Surfing the Wave

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You've probably read your fair share of surf guides by now and have seen the writers sometimes go on like, "There's always a majestic left-hander on the North shore of Indonesia or a magnificent A-frame on that beach in Costa Rica." Before you start questioning the relevance of a left hand to surfing or making a connection between an A-frame and surf photography, let us tell you that they refer to waves or, more specifically, they refer to how waves break.

Surfing waves is not only about paddling out and popping up on a wave of your liking. It also entails knowing how waves form and break. Then, you start reading the waves, be it from the safe distance of the shore or in dangerous proximity to the wave lip; no matter where you are, reading a wave is quite an ability.

It might not be easy to achieve; it might require you to sit tight for your next surf session and study the ocean. However, in the end, it's one of the most valuable surf lessons you can take. Here, we will provide you with all you need to know about how to read waves.

How Does a Wave Break?

Waves are mostly formed from the interplay of the gravitational forces of our planet, the moon, and the sun, and the sheer power of wind. Once they form, they start their journey from their point of origin to a certain shore.

During this journey, their power multiplies as they draw water from the bottom of the ocean and carry it to its top. The more they travel, the bigger they get, and they only hit a number of shores in certain seasons. That's why big wave surfers travel around the world more than anybody.

However, once a wave is near a shore, the water it can draw power from decreases because the ocean floor gets steeper. That loss of power causes the wave to break.

Waves don't always break in the same way either; some spill, some plunge, and some simply crush into themselves. We already covered the technical aspect of how a wave breaks, so now we're going to cover the types of breaks based on their distinctions from the surfer's point of view. In the end, you’ll know what kind of a ride you’re in for once you see a wave on the horizon.

Types of Breaking Waves

Breaking waves can be categorized based on many things. Wave heights or how they look in general might affect your particular classification if you ever attempt to do it. However, we're only going to focus on the POV of the surfer riding that wave.

Based on that criterion, there are four main types of breaking waves:

• Left-hander: For the surfer riding the wave, a left-hander will start breaking from the right and continue to break towards the left. So, the surfer can ride to their left.
• Right-hander: The right-hander is the symmetrical opposite of the left-hander: it will start breaking from the surfer's left and towards the right. The "right" and "left" are determined as the surfer rides the wave and not as they watch it from the shore.
• A-frame: An A-frame is when a wave breaks right through the midsection. Both sides of it will be equally surfable. Because of that, unlike a left or right-hander, an A-frame can accommodate two surfers at once.
• Closeout: It's the type of breaking wave that just crashes unto itself. Once it starts breaking, there's no chance for you to surf it. If you're already on it, you're going to get wiped unless you can pull off a miracle.

What Are the Different Parts of a Breaking Wave?

If you’ve visited some surf camps as a beginner and heard the way surf instructors talk, you probably know by now that there's more to wave talk than just trough and crest. As a matter of fact, trough and crest aren't even part of the wave talk. Here at OMBE, we mostly shout instructions like, "Stick to the wave pocket" or "Stay away from the shoulder."

So, what are these? Well, let's see how many parts a breaking wave has and what they are:

• Peak: This one's fairly easy. It's the highest point of the wave, and it's where it starts breaking.
• Lip: As the wave continues breaking, its peak also changes. The lip is the area between the peak and breaking parts. It's not broken yet, but it's surely getting ready to break. Therefore, there's a lot of power ready to let loose there.
• Whitewater: The broken parts of the wave create a white foam. It's devoid of any power and ideal for beginners to learn the basics of surfing.
• Impact zone: The impact zone is where the newly-broken parts of the wave meet the ocean's surface. In other words, it's where the power of the wave explodes. You need to stay away from those zones as they mean immediate wipeout.
• Shoulder: The shoulder of a wave is its farthest spot from the breaking part. It doesn't have much power and is quite peaceful considering all that is going on in the parts. Surf starts from the lip and towards the shoulder, but the shoulder is never the ultimate destination.
• Pocket: The pocket of a breaking wave is the steep part between its bottom and peak. It's where an experienced surfer spins and shows off. A great advanced surfer might not even leave the pocket during their whole ride.
• Tube (Barrel): Tube is the cylindrical zone the breaking part of the wave creates inside. Not all the waves will have a tube; that honor is limited to plunging waves. But when they do, it's a sight to see and an opportunity to cherish for pro surfers because that's the ultimate trick in surfing.

How to Read Breaking Waves

Knowing all the surfing terms above will not make you an accomplished wave-reader. When experienced surfers visit new surf spots, they just sit on the beach and observe the waves first. They don’t limit themselves to waves that approach the shore either but monitor the waves forming on the horizon as well. That's also why local surfers sometimes just seemingly paddle out towards a lump: they know where the best waves will form and break.

How can you be like them? How can you compete with them?

1. You're sitting on your board, waiting to paddle but can't decide where? Look for a lump that's about to become a wave and identify its peak. As we said before, the peak is where it's going to start breaking from.
2. See if there's an angle to the wave by comparing it to the skyline. The more angled side points to the direction it will break. It means that you're going to surf towards that side.
3. If there's no visible angle, it means that the wave will probably just close out. But there's no certainty to this piece of wisdom. You can always try your chances, learn from experience, and gain better knowledge of waves through practice.

Of course, once you can identify the peak of a wave, your job is not done. You’ll have to go and catch it before somebody else does. Otherwise, what's the point of only being able to read it?

How to Catch a Wave Before It Breaks

After you identify the peak and the direction it will break, you need to act fast and paddle towards the wave. If you don't act fast, the possibility that a fellow surfer will pick up on it and act faster than you is quite high. In the case that happens, we need to remind you about surfing etiquette (even though there might be no need for it in your individual case): never drop in on a wave someone else beat you to.

However, that's not really the reason you need to paddle fast. If you delay it, you might miss the break. Therefore, paddle as fast as you can, reach the peak, identify your takeoff angle and position, turn around, and take off.

You couldn't make it to the peak? You still need not worry. There is enough power in the pocket to let you take off and have a good ride. As long as you get your takeoff angle and timing right (which means popping up as soon as you feel the lift of the wave at the tail of your board, or simply, the Oreo Biscuit), you'll be alright. Just don't stay inside the peak for too long or paddle off toward the shoulder, thinking you might do better there.

Here we may as well teach you a trick you can use when catching a wave.

The angle of the line that goes from the peak to the shoulder of a wave also indicates how fast it's going to be. A steep angle means the wave will break more gently. A straight angle means that it will be a fast one. If the wave is an A-frame, you can compare its two sides and pick your direction based on the angle depending on your skills or wants.

Wrapping Up...

Identifying where and how a wave will break is definitely going to improve your wave-reading abilities. In the end, you'll be catching more waves, and the waves you'll ride will be more in line with your needs and wants.

Yet, it's only a small part of the bigger picture. If you're looking for more efficiency from your surf sessions, you also need to keep an eye on surf forecast reports, understand the power zones of waves, and learn to manage your fear in the face of big waves rolling your way.

If you want to have a firmer grip of the ocean and a better understanding of the waves, we can refer you to our Waterman program. If you want to increase your wave count, our Catch More Waves program will make catching waves as easy as catching a bus.

 Until next time!