As surfers, one of the most frustrating yet important aspects of the sport is trying to predict surfing conditions. Knowing when the waves will be good at which location and what type of waves to expect, is essential to better our surfing experience. How else should we know which surfboard to pack?

With the evolution of technology, there are now multiple websites where you can go and check the predicted forecast for up to 10 days in advance. Although these websites are not always 100% accurate, it sure does beat the olden days of looking at weather charts and having to guess how big the waves are going to be. We recommend using are Magicseaweed, WindGuru or Surfline.

It’s really important to remember the conditions you enjoy surfing in, so you can get the same conditions again for future surfs. Once you have had a magic surf, note down the conditions, the forecast given for the day, the tide in the wind direction. The next time these conditions appear on your computer screen, you will know exactly what to expect at your favourite surf spot, putting you one step ahead of the game.

On-shore, off-shore, cross-shore, does this all sound like a foreign language to you? Let’s clear things up for you.

Wind Direction ⬅️ ➡️

There are ‘ideal’ conditions for surfing. These occur when mother nature lines everything up just right for you, throwing you a nice dose of swell with a tasty double digit period and a gentle breeze of offshore wind to top it off. All these factors combined provide the right or ‘perfect’ surf conditions. So now comes the learning part, below we will breakdown each factor and tell you exactly what you are looking for when you ask for a nice dose of swell topped with gentle offshores.

Wave Period

The wave period is the amount of time between each wave, this is dictated by how far the waves have had to travel to arrive at the surf spot. A low period (under 10 seconds) means the waves are close together, giving less time to select the right wave and get ourselves ready to catch the wave. A long period (above ten seconds) allows much more time between waves and better surfing conditions. Often the higher the period the more powerful the wave will be.

Swell Size

Swell size is dictated by the power of the weather system creating the waves. A low period and low swell size indicates a weak low-pressure system and therefore poor surfing conditions. A really low-pressure system provides more powerful waves.