What does Lola on Surfline mean?
Surfline. Jun 10th, 2018. Updated 10 months ago. LOLA, the Surfline swell model that spurred a forecasting revolution, is retiring after 20 years. The brainchild of Sean Collins and William O'Reilly, LOLA provided timely and accurate forecasts for millions of surfers around the world over the past two decades.
How do you read a Surfline forecast?
Surfline's surf quality scale – 1 = FLAT: No waves mean no surfing. – 2 = VERY POOR: The forecast may include words like "lack of surf," "bad," or even "very stormy." – 3 = POOR: Due to wind and a poor tide, there are only some fair waves to surf this morning. – 4 = POOR to FAIR: Low to average waves.
What do highlighted conditions mean on Surfline?
If the conditions are close to optimal, you will see those conditions highlighted in light yellow. If the swell OR the wind are optimal for that spot, they are highlighted in dark yellow. If the swell AND the winds are optimal, they are highlighted in dark yellow and the optimal icon (Surfline logo) shows.
What do faded stars mean on Magicseaweed?
A rating of 2 solid stars and 2 faded stars means the there is significant swell (4 stars worth) but a medium onshore wind reducing the wave quality. The solid stars must always be rendered first followed by the faded stars.
What does stoke mean in surfing?
excited, pleased, happy, thrilled Enduring surf slang expression meaning excited, pleased, happy, thrilled.
Is surfing better in high or low tide?
The best tide for surfing in most cases is low, to an incoming medium tide. Keep in mind low-tide on shallow surf breaks jack the waves up higher, leaving less room between the water's surface and ocean bottom. Always know the area you're surfing and avoid shallow reef and rock obstacles if possible.
What is a good swell period?
Swell period is a measure of that acquired momentum and it determines how far a swell will be able to travel in the open ocean. Short-period swell, (11 seconds or less) will usually decay within a few hundred miles, while long-period swell, (above 14 seconds), is capable of far greater journeys.
What is a good swell for surfing?
A ground swell is one that comes from a long way away. They generally pack more power, are more organised, and don't die quickly. A wind swell is caused by more localised winds and they are generally less organised, choppy and short lived. Both types can create great waves to surf, but, ground swell is usually best.
What is a spot forecast?
A special forecast issued to fit the time, topography, and weather of a specific incident. These forecasts are issued upon request of the user agency and are more detailed, timely, and specific than zone forecasts.
What does WNW swell mean?
West North West Swell Direction This does mean that each surf location will have it's own optimal swell direction… Take Woolacombe, UK as the first example – image 12 below shows that the optimal swell direction (big arrow) is West North West (WNW).
Why is wind bad for surfing?
Onshore winds result in bad surfing conditions. An onshore wind blows from the sea, which means the waves have no shape and the crumble as they head to shore. Cross shore winds don't offer a good shape to waves. The best type of wind for surfing is an offshore wind.
What does Kook mean in surfing?
Kook, noun. Pronunciation: kük : An individual with no understanding of the social and sartorial norms of surfing. In the water, a kook's cluelessness can aggravate or endanger other surfers; on occasion, kooks can even be recognized solely by the faux pas they commit out of the ocean.
What is a female surfer called?
Wahine – Female surfer.
Why do surfers go in the morning?
Light offshore winds are the most important reason for why the surf is better in the morning and evenings. As a basic rule of thumb, the winds are typically lighter in the morning, stronger in the afternoon and occasionally become light again just in time for a beautiful sunset session.
What size wave is good for beginners?
1 to 2ft Generally speaking the perfect size for beginners is 1 to 2ft. For intermediates: 2-4ft waves are best as it gives you more face of the wave to progress your skills on. You should keep an eye on the 'Swell Period', because it's a lot more indicative of the actual wave size (see the next point).
What is the longest swell period ever recorded?
The biggest wave ever recorded measured 1,720 feet.
Is 1m swell big?
rough – up to 3.0 metres. very rough – up to 4.5 metres. high – up to 6.5 metres. very high – up to 8.5 metres.
How big is a 5 foot wave?
That's very close to about 20-inch units for each half meter," Goddard told SurferToday. "So, two half meters is one meter, or about 3.28 feet – about waist high. Then, three half meters is about 60 inches or about head high. It looks like a five-foot wave, from the surfboard up to the lip of the wave."
What is fire forecast?
Predictive Services provides decision-support information to the U.S. Forest Service and other federal, tribal, state, and local wildland fire management agencies for operational management of and strategic planning for wildland firefighting assets, such as firefighters, aircraft, and engines.
What is the Haines Index a measure of?
Haines Index (HI) Is a numerical value that indicates the potential for large wildfires to experience extreme fire behavior. The HI combines both the instability and dryness of the air by examining the lapse rate between two pressure levels in the atmosphere and the dryness of one of the pressure levels.
What is a good wave height for beginner surfers?
1-2 feet high As a beginner, you should start by practising on small white water waves (1-2 feet high) and only move on to catching the bigger waves when you feel ready. Not only is this important for your safety, but it will also help you to avoid hostility from other surfers if you get in their way.
How do you read swell on Surfline?
The swell direction is usually expressed in cardinal points (N, E, S, W). As a general rule of thumb, a beach facing directly west will get bigger and better waves if the swell comes from the west. The swell direction is important — if the swell doesn't hit your region correctly, you will not receive good waves.
Do waves always break left to right?
If you are looking from the beach, facing the ocean, the wave will break towards the right from your perspective. To avoid confusion, surfers always identify wave directions according to the surfer's perspective: the surfer above is following the wave to his left, this wave is called a “left”.
Is a cross off good to surf in?
The wind blows in from the sea and ensures that all the waves crumble and have no shape, making the waves un-surfable. A cross shore wind is not desirable either, not giving shape to the waves. An offshore wind is the best wind for surfing.
What is a Barney in surfing?
What? But among surfers, a Barney is universally a beginner, someone who doesn't belong. Like kook, but not tossed around so much that it loses meaning. No, to be called a Barney in the lineup means that wordsmith reserved his coup de grâce of insults specifically for you, amigo.
What does Grom mean in surfing?
Grommet is frequently abbreviated to grom and refers to a young participant under the age of around 18 that participates in the sport of surfing. The first use of the word in any printed form appears in an article by Nicholas Tomalin in 1964.
How do surfers say thanks?
Other Hawaiian words, like aloha (a greeting) or mahalo (“thank you”), are also sometimes roped into the surfing world.
How do surfers say cool?
Exclamatory slang It's an exclamation of zeal, also meaning cool or impressive (i.e. “that bottom turn was sick bro”). Stoked: Pronounced like “soaked” but with a “T.” It means pure excitement (i.e. Surfer 1: “how stoked are you to hit the waves today?” Surfer 2: “beyond stoked”).
Why are surfers ripped?
As well as building muscle strength in your upper body and legs, the cross-training effect of surfing is a brilliant workout for your core, making it a full body workout. A lot of surf research suggests we use our trapezius, rectus abdominis, latissimus dorsi, obliques, triceps, biceps and deltoids.
Why do surfers drag their hand in the wave?
Hand Dragging Whenever you're going too fast and heading into the shoulder of the wave, drag your hand – or even both – in the face of the wave to slow down the speed. For example, if you're in the barrel, get your inside hand in the water, and grab your outside rail with the other hand.