. Complaining about this article not being relevant-let's see, the average surfer's conversation, right... Direct Quote: "a surf spot is a spot were you can surf. Period." NOW THAT IS WISDOM!!! Cunt insults the editor and his job & then says "Aloha Brother" at the end- What the? Who's brother are you? Typical. Aloha? All the commentary proves surfing truly is gayer than light beer. East Coasters got fired right up... Surfing definitely deserves a spot in the Olympics- right along side Rhythmic Gymnastics and synchronized swimming. Kelly Slater- 10X Gold Medalist in Rhythmic Gymnastics. Surfing is the Britney Spears of the sports world. Always popular and making a comeback, yet always the same shit. Bottom turn. Cut back. Repeat. It's funny all the tough guys talking like where they live is the best. NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU MAN. "My country-and me-are THE BEST, DUDE." Opinion: Surfing - Differe

Whether someone chooses to surf at a "surf spot" or a "break" it really doesn't matter. The essence of surfing is to have fun, not to distinguish one set of waves at one location to another at a different location. There is also no criteria to say whether or not someone is a "surfer". A "surfer" is someone who surfs. You don't know what you're talking about and your article shows how ignorant and disconnected with the meaning of surfing you are. You're probably not a local at any beach and understand nothing about why locals find their "spot" or "break" so special. Grab a board, paddle out, and stop writing articles out of your posterior.

Hahhaha. I laughed when I read this. It's great. I bet my home "break" doesn't even qualify as a break. Scott's taken a p1ss out on all of you and gotten away with it because you took him seriously. Lighten up. I'll take uncrowded unknown waves over any legendary spot on earth any time. I don't need the hassle of drop-ins, snakes, and punch outs -- I'm thinking on the waves.

When I first heard the quote "Virginia Beach has a surf cam, but it is not a spot. No sir, Virginia Beach is a large liquor store with a zip code." I (and my family and friends who do surf) loved it. It's hilarious. However, this article is crap. I agree with everyone else that its not about where you surf. No, I do not surf. I do have a deep love of the beach and the ocean, though, and wish I had taken the time to learn because that is where my heart is. I will take my sister's other board out and sit behind everyone and take photo's. Virginia Beach does not have culture? One of the reasons I love my hometown so much is because us locals (whether we were born and raised here or not) can see and cherish how special our area is, and we warmly welcome anyone to come and join us.