Catch your best wave!
It is very important to choose the right spot for surfing in order to get the best results. There are many programs and websites where surfers look at different weather data in order to choose the moment when the ideal conditions for surfing will be. Researching conditions and preparing is very important if you want to catch that perfect wave. Before choosing your next surfing spot, check out our Surfing Locations Guide and other Surfing Resources.
Here are some of resources and sites that are most often used by surfers.
When choosing a surfing spot it is very important to understand tides and it’s directions. Tide is the periodic rise and fall of the waters (measured vertically) of the ocean and it’s inlets or big lakes. Each spot is very capricious and individual, certain waves are suitable for each surfer. It all depends on the tides, there are applications through which surfers watch when a new fresh tide arrives.
Here are some of the most popular resources:
This site is offered to you by Brainware LLC. It displays the tide forecast for any location in the world. This is done using a worldwide tidal component dataset. In addition, tide station data is used for coastal regions.
Surfers use this program to see how much water will be on the spot because they know that some spot for example works on incoming water and at a depth of 1.5 to 1.7 meters so they come to these spots when conditions and amount of water are suitable.
Website that provides surf forecast and reports for over 7000 best surfing locations in the world. Windsurfers and kitesurfers use this program as well. With wave charts, wind charts and an individual notification system for surfing and wind by e-mail this is one of the most extensive surfing resources on the web. You can also check live beach cameras, wind forecast and local wave finder before surfing.
Surfers use this program when they want to see when a fresh swell arrives, there is a wave size in feet or meters and you can check wind direction as well. If the wind is strong, then surfers understand that the new forecast will be “blown out” and there is no point in riding because there will be a lot of wind. They also look at the number of periods between sets, this is indicated in seconds, the higher the period, the better the waves will be and the direction of the converged, from which side the waves come from the north, from the south, from the northeast, etc., this is also very important because that there are some spots that work in a certain direction, but do not work in a different direction. In these programs, you can find a specific spot that interests you and study all the indicators.
This is the oldest, most popular and most detailed free long term surf forecast on the net. Whether you are a professional surfer, traveler or just a big waves fan, with a little effort, you can use their tools to find more of the right waves around the world.
This program is very important for watersports. Majority of surfers always use this site. Thanks to this program, you can find the spot that interests you and see how much power and reduction will be. If the power is less than 200, for example, this’s mean that these will be waves that will not push and the pleasure from such surfing will be small. You will have a lot of effort but you will not be able to make any maneuvers. But when the power goes above 500 or up to 1.000 – 1.200 then the waves will be very cool, they can be small, but they will push and they will be “dense and solid” meaning you can ride those waves and work out your tricks. On this site you can also see the direction of the swell, wind data, as well as the wave size and period between waves.
Usually, when surfers go to a spot they examine all three of these data sources. Then they decide whether this spot suits them or not, it makes sense to go somewhere the next day or in a week or not.
Source: I Tsaryuk >
If you are just starting your surfing journey, make sure you check our Surfing Tutorials section for step by step guides, hacks, tips and tricks from seasoned professional surfers.
If you are interested in learning more about surfing history, check out this article about one of the most important people in history of surfing: Surfing History – Duke Kahanamoku
Enjoy surfing, we hope these services will help you catch your perfect wave. If you know other resources for surfers share them with others in comments.
One Comment
Surf Forecast is one of the best, my surfer friends often use it.