Wave Form - Good And Bad Waves For Surfing

We have all heard surfers refer to good and bad waves. The ocean as a playground is a fickle one, where not every day is going to produce those sweet clean swells surfers spend their days dreaming about.

However, what exactly is meant by good and bad waves? What does a good wave look like? And, what are the characteristics of a bad wave?

Well, in true ASI style, let us dig a little deeper and find out…

As a beginner, you were looking for waves that were gently breaking. You probably even surfed the whitewash in an effort to perfect your beginner’s surfing skills.

At the intermediate level, you will be looking at the wave form. The way a wave ‘forms up’.  This will determine how long your ride will be and what manoeuvres you will be able to perform.

A well-formed wave is a wave that is ‘walling up’.  In other words, the face of the wave will stand up (form) cleanly, and be gently peeling over from left to right or right to left. In this instance, the wave is said to be “peeling off” (breaking perfectly).

Image1. Good Wave Form. The wave is peeling over and walling up in front of the surfer.

A good wave will also have some amount of fall (drop) to it. The drop allows you to surf down the wave and gather speed to go back up the wave. If the wave is walling up, it will have a natural drop.   

What follows are a few examples of bad waves.

Image2. Close Out. This is where the wave face breaks all at once. There is nowhere to ride along the face of the wave.

Image3. These waves are small, erratic and uneven.

Image4. This wave is closing out in front of the surfer. The surfer will have no wall to surf on, only whitewash.

Image5. The wave has faded (diminished). These waves are not good to surf as they lack the energy to push you along and no drop to generate speed. You will lose momentum and come to a stop in the water.

Hopefully this has answered a few questions regarding good and bad waves, and next time you hear a surfer write off a day because the waves are poor, you’ll be able to look out over the ocean and nod your head in agreement.