Surfing waves
The most important things in surfing are the waves. You can have the skills and the gear; if there are no surfing waves and the sea is calm they are useless. Luckily enough there are several beaches all around the world where surfing waves are not in short supply. Some of the most well known beaches for surfing are the beaches from Australia, the Beaches from Hawaii and California, the beaches from South Africa, Bali, Spain and Peru.
Of course there are other well known places among surf lovers, but one thing they all have in common is the existence of surfing waves which can range from 6 feet to 15 feet. The swell is also important for surfers as well as the wind direction, the bottom of the ocean and the beach itself. A swell appears when the wind blows over a large area of open water. The stronger and lengthier the wind, the bigger the size of the swell is and the bigger the swell the better for surfing.
The increasing popularity of surfing expanded the necessity of learning how to "read" the weather and how to learn what kind of surfing waves are out there, how accessible or how dangerous. Professional and advanced surfers will know more about waves and their types, but for the beginner surfers or the ones who just want to have an idea about surfing and try something new, the waves and their types are not such a big deal. Waves are divided according to their intensity and they can be slow, medium or fast, and they are also classified according to their shape and they can be round, square or almond shaped. For the persons who have nothing to do with surf all the waves appear almost the same, some of them taller than others and some of them coming with more speed than others. For successful surfers knowing as much as possible about the waves is essential. The more a surfer knows about surfing waves, the quicker he will adapt to new conditions and improve his surfing technique.
Surf spots
Some of the surfing spots are natural, some of them were developed by men to develop tourism and encourage surfers to try new places. Thus they created the artificial reefs and the sand bars. However the artificial reefs are not always successful in creating good surfing waves. This is why beaches where surfing waves are created naturally are usually over crowded. When a swell comes toward the shore it transforms into a wave and then the wave will start break. The type of wave depends on the type of swell, the wind direction, and the bottom of the water. The best surfing waves are created by groundswells. In terms of the wind direction the best wind is the offshore wind because it blows against the crest part of the wave. Also rocky beaches and points help making better waves for surfing.
As a surfer you already know that each wave you ride is different than the one before. This is one of the things that make surfing a unique activity and an addictive one in the same time. Since surfing is a way of life for some being able to surf with one type of board or with nay type of surf board can say a lot about the surfer and his surfing skills. It is generally considered that surfers who use the shortboard execute strong and rapid movements, while surfers who like to use the longboard are more relaxed and the maneuvers are not so demanding.
Reef
Because of the ways of dealing with a certain type of board it is important to recognize the three main types of waves. These are the Beach break, the Point break and the Reef break. The beach break waves are perfect for beginners and people who want to exercise, gain more confidence and improve their skills. The Point break waves are the waves that hit a rocky point of the coast and the Reef break waves are the waves that break over a coral reef, an artificial reef or a rock ocean floor.
There are other types of surfing waves and other kinds of classifications. However if you do not plan to start predicting your own surf weathercast, you do not have to worry about not knowing all the waves, all their types and names and all the terms related to them. There are several websites that can show you the best spots for surfing, the wind speed, the swell size and the length of the wave ride, so all that you need to do is get out there and start surfing.
