Surfers want perfect waves; right here, right now. But, do they pay enough attention to the line-up before paddling out?
As adrenaline junkies, surfers often let their emotions flow freely: waves are pumping, and there's no time to lose. We put our wetsuit on in one minute and wax up our board in 30 seconds.The truth is we could have improved our surf session enormously if we had spent a few minutes analyzing the ocean. And there's so much to see:
1. Moon and tide. Do you know how the moon affects tides, or how tide times affect your surf?
2. Power and direction of the currents. Pay attention to the water movements along the shoreline. It will influence your paddling and line-up positioning.
3. Ocean floor. Are waves breaking over a sand bank or reef? Are there rocks nearby?
4. Wind and swell direction. Feel the power and direction of the wind and work out how it is influencing the incoming swell period.
5. Identify wave peaks. Check if there's a main take-off spot, or if there are any good, less-crowded alternatives.
6. Spot the channels. Try to find currents that will help you return to the line-up after finishing a long ride.
The surf book "Secrets to Progressive Surfing," by Didier Piter, intelligently proposes "The Rule of 3," in which one evaluates wave size, then allows for three minutes of observation per foot. Example:
3 feet = 9 minutes observation before paddling out
10 feet = 30 minutes observation before paddling out
20 feet = 1 hour observation before paddling out
