I recently watched a video of some surfer getting a good beating at a famous break in Bali.
This write up is not about who's fault it is when rage irrupts at the beach or in the water.
There are many instances where local surfers attack outsiders with and without reason and there are also many instances where outsiders go to a surf spot and totally disregard the surfing etiquette infuriating the local surfers as a result.
The fact is that good surf breaks are generally scarce. Which means that it is normal for some friction to appear when many people gather at a single spot with the idea to surf the same wave.
It is a common knowledge that if you are an intermediate surfer you will most probably not be allowed to surf the best / most well known surf breaks in the world.
Downwind paddling is a stark contrast to that. If you think about some of the best downwind destinations in the world you will typically find a local community keen to welcome you to their local downwind run and show you around.
Of course, someone could make a very good argument that there are millions of surfers and only a few thousand downwind paddlers and for that reason people don't rage against each other in downwind as it often happens in surfing.
I would argue that even if millions start paddling the rage is less likely to emerge as the people who do downwind seem to be more mellow and far less driven by status and show off culture.
(Note: as I write this, I realise that one place where rage could appear is at parking lot/ slipway, entry/ exit access points)
Most of the downwind paddlers I know do it because they want to surf a few waves and just be on water doing what they love.