surfing jargon

I can't help you on "backdoor," but "pipe" refers to the shape of the wave. It's sometimes called a "tube" as well.

2 miles out is 2 miles away


which isn't really that far to be able to see on the water - you wouldn't be able to see exact details of the wave at that point, but you'd be able to see the edge of the wave moving along

Gnarly is good, so is broly. I've never of sisly.

The 'backdoor' likely refers to Backdoor, which is a surfing area on Hawaii's North Shore. Here's a link to a death that occurred there last winter, I think.

http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/article.cfm?id=1353

Let me explain what the "Backdoor" is:

Rideable waves either break left, right, or split peak.

A left break occurs when a surfer catches a wave, and the wave's direction directs the surfer to ride the wave to his left. From the beach, the surfer is going left-to-right.

A right break is exactly opposite of the above, in which the surfer is riding the wave towards his right.

A split peak occurs when a wave breaks in the center and giving 2 rideable directions.

Different conditions cause waves to break the way they do, but in most cases the prime factor is the ocean floor beneath where the waves are breaking. Ocean currents are constantly shifting the contour of the bottom, thus changing the way (and direction) that the waves break.

The Banzai Pipeline, aka "the Pipe" or just simply "Pipe" is a usually a left-breaking wave. Most videos of surfers riding the pipe show them riding towards their left.

On occasion, the conditions change and Pipe will break right. When this happens, the wave is known as "Backdoor" because it's as if the surfer is riding out the back door of the wave that almost always breaks left.
When the bottoms shifts and the wave starts breaking left , it's known once again as the Pipeline

Hey, Surfdog. Glad you showed up to answer that. I was thinking of dragging Moondoggy out of retirement.