How are waves created? Is a question we get asked frequently during our surf lessons in our surf camps along with, “Where do waves come from?” Today, we’ll try to shed some light on the creation of waves.

It is not always necessary to know how waves are formed in order to be good at surfing or even to improve your surfing skills. It is often just a common question that comes from a surfer’s curiosity about the ocean.

A breaking wave is a release of energy that has built up over a long distance. Many people assume that waves are made by the wind and this is predominantly correct. Waves are caused by the wind passing its energy to the water through friction between the air molecules and the water molecules. Many big waves are created by wind that has passed its energy to water over a long period or distance. The size of a wave is dependent on the wind’s speed, direction and over what kind of area the wind has blown over.

As waves travel further this is when swell starts to develop into the defined lines you sometimes see coming towards the beach. These lines of swell grow in size and speed as they travel downwind. The distance between each wave also begins to increase as the swell travels further.

The part of the swell or waves that a surfer would surf are known as breaking waves and these are created when swell begins to slow down as it reaches the shore. As the swell gets closer and closer to the shore and when the water is shallow enough, the upper part of the waves finds itself moving faster than the lower part and this is when a wave begins to break and when it is at the perfect stage in its journey for a surfer to ride it.

When you’re on a surfing holiday with Star Surf Camps, you won’t just learn about how to ride the waves, but also more interesting and amazing facts about the ocean environment. Check out our surf camp destinations below: