surf & surfing lifestyle forums

I'm very new to surfing and have a few questions.

1. What's the deal with wind and how does it effect your surfing?

2. How do you read the surf report to know what's good?

3. Is high-tide or low-tide better 

4. Is surfing still good in winter??

1. What's the deal with wind and how does it effect your surfing?
   
   "When winds blow onshore (from the ocean towards the land), they tend to create a choppy sea surface and also encourage waves to break before they become very steep."  

   "Offshore winds, in contrast (blowing from the land out to sea), can keep waves from breaking until they become steeper than usual."  this adds power and a nice face to the wave

2. How do you read the surf report to know what's good?
   Practice lol.  This is actually a big question if you've never used the winds and swell models.  But the wave forcast under the cams do a lot of the math for you and generate a forcast based on the swell and wind models.  Be advised though that swells are not uniform.  The wave height reported is and average.  It may be great for and hour and tiny for the rest of the day all from the same swell.

3. Is high-tide or low-tide better
   Depends on the spot but usually low tide in FL so the outer sandbar is more exposed.

4. Is surfing still good in winter??
   Yes, Fl summer waves are usually smaller than winter waves unless there is some tropical activity.

BR wrote:

1. What's the deal with wind and how does it effect your surfing?
   
   "When winds blow onshore (from the ocean towards the land), they tend to create a choppy sea surface and also encourage waves to break before they become very steep."  

   "Offshore winds, in contrast (blowing from the land out to sea), can keep waves from breaking until they become steeper than usual."  this adds power and a nice face to the wave

2. How do you read the surf report to know what's good?
   Practice lol.  This is actually a big question if you've never used the winds and swell models.  But the wave forcast under the cams do a lot of the math for you and generate a forcast based on the swell and wind models.  Be advised though that swells are not uniform.  The wave height reported is and average.  It may be great for and hour and tiny for the rest of the day all from the same swell.

3. Is high-tide or low-tide better
   Depends on the spot but usually low tide in FL so the outer sandbar is more exposed.

4. Is surfing still good in winter?? ico