Do you have trouble understanding surf conditions?
Take control of your surf experience by understanding the basics of surf conditions. Understanding surf conditions will help you surf better waves, have a better time, and become a better surfer!
We will be showing you how to understand surf conditions in 5 basic factors that affect overall conditions; wave size, swell period, wind direction and speed, swell direction, and tide charts!
Wave size
First things first, wave size… if you are an advanced high-performance surfer you will want some size to your waves. Anywhere from 4-12 feet usually suffices for these types of surfers.
However, if you don’t understand the basics of surf conditions you are most likely just starting (which is awesome!) and you may want to stick to waves anywhere from 1-3 feet. Smaller waves appeal to beginners as well as longboarders.
You’ll notice that when waves get big more surfers are out, stick to what you can handle!
Swell Period
The swell period can be a little confusing, but to put it simply it is the amount of time it takes a wave to pass a certain point. The Swell period is often measured by surf forecast companies like Lazy Surfer (us!), Surfline, MagicSeaweed, and Buio.
Now, there are two types of swell periods, short and long. Short period swells mean lower quality waves and last anywhere from 1-9 seconds. Long period swells mean higher quality and more powerful waves, they last anywhere from 10-20 seconds.
Wind direction and speed
Wind direction is one of the wild cards that factor into understanding surf conditions. There are two types of winds that affect surf conditions. One will create the perfect wave for you, one will blow an amazing swell down to nothing.
Offshore Winds: Offshore winds mean that the wind blows off of the shore and towards the ocean. An example of this would be if you were on the west coast, you want a west wind direction so it blows the front end of the wave up for more size and face to the wave.
Onshore Winds: offshore winds mean that the wind blows from the ocean onto shore this ultimately blows the power and shape of the wave down, giving it less power and face, leaving you with a crumbly and weak wave to play in.
Remember, offshore = good. Onshore = bad
Swell direction
Swell direction! Now we know we talked about swell periods earlier, but there is another factor that affects the conditions considering the swell. The direction! Ocean water flows north, south, east, and west. Depending on where you are in the world, certain directions hit better than others.
To paint a clear picture if you are facing south at your break you want a swell coming from the south! If you are facing east you want an east swell!
Tide charts
The tides are tricky! The ocean’s tides change almost daily, they may never be the same but could be similar throughout certain parts of the year. However, tides affect spots differently based on the structure of your break. Some surf spots thrive at high tide, some at low tide, and sometimes mid-tide could be the sweet spot depending on where you surf!
If you are unsure what tide your local spot thrives in, ask a local surf shop, local in the water, or even a lifeguard!
The moon controls the tides! There are two high tides and two low tides every day! The timing of the ultimate high and low points is based on what the moon is doing. Surf report apps like Lazy Surfer take this into account and will let you know the conditions of the tides based on the status of the moon, full moon means that tides will be drastically low and high.
Remember the fuller the moon, the more drastic the tide!
Overall, This is truly all you need to consider when deciding whether or not to go out for a surf! You can watch for these conditions in person or on the Lazy Surfer app. We even help you understand conditions further by logging your session and recommending the wave you would like based on the previous session you logged on our app! Check it out.