We have surf!

We have surf! There was none and now we have some. Where before there was calm, we now have moving lumps. Where's it come from, the surf? Good question. Let's have a stab at an answer. Okay Craskie, time to go to work... surf instructor mode... go! "Hey dudes. Ready to grab the sticks and drop some bombs. Surf is life, the rest is details. Stoked man!" And back in the room. I have no idea what just happened to me then. Now let's start at the beginning, it's a very good place to start.... so ray me! Let's put aside big tides and earthquakes etc and focus on the type of waves that most commonly arrive on our beach. It's like this. The good ones come from way, way out in the Atlantic from depressions (cheer up) or as they're often known, low pressure systems (LPSs - I may be the first person to ever call them LPSs or is it LPS's? Tough call). These are created by the combo of the earth spinning and the rise and fall of pockets of air either cooling or warming. We'll save the details for another time.

We'll do this my way. Imagine if you will for one moment that you're lying in a bathtub half way between Polzeath and New York. (If you're reading this in your rubba dub dub then please follow instructions in brackets). You're in the middle of a deep depression, an LPS. It's windy, very windy (Go "whoooooo"). And the sea is rough, very rough. (slide up and down in a carefree manner, observe duck bobbing and weaving). There's thunder (bang on the side of the bath, plastic is preferable for this, ceramic is not). And lightening. (Ask partner, to flick light switch off and on.) You're scared and feel vulnerable, the tub is filling with water. (Shout at partner, don't just stand there, grab something and start bailing!"). Hello, are you still there? You see, LPS's produce windy unsettled conditions. And it's the waves produced in these storms that travel all the way from the mid Atlantic and eventually end up on our shores. Whereupon we say thanks very much, I think I'll ride a few of these, do you mind? 

Now just because these waves are heading in our direction doesn't mean to say that the quality of the wave will be any good when it lands. No. Because ideally, in a perfect set up what we need is a lovely light offshore breeze. Let me introduce to you the alternative pressure system to the Low pressure system (LPS). Say "Hi" to the High Pressure System, or HPS as we'll know it from now on.  Time to go imagining again. This time you're lying on your lilo. It's a glorious day, hardly enough of a breeze to blow you from the shallow to the deep end of the local lido. Calm water. Not a cloud in the sky. Typical weather for an HPS. Slip, slap, slop. Lovely.

How do we combine the two pressure systems to make the best surf? We want a good storm out to sea, an LPS, and we want it to stay there for a good few days. Give it time to send those waves our way. And waiting on the beach with any luck we'll have a nice big high pressure system puffing the lightest puff of air out to sea, so that when those waves come to rest their weary heads on the sandy bed we can hold them up, just long enough to crank out a few top and bottom turns. Nirvana. Please note that in the summer, on a particularly hot day, we may get a sea breeze from late morning to early afternoon. This will switch the wind from off to onshore for a few hours. If you've ever wondered why surfers get up early, there's your answer. Very few have proper jobs to go to!

Local wind affects the shape of the wave.. an onshore wind will topple the top of the wave over early, making it less powerful and unpredictable. Better than nothing, but not ideal. Offshore winds hold the wave up, creating a lovely face to ride. The state of tide can affect the waves. Commonly a tide that has just started to flow, can increase the size of the waves. 

Here endeth today's lesson. Hope it makes sense. Hope it's been useful.