Measuring a wave

I like the chart.
Surfline calls 5' head high. I can agree with that.

 

Bodyboard it's #alwaysoverhead

 

Who the F actually measures the waves when they are out surfing? Lol We eye ball it and guestimate the size. I usually go with wave face, seeing as that's the part of the wave you surf. Who surf's the back of a wave? Seems odd to call it that way.

 

All I know, is that when I am riding the wave, and the ledge is over my head, it would not make sense to not call it, well, over head.

 

What do you mean who surfs the back of a wave? Fred flintstone and the pink panther to name a few.

 

Damn, ya got me.

 

Wave face. Even Hawaii (as far as reporting) goes by face now. But, the back of the wave traditionally for Hawaii locals. I guess tourist would hear 3-5' and figure head high only to paddle out to some much larger waves. I'm with tropic on the five foot face being head high as rule of thumb. Big wave guys seem to go by the faces.

 

What's social security numbers have to do with this

 

You only say that because of where you are located, you're just trying to fit in to be like and sound like everybody else on the island. If you still lived in Jerz you wouldn't be calling it by the Hawaiin scale so just stop... Stop trying sound cool, and stop trying to act like you're actually from there. I would bet every dollar I have (which ain't much) that before you moved, you never used the Hawaiian scale.

 

Btw, I wrote this while taking a dump, like most of my posts responding to the jaggoff of SI.

 

^^^ I got a friend I surf with, older dude but always super stoked. He's like a 18 year old in a 40 something year old body. Anyway, it'll be waist high and I'll catch a good one. When I paddle back out he will be like "oh man that was a nice one! That was overhead!". It dosn't bother me, I just laugh. Mainly because of his intent. It's when people over estimate as an attempt to sound cool that it bothers me

 

Ahhh towelie you screwed up my ^^^^ I was responding to goldenbuttcow

 

****... hold on

 

from the back is the only way to measure a wave you chickened out dropping in on... so...way to go hah-wey-hee.

 

there you go dude

 

I think Australia uses similar scale as Hawiians. Surfline uses face as a standard. Also, if you measure in meters versus feet it's way smaller when you paddle out.

 

I avoid the whole argument and don't measure by feet. Like most, I use more descriptive terms people can relate to... knee, thigh, waist, belly, chest, shoulder, head, overhead, DOH... Notice the increments get larger at the top of the scale, 'cause by then it doesn't matter... it's just "good!"

 

Everything is 2 foot until it's double overhead.


For me, it's big when the backs of the waves have impressive size, and you actually have to paddle up the face to get over. Idk. I go by face height then subtract 2 foot and divide by how many feet the tidal change is that day.