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| Surfing & the Environment... |
| As if trying to figure out which wave to catch, how to pop up without falling of, and paddling techniques weren't enough to learn, to be a surfer, you also need to pay attention to the environment because it can greatly affect your day of surfing. |
Rip Current Safety:
Rip currents are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore. They typically extend from the shoreline, through the surf zone, and past the line of breaking waves.
When caught in a rip current, one should not fight it, but rather swim parallel to the shoreline in order to leave it.
It is advisable to stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties, which impede waves, encouraging rip currents to form.
*You can learn how to spot a rip current and tips on surviving them (or using them to your advantage while surfing) during class or a lesson.
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Tides:
In San Diego there are 2 high tides and 2 low tides every day.
When the tide is really low (ie. there is a lot of sand to walk on), it is a short paddle out to catch waves, but it is really shallow - so make sure to cover your head or be prepared when you fall because it will be more shallow than you expect.
When the tide is really high, you will have a long paddle out past the break, but you will also have a really long ride. |
This is a typical daily tide chart that you will find online (showing the high/low tides and times for the day). |
Wave Height & Weather
On the Surf eCo Blog (click link above) or any surf forecast page, you will notice wave height and weather are two very important things to check out before surfing.
Wave Height - The wave height not only changes every day, but sometimes waves can get bigger or smaller every hour. It is good to check the predicted wave height so when you start surfing in 3 foot waves, you won't be shocked to see 6-8 foot waves two hours later.
Weather - Don't surf 24-48 hours after a hard rain due to runoff and pollution on the beaches. Surfing in the rain is okay if it starts raining while you are in the water, but don't surf during thunderstorms. |
Weather forecast found on weather.com. |
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