measuring a wave from the back

[Jimi]

What is with some people measuring a wave from the back
Hawaiian style of measuring

I had a guy get really aggressive the other day, telling me that I was a kook cause I called a head high wave 2 to 3 foot. This clown went off, claiming the wave was half a foot or 1 foot at best.
If we all measured waves like this guy, then Chopes would never get bigger than 3 foot.
Does anyone know why this measure from the back stupidity started? its got no bearing on how big a wave really is.

[longbum]

What is with some people measuring a wave from the back
Hawaiian style of measuring

I had a guy get really aggressive the other day, telling me that I was a kook cause I called a head high wave 2 to 3 foot. This clown went off, claiming the wave was half a foot or 1 foot at best.
If we all measured waves like this guy, then Chopes would never get bigger than 3 foot.
Does anyone know why this measure from the back stupidity started? its got no bearing on how big a wave really is.

you must be really short if 2ft is head high

[ric_vidal]

In the 50s according to Matt Warshaw's ‘The Encyclopedia of Surfing’.

“surfers in general judge a wave’s size at about three-fifths of its true linear height”

“measuring from the back side of the wave, instead of the front (or “face”), so the argument goes, gives a more accurate gauge of a “real” wave height. Underestimation can also be viewed as a form of gamesmanship; the surfer offhandedly describing a 10-foot wave as six foot can look cool and superior.”

And so it goes on, in other words Jimi, more smoke and mirrors bullshit.

[Grooter]

I've never understood it.

I rate it like this

1 - 2ft small gutless slop that comes up to my thighs.

3 -4ft good height, top of the wave usually around upper body level when I'm doing a bottom turn

5 -6 ft top of the wave at head level when doing a bottom turn

6ft+ too big.

[Revolution]

gee... i thought we have gone through this 1000's of times and always agree on this:

Half the face of the wave = wave height.

This means head high = 3ft.

10ft face = 5ft

kapish?

[Kunji]

Revo has got it.

1 surfing foot = 0.5 x 1 normal foot.

Head height wave (6ft) = 3ft.

Also, it you never hear people saying "13 feet" wave for example.

And the only wave heights are as follows.

1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6-8, 8, 8-10, 10, 10-12, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30 etc

Ill allow 18ft.

[Natho]

Well this is the way I look at it:

Under knee high

Under head high

Head high

Double over head

Triple overhead

Big

Frk measuring it in feet.

[barstardos]

Coops is correct.
Despite infinite variety of wave shapes and sizes there is no such thing as an 11 foot wave.
Natho is also correct however forgot the common head-and-a-half

[Surfin Turf]

Revo has got it..

Coops is correct. ...
Natho is also correct ...

see it's easy ... and I always thought it had something to do with the size of ya knob ....

[barstardos]

And another thing - There is no such thing as 2 metre surf.
However there is 2m swell height as measured by the waverider bouys but as the same open ocean swell begins to feel reef or sandbank all signs of metrication are suddenly converted

[Da Duke]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say as a rule of thumb that its not feet its foot and a 1 foot = 2 feet or 10feet equal 5 foot. Once you've armed yourself with this handy little bit of info you'll have the whole thing fingered and you can knuckle down and just go toe surfing...at Palmy.








Suck a dick.

[Shaunm]

How 'bouts ones that suck the water out from under - took a 2'er couple of weeks back that was head high when hit the bottom turn.

Anyway if you called it head high what's his problem?

[gav]

Aaahhhh, the eternally debated point lives on!
Quite simply, the earlier days of surfing saw the general acceptance of the Hawai'ian way of measuring wave height - that being the height of the wave as seen from the back.
Over the years, ageing surfers here in Australia have continued to use this way of measuring, having tempered it over time to intentionally slightly understate wave height for reasons of bravado, etc. Hence, we still have some who puff out their chests and call head-high surf 2-foot, or whatever.
The new generation and those unaware of the history of wave measurement are obviously going to use the most logical method of calling the wave height - that being the height of the face, as that's the part that matters.
To eliminate any confusion, and convey an unrefutable measurement of the wave when speaking to others, years ago I employed the method of relating the height of the wave face to the body of the standing surfer.
Thus, it is quite simple and straight-forward to picture the wave height when someone tells you it's "head high" - that being when the lip of the wave is at the height of the head of the rider as he's riding (stand-up, of course, not bodyboarding).
So, for simplicity and uniformity, we have "knee-high", "thigh high", "waist high", "chest high", "shoulder high", "head high", "overhead", one-and-a-half times overhead", "double overhead", and so forth.
If everybody used this methodology, there'd be no confusion.
As far as people getting aggro about it , they should go home, chill out, and come back into the water when they're prepared to respect surfing for what it is - a beautiful, spiritual, artistic, soulful pursuit.

[Shaunm]

What's wrong with
Flat
Small
OK
Not bad
Pretty big
Huge
Fark that I'm not going in

[Grooter]

Aaah it's all too fcuking hard with this half wave height, back of wave, front of wave sh.it.

Shaumn I'll just go with your measurement that's what I mentally use anyway.

[TMC]

Well this is the way I look at it:

Under knee high

Under head high

Head high

Double over head

Triple overhead

Big

Frk measuring it in feet.

Triple overhead comes before big

[SAsurfa]

As i've stated many times before, I don't get the guys who measure wave face :? the way it's normally measured is..

2ft is around shoulder high

3ft is just over head high

4ft is 1.5x overhead

5ft is around 2x-2.5x overhead

6ft is 3x overhead

8ft is 3.5-4x overhead and 10ft is massive

[Grooter]

Attention thermalben!

Considering you;re one of the most important people in my life besides the missus and the baby (although we've never met ) how do you measure it?