Best ocean bottom for groundswell

a point made out of really, really small pebbles.

 

Sandbars, in general, are not as good as reef breaks or point breaks in handling ground swell.
Why is this?

When we refer to "ground swells" we are referring to longer period swells. These longer period swells will refract towards the coast much more so then with shorter period swells. So, the waves will refract toward the coast and break more perpendicular to the coast rather then at a wider angle. When the waves break perpendicular, they tend to close out at beach breaks as opposed to when they come from an angle.

Reef breaks that are off the coast a bit, will not be as subjected to perpendicular refraction. All reefs breaks and beach breaks are different, so these are just generalizations, and each spot will handle varying swells different based on wave height, wave period, and wave direction.

Point breaks, handle longer period swells much better, since the refraction tends to wrap around the point.

 

in English please,just kidding.

all I know is big groundswells usually close out the local beaches.the only 2 spots in my area that can handle the size is squan inlet and Montauk.as far as sandbars go,shallow bump leads to toobs,and a gentle slope leads to crummy peelers

 

Montauk point turtles and ditch. oops, did I just give away "secret-spots-brobrah-keep-it-to-the-locals" spots?

 

I love it in the winter when they stop combing the beaches up here and you get those sandbars that are perfectly covered in small pebbles. Always had the best days of surf in the winter, and not always because of bigger waves, but because of the bars.

 

Bad information. Actually a shallow short sandbar is the absolute worst type of sandbar to handle groundswell and a more gentle gradual slope is best. Crummy peelers as you refer to them are simply due to a gradual slope not able to turn a 8 second period swell into a tube. BUT, give that same gradual long sanbar a 14 second period and you have yourself a tube that actually has a chance of not closing out. Unlike with a short sandbar where the bar is simply overpowered by the swell and the wave become TOO heavy and becomes a unmakable 15 block close out death pit.

If you look at a good sandbar working like puerto escondido or ocean beach in san fran with a powerful groundwell in the water then you can see how far out the waves are breaking. While much of nj steep beaches can handle an 8-10 second local swell great, give it a more powerful swell and it's no good.

Here's a video of san fran's sandbar is a SERIOUS MACKING swell.
http://vimeo.com/64207259
How the HELL do they paddle out through that? What kind of crack/roids are these guys on.

You can see how FAR out the waves break. That's because of a long sandbar. You'll never have a beach break able to handle a big time hurricane swell without a proper sandbar.

 

I love reaidng sharkhunters posts, so much internet talk and no clue about actual surfing waves, its awesome.

No beach breaks can handle big swell, puerto, blacks, supertubes, etc, all cant handle big waves, all closed over 3 feet...
I wonder has sharkhunter actually seen these things he talks about or just makes it up. Supertubes and Nazare breaks rather close and so do some other top notch heavy beachies, but hey what do I know, I just went there and surfed them instead of pounding bs into a keyboard

if if someone wants to quote me so turkuunter can see it, cool, if not, cool too.

between this guy and young William, this place is a total gas....

 

Dominical and Matapalo in CR have rock bottom, tho Matapalo is also a point break.

 

Do you know how to read? LOL I just posted a video of ocean beach san fran, which is a BEACH BREAK. AND I mentioned puerto escondido. You just got owned. Go home

 

This is what I posted.

If you look at a good sandbar working like puerto escondido or ocean beach in san fran with a powerful groundwell in the water then you can see how far out the waves are breaking. While much of nj steep beaches can handle an 8-10 second local swell great, give it a more powerful swell and it's no good.

Here's a video of san fran's sandbar is a SERIOUS MACKING swell.
http://vimeo.com/64207259

LOL!! Wow...really?

 

wow, I was owned? glad you post a lot, you really add a lot of value to the conversation with your internet surf knowledge and great attitude, keep it up, you are good for a larf

and most beachies that are worth a sh!t have waves that
1) have periods longer than 10 seconds
2) break in shallow enough water to make tubes

and obviously bigger waves break in deeper water

the steeper the beach and the shorter the shelf, the more powerful the wave, long shelf and sloping beach, = burgery crap

please go surf for real instead of making stuff up and positing it as fact

 

Yes because you don't know how to read. You tried to own me talking about puerto, when I mentioned it. Can't get any more dumb than that dude. Seriously. The only reason I even saw yoru post was that I went onto the site when I wasn't logged on. WOn't make that mistake again.

Long shelf is the worst? wtf are you talking about? If that was the case, shore pound spots would break the best in hurricane swells since they have the sharpest drop off and shortest sand bar.

 

ocean beach is a trip,definitly on my to surf b4 I die list.some paddleouts there can take up to 45 minutes,their rips will drag u a mile out.mike parsons broke his neck that swell.

I wasn't speaking about sandbars and groundswells,i was sayin a sandbar that goes from shallow to deep makes a thick tube,and a gentle slope is mushy waves.in nj,the short period swells work the best,that's why winter is the time of the season

 

Anyone have footage of a bodyboarder trying to paddle out when it's HUGE like that? I can't imagine it's even possible? You need a paddling channel for sure.

 

Great thread buoys. SI admin brah is a well of quality info that is a great resource for us (as is the experience of many here) and his academic background is great for that. I'm sure he's talking this stuff with dudes in the know all day long too so the knowledge adds up.

MIS-13, I know what you're saying about the BB's not being able to handle much long period. On the Jan 3 swell we had DOH+ barrells galore and they were surprisingly peeling although you could not get through the soup and if you did, the barrell had shifted and you were now getting disciplined by other gnarl.

Any more specifics on this topic braddahs? My questions from here are:
- what factors make certain BBs actually work ok in long period?
- clearly optimal swell angle and wind direction are critical to a break's quality on a given day, but does period length magnify this need for optimal angles or does it buffer a lack of? With my recent time in the PNW and more coming up, it's been surprising to me to see how highly rated Seaside and other top breaks are on days where there's less than break-specific ideal conditions during longer period yet still great ratings
- under what conditions is a BB the best, and when is it least shifty?

 

cep, true dat. I was there just over a month ago on a murky, gnarly day. Soup galore bro. It's something else!

To the right of the main jetty at Westport (away from the Cove, right as in how we'd take a right wave facing beach) the other day looked similarly soupy. Winter BB's bro, gnarl gnarl gnarl. That goes for EC too.

 

I surfed OB in November on an day the bouy was reading 6-8 ft at average period for there (around 16 seconds). It was insanely underwhelming, fat and not really breaking top to bottom. It would shoal outside and lose it's energy, you were surfing reform that was reminiscent of assateage on a decent groundswell.

I get why it breaks like it does on the big days, the lineup shifts outside, and it takes that much energy to get it breaking top to bottom. I've surfed moss and blacks each on much smaller swells and they were much much better. OB is a wave I have no interest in ever surfing again.

 

It's not Marshmellows reading skills, it's his comprehension. It's hard to make sense of things when you're a senseless numbskull.