SURF TERMS THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW OR UNDERSTAND Surfers have our their lingo and it can be pretty confusing for non-surfers or even the most experienced wave riders. I often have people in the shop asking me to explain some of the more fundamental surf lingo. Here are surf terms I’ve defined: What is a wind swell? And what is a ground swell? You often hear people at the beach referring to wind swell and ground swell and saying things like “Hmm, the waves are a bit bumpy and weak. Looks like we only have a bit...

The Making of the Waimea Bay River Break 📷 @vwhonolulu Most of us here in Hawaii have seen footage of the standing wave at Waimea Bay, which forms when the river flows out of Waimea Valley and breaks through the beach. Have you ever wondered when and how that standing wave forms, or how long it lasts? We did some research into the formation of the “Waimea River Break,” and what we found out was actually pretty unsurprising. First of all, Waimea Bay is one of the biggest waves on the North Shore—this isn’t really news to anyone. Over the...

BACK-FOOTED VS. FRONT-FOOTED SURFING 📷 @adam.eyes 🏄‍♂️@bourezmichel If you talk to enough people about surfing, you are bound to hear the terms “back-footed surfer” and “front-footed surfer”. While these terms are self-explanatory, there is a lot more riding on them than their simple definitions. Different surfboards and different styles of surfing work better with front and back-footed surfing, so it’s worthwhile taking a closer look at the two approaches. Prior to the invention of the thruster, most surfboards being ridden were single fins and twins. Most of them were voluminous with the widest points of the surfboard farther forward than midpoint. While...

  When it comes time to buy a leash, there are a lot of options available to you—not just in brands, but also in sizes and styles. What you buy depends on what type of waves and board you are riding. Too short of a leash can snap your board back at you dangerously. Too thin might end up breaking. But too big of a leash will create the unwanted drag, slowing you down while paddling and riding waves. In general, when riding smaller waves, try to use a leash that is roughly the same length as your board. Remember...

  It might seem like the simplest of questions, but the reality is that many surfers don’t actually know where their waves come from. And little wonder. In an age of computer-guided swell models and customized spot forecasts, it’s easy to live from surf reports to surf reports rather than understanding the science ourselves. But 20 years ago the idea of an online swell model didn’t even exist, and 20 years before that the only surf reports in existence were word of mouth from the guy who got to the beach earlier than you. Go back a couple of hundred...