forcast time plot??

yes, but it will be much, much more powerful

chances are that if the period is that big, it wouldnt say 5ft tho


for example: personally, i prefer a day of 3ft @ 11sec to a day of 5ft @ 6sec

 

True, 3ft @ 11 sec will be a better and probably bigger wave than 5ft @ 6 sec.

For example, 4ft @ 14 sec will be a bigger wave than 6ft @ 8 sec or even 7 ft @ 5 sec. And of course, have more speed, more power, and usually better shape.

 

3 ft at 11 sec would probably be the tail end of a hurricane swell..

 

On the east coast, many of our standard beach breaks do not handle the longer period swells very well. In Delmarva, my home, the medium period swells are generally best (9 - 12 seconds). Anything longer than that, tends to close out.

Reef breaks tend to be much better with the longer period swells. This is because with the sand bottom breaks, the sandbars are always moving around and generally much more dynamic. Reefs on the other hand, are static (not moving).

 

bill had a super long period. remember how that worked out with the sandbars?

 

Alright... I think it needs to be explained again, i think some people are not understanding... A swell period is the amount of time it takes 2 CONSECUTIVE CRESTS... To pass over the same point.

Picture a Pole in the water... A piling or something of the sort. The Swell period would be the time between when one wave hits the piling, and when the wave behind it hits the piling.

It is not the "Time Between Sets," But the time between each wave in a set.

Also a longer period swell will produce a longer wave face, making them great for point breaks. A short period swell tends to be more peaky and 'disorganized' if you will, making them better suited for beach breaks.

That being said, here on the east coast we are usually surfing between 7 and 12 second swell periods, and usually on beachbreaks, So the difference between swell periods is usually hardly noticeable. However if you go somewhere with lots swell periods and lots of different setups (points, reefs, beachies), the difference between swell periods and their 'surfability' will become as clear as day.

Well hope that makes sense.... hahahaha

 

my break faces east,is exposed,is a series of little sandbar beachbreaks,so we need a shorter period peaky swell,which usually means a windswell,plus the right tide and the right sandbar for the angle.that's why we get good waves in the Summer when most other spots are flat.

 

this thread is so good i almost comprehend some of it,seriously,thank you

 

No... just read the surfline article i posted at the beginning of this thread, it has most all of the answers

"Wave speed: The speed of a swell or a wave train can be calculated by multiplying the swell period times 1.5. For example, a swell or a wave train with a period of 20 seconds will be traveling at 30 knots in deep water. (Knots are nautical miles per hour. One knot equals 1.2 mph on land.) A swell with a period of 10 seconds will travel at 15 knots. The individual waves actually move twice as fast as the wave train or the swell, and a single wave's speed can be calculated by multiplying the swell period times three. So individual waves with a period of 20 seconds travel at 60 knots in deep water. Again, think of the wave train like a rotating conveyor belt that is also moving forward."
- from surfline.com

Remember, most of this stuff applies to waves in DEEP water... once the waves start "feeling" the bottom of your local bathymetry, they slow down, steepen, ext.

 

Your thinking of of swell period as a measurement of wave speed via seconds over distance.

When in fact....the swell period is just a way of measuring wavelength. The higher wavelengths (of ocean waves) equals higher amounts of energy, thus they can move faster.

 

btw...
Does anyone else here find it strange that longer wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum are at the lower end of the energy spectrum? while longer wavelength ocean waves have more energy??

My physics is a little rusty, but all i can think of is that maybe physicists look at the entire collection of waves, while surfers and oceanographers are more concerned about the energy in any one particular wave, Thus: short period ocean waves actually do have more total energy per volume of ocean than longer period waves, and one gamma ray actually has less energy than one radio wave.... Does anyone understand what i am thinking about?

 

sounds about right.

 

Long period waves do have more energy than short period waves. But remember... they all start out as short period waves. So big short period waves turn into big long period waves only through distance. With distance traveled, the energy is organized into long period waves which have the collective energy from the combination and organization of the short period waves they were formed from. Electromagnetic energy does not change wavelength or frequency over distance.