Surf Forecasting

[ralphy]

A few years back there was a small WNW that hit the Perth region. I remember checking the bouys one arvo and there it was, it was a day or two after a cyclone and only lasted for around 3/4 hours before heading back to the W/SW direction.
I went had had a look, you could tell the swell was coming from a different direction but like all arvos the seabreeze was howling so couldnt see if it made anything decent or changed everthing into a right.

[meaksy]

the main thing is don't use the human forecast in coastalwatch and you'll be ok.

ha ha i second that, allthough when they drastically under call the wave heights it might help to keeps the crowds away

[captain_awesome]

they've screwd up the sunny coast human results atm

[!WILKO!]

i just hate wen u look at all the forecasts and they look perfect for the break uv been wantin to charge, u get friends togetha, ur all pumped to get out then u rock up and its absolutely flat. really depressing and very frustrating

[captain_awesome]

not sure where to put this but do you think its possible that 4ft 30 years ago is not the same as 4ft today and so one due to the increase of pictures footage of big wave surfing, this then will cause the person viewing the photo (i.e. you and me in a riptide) to be accustomed to 8-10ft waves and not think as much of them and subsequently underestimate the hight of the waves at your local beach.

This then could be seen as a cause for people being shot down for answering someone who asks how big the waves are and replying with the actual measurement/ accepted guidelines (i.e 4ft is overhead), rather than a desensitized view where 4ft is only 3. this of course goes for a 6ft wave etc. I have experienced this and probably done it myself a number of times, and am not saying it is wrong to have a desensitized view on wave heights, but this could then cause differences in opinion, and then lead to rather pointless arrangement that detracts from the reason we surf, bodyboard even SUP .

These arguments are also more likely to be caused by the people who surf for that image (for lack of a better word). So should you then just use a tree, building etc for explaining wave height; this is probably better than say overhead etc. as how high is overhead.

Thoughts?

[Conjob v1.1]

wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size

[kc_bodyboard]

conjob, for some people its 'wave face x 1/4' so that they seem likem toughies, i get it so much with kids at my school, and then i have to do it when im talking to them so i dont seem like a pussy.

[Conjob v1.1]

If you dont wanna seem like a pussy everything from 2ft up is 2-3 ft until you hit about 6ft+ then its 4-5ft and everything smaller than 2ft is half a foot.

[captain_awesome]

If you dont wanna seem like a pussy everything from 2ft up is 2-3 ft until you hit about 6ft+ then its 4-5ft and everything smaller than 2ft is half a foot.

thats what the seccond part of my post was (trying) to say, pisses me off.

conjob, for some people its 'wave face x 1/4' so that they seem likem toughies, i get it so much with kids at my school, and then i have to do it when im talking to them so i dont seem like a pussy.

same thing happens at our as well, and they all seem to fit that same profile

[Conjob v1.1]

Why not just called it as you see it? Why care what a moron thinks of you?

[captain_awesome]

thats what i've started doing, just tell them to shut the f@k up.

wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size
wave face x 1/2 = wave size

I know this is the most common way of telling wave heights but wouldn't it be so much easier to just talk face

[Conjob v1.1]

No because on one day the face could range from 3ft to 6ft. But your not going to say the surf was 3-6ft. It was 2-3ft. Far easier and i guess (at least for my mates) everyone understands what your talking about. I guess its the official, unofficial way of measuring. Plus all the forecast sites use that aswell.

[captain_awesome]

good point, would be a pain to change everyones mindset

[caspian]

I just use variants on head height/shoulder height/double overhead/"it's huge" etc.

Another good way of dodging the question is to go "it was <break> on a <certain size> swell", i.e "I don't know how big it was but it was Box on a 3 metre swell, so I was shitting my pants".

[captain_awesome]

If i was to say i was shitting my pantws people would just assume it was 3ft