big waves 1-27-12

you guys are making this more difficult than it really is. When you wear a wet wetsuit, that junk is heavy. When you get your sh*t packed when it's cold, it flushes, and that sucks. Therefore, you have this mental battle of not flushing, but your duck dives and drop in's suffer because you are too heavy, and you get pounded even worse. Also, I have found that most good days in the winter have stiff off shore winds, so wave faces are steeper and more water is moving around in the impact zone (rips, whirl pools, etc). You also don't get the chance to ease into a wave in those stiff offshores, so you end up going for broke on every wave, which often translates to eating more sh*t. (or getting deeper!!)

Put it all together now... it's cold, and you are heavy. Cold off shores are holwing making for vertical drops. You blow a drop because you are too heavy and slow and now you are stuck inside. The next wave comes, just as vertical, just as cold, and just as heavy. You are scrambling to get some momentum going, while catching your breath, and you throw down a half ass duck dive. Stop, repeat, make the walk of shame, try to blame it on science.

Oh, and I think that the CR logic sucks because I took the worst wipeout of my life in costa rica. Water in costa rica can feel "soft" to the touch because of the high salt content. Go ride anything over head high in Playa hermosa and come talk to me about the waves being soft.

 

Exactly. It "feels" heavier to some folks in the winter because it's colder and the conditions are probably a bit more difficult, which translates into getting worked. Personally, I find summer conditions to be more dicey, simply because I have to navigate around 50 other people in the water as opposed to zero, and I take more chances on late drops in the summer because the number of waves that I'll be able to paddle for without competition are limited. Translation: I get worked a bit more often in warm water.

Also, I don't feel like anybody is "blaming" anything on science -- just sounds like they're making observations.

 

I didn't really mean 'heavy' by the period of the swell. I meant that hurricane waves definitely seem easier to surf than pumping hollow winter freight trains. I'm not even that good of a surfer but I can pull off some nice turns in hurricane surf with light wind. Winter waves are much more difficult for me to surf (with the rubber, the blind drops, hollow waves, steepness, etc.). That's just my take and maybe 'heavy' wasn't the best way to describe it.

Now, I'm not including the rare hurricane surf with really strong offshores.

 

The longer period ground swells have larger faces combined with an overall thicker wave form. Which is why it could be considered " easier" than steeper medium period windswells.

 

pretty much what i said but with more words. all in the brain brahs, yo head gets numb and then you think, "yo man this **** is heavy"

 

I also Missed last Fridays swell cause I work a 3-11pm shift as well! I prefer the Winter swells like the ones we have had this month to Hurricane swells! Mostyl cause there isnt any hype surronding them. Hurricane swells are so hyped and when they occur during the summer months like august its a real bummer cause every one wants to surf and many people out there makes for a more dangerous and less fun filled session for me then you have the guards to deal with etc. etc. but the winter time wind swells do get heavy at certain beaches! and they seem to be more lined up when we get a S or a N swell two Canes sessions ago was very active and we got hit with many E swell canes and although there are many beaches that handle an e swell nice with the summer crowds on them It was a tough call to make for me surf some closeout bombs or surf some nice lefts with an overcrowded lineup and deal with a bunch of overly amped benny/shoobies looking to tell their friends thwey surfed in a hurricane..
Anyway I am thankful for the Winter windswell they are my favorite for sure!! Better surfers in the lineup usually a more chill vibe! and if it gets aggro I can just go somewhere else!

 

Good point about Playa Hermosa. I also got seriously worked there after my leash snapped in big waves. I got punched way down and luckily saw a blue spot shot for it and made it. that place is a heavy wave. I'm glad I'm alive from that experience. Yes the density feels different from our east coast water. But I will say its a different kind of heavy from that of Sonoma County.

 

anyone know if the salinity of the water changes in the winter vs summer? this could make a major difference. more salt = more float/less time under water/ easier paddling / easier catching waves

 

Although salinity does influence density, there's more of an effect on water density from temperature than salinity. I may have mentioned this before... studies of rocky coastlines with similar geomorphology, swell energy, and rock type have shown greater erosion rates in colder water than warmer water. Scientists believe temperature plays a significant role in the energy of a breaking wave... increased density means more energy from the same sized wave.

Salinity does fluctuate along the shoreline, but it has more to do with tidal fluctuations, runoff and seepage than temperature. Heavy rains lower salinity as that water makes its way into the surf zone and is flushed out with the outgoing tide.

 

I would have to agree with the Wetsuit Logic... but something else that was not mentioned- what do you guys think about the sand in the waves right after the cleanup and offshore winds- you know, when the waves are that chocolate brown color after a nor'easter? I'm not sure if its actually sand or not, but it feels like the water is heavier...once again- could be the winter/wetsuit logic too...

I also had the worst wipeout of my life in Hermosa- pinned to the bottom for sometime, then not knowing which was was up- then did the leash climb...

 

Don't forget to factor in bathymetry; Playa Hermosa is a dumpy beach break. On reef breaks if you can get under the lip after a fall you're generally OK.

 

I was at Hermosa last year in May during one of the first decent south swells, and it was probably 8 ft and closing out, no one out. Getting outside looked doable, but it seemed like it was just death to be able to make a wave.

 

great information, thanks lbcrew