So you want to learn to surf? Then you’ve got to learn how to read a surf report. Did you know it’s important to be able to read a surf report to help you find the best and the most surf-able waves? A surf report is easily found on the World Wide Web. It will tell you everything you need to know about the waves in your area including the tide, wind direction, wave height and swell direction.
As a surfer, the question you’ll be asking most is, “How big are the waves today?” Well, now you’ll be able to check a surf report and find out for yourself.
Swell Height and Swell Period
“Swell Height” is the height of the waves and a “Swell Period” means the time it takes for a wave to pass through a certain point. For example, a 2 feet wave for 5 seconds versus a 2 feet wave for 15 seconds. The latter is a wave travelling for a longer period of time and would be a more powerful wave. The longer the time, the more powerful the wave. For example, an 8 feet wave at +/-15 seconds would be really huge!
Swell Direction
This basically means the direction from which the wave is coming from and how it will hit your area. There are some places in the world where the waves could come from any direction, making it a great surf spot all year around.
Wind Direction
The best time to surf can be when there is no wind, (location dependent – some locations wind is your friend!). Finding a situation that is completely windless might be a little too hard though, so don’t worry if there is a little bit of wind. There are two types of wind; the on-shore wind and the off-shore wind. While on-shore winds might break up the swells and cause smaller waves, off-shore winds create very smooth waves in the barrel shape.
Tide
Some surf spots are better at high tide and some do better at low tide. There are two low tides and two high tides every day.
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