As a surfer who grew up in one of the most competitive surfing environments in the world, and who has traveled to chase waves from all over. I’ve seen every type of wave a surfer can ride, lets’s talk about the differences in surfing waves today.
”I’ve always thought surfing is a reflection of who you are”
Kelly Slater
- Right and left waves
- Closeouts or closeout waves
- Full waves
- Sucky, shallow waves
- Reforming waves through a rip or deep spot
- Choppy waves
- Glassy waves
- Off-shore wind waves
- Onshore wind waves
- Shorey waves or mostly called shories (waves that break on the shore)
As a general rule, no two surfing waves are the same, they are as individual as you are. However, the different types of surf waves can be categorized depending on these specific factors.
What type of surf break are you surfing at? Sand break, reef break, rocky break, off the point (near a headland) etc
What tide is it? And what is the tide doing? Usually, a low tide means the waves will close faster, be thinner and more likely to close out. High tide usually means the waves will be full, less likely to break, harder to paddle onto.
If the tide is high and starting to go down, this usually means the surf will become smaller as the tide goes out.
If the tide is low now and starting to come in, this usually means the surf should get a little larger as the tide comes in and fuller too.
What direction is the swell coming from? Let’s say you are surfing at the south end of a beach and the swell is coming from the north. This usually means the surf will start to close out more often.
If the swell is coming from the south and you are at the south end, the swell should wrap around the headland and usually give you better waves to surf.
What direction the wind is coming from? If the wind is blowing directly into the face of the waves, this is called an off-shore wind (which is ideal).
Imagine you’re at a reef break, the swell is wrapping around the headland, the tide is low and coming in. And the wind is offshore. These would be ideal surfing conditions for waves, depending on how big the surf is of course.
How big is the swell? Depending on what type of surf break you are surfing at and what size swell your surf break can handle, will depend on what size surf would be ideal for your chosen surf break.
For instance, most beach breaks with sand banks struggle to handle swell that’s over 6 foot on average. Many beach breaks can handle larger, so keep in mind this is just a guide. When the swell is too big, most beach breaks will just become one big sucky closeout.
This is why many beginner surfers who learned how to surf on a beach break, want to move or travel to a big reef break after they become an intermediate surfer. Reef breaks can usually handle surf that’s 6 foot plus easily.
Difference Between Surfing Waves And Surf Breaks – From a Surfer
I’ve noticed amongst many other websites, they confuse ”surf waves” with ”surf breaks”, obviously because they are written by marketers who have never surfed in their lives. So, I wanted to explain the difference here.
Surf Waves
Surfing waves (what I explained above) are how the wave is shaped, wind direction, tide level, swell direction, bank type, are all of the factors that determine the different types of waves people can surf.
Surf Breaks
Surf breaks are the specific locations that the waves that people surf, break. For instance: My home surf breaks are ”Little Avalon” and ”north narabeen” and copious amounts of different surfing waves can be found at these locations.
Hopefully that clears it up, I found it quite annoying that many other surfing websites didn’t know the difference.
What Are The Best Types Of Waves For Surfing?
The best types of waves to surf (in my opinion) are around 6 foot in size. This size is not so small that it’s difficult to get speed and not too large that it’s dangerous. I’d prefer a reef break, that is relatively far from shore. This should allow for a longer ride.
I’m goofy footed, which means that in general (not always) but most goofy footers prefer to catch left hander waves. This means that I’d be facing the wave when I bottom turn, this allows me to see everything the wave is doing.
A sweet offshore wind that is blowing directly at the face of the left hander wave at around a 45 degree angle. This should help to open up the barrels, not that I would like the wave to be that sucky and at that low of a tide.
And finally, this is the most important one. I’d like to be out in the surf with only a few close friends of mine. No one else. Did you know a crowded surf spot is the worst thing ever. The last thing you want, is to battle with other surfers over a tiny take off spot.
For the rest of you who might be reading this…
Depends on your level of surfing ability of course. A grommet surfer who is quite new, probably wouldn’t enjoy being out in the surf on a very large swell day.
If you are a relatively new beginner surfer, it could be unsafe for you to paddle out in surf that’s over 3 foot in size.
On the other hand, if you are starting to get to intermediate level, you would start to feel the need for larger waves, so you can test your skills.
Different Types Of Surfing Breaks – Advice From a Real Surfer
- Beach breaks
- Reef breaks
- Point breaks
- Rivermouth breaks
There are four types of surf breaks: Beach breaks, reef breaks, point breaks and river breaks. As a general rule, the ”break” is determined by the bank that’s under the water, because this bank is the main indicator as to how the surf wave will evolve above the water.