Stiff Offshores vs. Light Onshore Wind Conditions

Up here, wind can really make or break a good swell. A mild side/offshore or straight offshore up to maybe 15mph is perfect because it grooms nice but doesn’t hold you up and seems to let the waves stay A frame longer so you can build some speed. Glassy is perfect with a decent long period swell because a 2’ wave at 10-12 seconds means stomach to chest high peelers forever at the beach.
To me, a 3-4’ 8-10second with 5-10mph offshore on an incoming tide is absolute perfection here. A lot of the pics I post are around those bases.
Now surfing Gilgo last week with a good 10-15mph offshore mixed in with some very punchy and fast surprise swells was intense - I don’t know how much of that was wind or just the swell and sandbar working - just my lack of experience there - but it was really fun. One of the times I wish I had the Roberts but probably glad I didn’t...later

 

I was going to respond and realized this is nearly 7 years old.

I still feel the same way

 

Haha good one

Well if we are going to start talking about surfing againe:

I actually like a lot of wind. Offshore only. Like 20 + is fun. I like the late drops, the way the wave holds up and barrels better and also the way that many ppl miss waves or don’t paddle out. I like the feeling of the wind pushing under the board and the barrels. Heck, I have even been know to paddle out on a LB with heavy offshores. BUT i don’t like when it’s a high tide and weak swell along with heavy winds... then it’s just no fun. Also I don’t like when you fall and your bort goes flying and hits you as you resurface.

Ok... that’s enough surf talk for now on a 7yr old threade... let talk about something else, like what’s goong to happen in 2 days when we are back in the gray

 

This is the second really old thread I started yapping in today ... and didn’t even care lol

 

Dirty Momma,
Come back to us prease.

 

Hows about I argue that abondonneing your life's coolest work is a crock of bull!!!

A

 

I reread my original reply and still agree with what I said then.

I'll add that 10mph offshore is ideal for me. As it goes up or down from there it gets... well... less ideal, with lighter being better than stronger. But 10 opens things up nicely and make the lip a little more vertical.

 

Really depends on the break and the swell. Some places where it comes out of deep water completely suck with even a slight onshore wind. Those same spots tend to fire on offshore winds. Other places I know of that can be really good even when its on-shore are just OK when its offshore and pretty much suck when its blowing hard offshore.

 

Yes! So well said. Ocean City Maryland in the winter the sandbar tends to get really shallow and pulled out into deeper water. So the swell is coming out of deeper water barreling onto a shelf. Often then even calm winds are hard to ride, misshaped and dumpy, onshores? forget it. 10-15 straight offshore and suddenly the a-frame shape get steep and symmetrical, the shoulders just open up and most every barrel has an exit.

Assateague on the other hand has a very gradual bottom with soft waves that take forever to break. Even straight onshore under 5-10 can be fine, calm is great, 15 mph offshores will turn even shoulder to head high surf into a mess....big peaks with slow mushy shoulders.

 

I like small to medium sized groundswell with a light east wind, no more than 5-10 mph warm water. Maybe it’s because that’s when most of my best sessions have been. Late afternoon, late August warm water, everyone tired out from the morning. Open waves everywhere you look, smell of campfires in the lineup, a couple of fiends hootin each other into textured blue water waves. Setting sun gets low on the horizon, worn out walk back to the truck reliving each ride as you walk back up the beach. Occasionally tempted back in for a couple more as a distant empty peak reveals itself as you get closer. Now that is heaven.

 

Onshore, offshore, sideshore whatever. So long as there are makeable waves I dont care!

 

The real trick is to know where to be and when.

 

Always prefer howling offshore winds and gnarly, unmakeable, shallow water beach break drainers.

I'll surf a righthand point break with light onshores any day of the week, but where's the fun in that?

 

along with the meanest flies on earth

 

It was glassy today but would've been better with some light offshores, something to just hold the lip a little longer and hollow it out a bit.

15-20 knot offshores are probably all I can take, much more than that and it kinda ceases being fun.

Fuck onshores, they basically suck

 

I actually really like an onshore wind in the 5-7 mph range. Sure it doesn't make for that picture perfect wave but it makes a fun wave in my opinion. Get that little crumble on the lip to play with.

Offshores that are stupid light can make for a really clean wave but ot can be a bit disappointing. Not strong enough thi really "groom" the wave. Tends to be a little disorganized or worrbly.

Offshores in the 5-10 is best for reasons already stated.

Offshores anywhere from 15-25 i still enjoy and is pretty common during the bigger winter swells. 30 used to be my cutoff but iv dropped it to 25. Can be a pain at times but i think iv gotten used to them maybe. They don't really bother me

 

Yea... but you know what? Right now, I'd take some 3'-4' onshore choppe right now without hesitation. Even just to put on some fins and body surf.