Waves & Conditions

Types of Waves

Surfing is unique in that the arena is never the same from one day to the next.  A spot where nice, mellow waves are gently peeling shoreward one day can jack up into a heaving, surging mess the next.  Its part of the thrill of surfing and it means you can never get bored, but you need to know what’s going on and what to expect from what you are looking at.  You must be aware of changing tides and currents, so always take a moment to assess the conditions before paddling out.

There are three main types of breaks

Beachbreaks break over sand.  They tend to be more irregular than other types of break, and the peaks shift around more making paddle outs sometimes traumatic, but waves on beachbreaks are usually slower and come with the fewest hazards so are the place for beginners.
Pointbreaks occur where the headland juts out, creating a bend in the coast for waves to peel around.  Waves curl around the point, peeling off regularly making them perfect for confident surfers.   Paddle outs are easier as the waves are more predictable, but as the waves break over rock, pointbreaks are not the place for beginners.
Reefbreaks break over patches of rock or coral, and are demanding.  Due to solid bottom contours, reefbreaks are consistent, are often shallow and dangerous, and can be spectacular.  Possibly the most famous reefbreak is the magnificent Pipeline in Hawaii which breaks over lethally shallow, sometimes bare coral.  If you miss your take-off, you can be flung straight onto bare, needle sharp reef just before half the ocean unloads on your head.  Beginners should avoid reefbreaks.
Bottom contours are the launching pad for swells to become waves, and bottom gradient plays a key role in the way waves break (for more information see Anatomy of a Wave).
Hollow waves are made when swell comes straight out of deep water and meets a shallow sandbar or reef.  The waves are not slowed down by friction with the ocean floor so smack hard, upward and forward, and are therefore faster and more powerful so you need to be confident and skilled to catch them.  Hollow waves provide the perfect playground for experienced surfers, but not for beginners.
Fat / Mushy waves are perfect for beginners.  A gradual bottom contour introduces the swell gently to the shore, which produces softer and more forgiving waves.
Reforms break over rock, reef or a sandbar out in the sea, then back off into unbroken swell as they pass through deep water and then break again closer to shore. Reforms occur when a deeper trench connects two shallower sandbars or reefs.

Double-ups are when two different swells come together to form a thicker, steeper breaking wave closer to shore. Waimea Bay’s shorebreak is a great example of a nasty double-up.

Closeouts are unsurfable waves that break all at once.    There is no open wave face, just a big explosion of whitewater so there is nowhere to surf.  Closeouts can happen when a sandbar has moved and the wave is breaking all at once, and when the surf gets too big for where it’s breaking it and overwhelms the break.  Can be pretty scary if you’re sitting out the back trying to work out how you’ll get in.

Currents

The bigger the surf, the more water moving about and the stronger the currents. You will usually encounter two types:
Longshore currents move parallel to the shore.  If you paddle out at one end of the beach, turn round and you’re halfway toward the other end you have been moved by a sneaky longshore current.  They are usually just annoying (and exhausting if you plan on staying in one place) but if you’re close to rocks or a pier they can be dangerous.  Make sure you pay attention to where you’re moving – it’s easy to get disoriented in the water so keep an eye on landmarks on the shore.  If you get too close to something hard, get out of the water and walk back.
Rip currents are common and are an asset to the informed and a serious threat to the unwary, so make sure you’re in the first group.  As waves wash up onto the shore, the water has to retreat somehow and will sometimes form funnels, creating fast moving channels of deeper water heading straight out to sea.  This can be a godsend if that’s the direction you want to go – that is, when you’re paddling out, but you don’t want to get caught in a rip accidentally, and certainly not when you’re exhausted and trying to get to shore.
Rips are easy to recognise – they form where no waves are breaking, and you can often see lines of water and foam moving seawards.  If you find yourself in a rip, don’t try to swim against it, it’s impossible.  The most important thing is not to panic, as you have to go against your instincts and paddle parallel to the shore.  You should soon find that you are out of the current and able to swim in.
If you are too tired and can’t get back to shore, stay with your board and signal for help.

TIDES

Tides affect how waves break, and are created by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the earth.  Very generally speaking, waves tend to be steeper during low tide, and fuller and slower at high tide, but each break has characteristics of its own and works best at different points in the tidal cycle.  High tide sometimes causes backwash, when waves bounce off the shore and back out to sea.  This can affect the waves breaking, and is more obvious during really full tides.