How is wave height measured in Australia?

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Beanpole
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Beanpole » Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:10 pm

Looks about 6' to me Ig :D :D :D
So I guess that makes it three feet high :D :D
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Biggun » Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:29 pm

i am 5'10 when i stand up straight, but i have bad posture. I think there is a grave risk that i would be overcalling it when it approaches 12ft, ie quadruple and a quarter overhead for me, but only quadruple overhead for most people.

any advice realsurf viewers?

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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Grooter » Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:33 pm

Looks about a 5 metre wave on the face, I'd say that would be around a 4 metre swell :D

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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Topher » Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:39 pm

Coastalwatch report this arvo says 4-7ft. Is that compatable with the iggy scale or is the reporter to be declared a kook?

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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by steve shearer » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:01 pm

What if a Brazilian midget is doing the reporting?
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by oldman » Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:45 pm

iggy wrote:PS: Rockin' Ron... per above, i NEVER said there was no such thing as 5 Foot !!
that was some gronk that copied my shit wrong and requoted it here..
That was me that said there is no such thing as a 5' wave.

There is no such thing as a 5' wave.

P.S. I really don't give a toss, but remain bemused. The whole thing is just a testosterone wank-a-thon, and the iggy scale just outlines the current state of play.

In the 70's, when they would show surfabout on TV, slightly overhead north narrabeen was called 6'.

They must have been shorter in those days.
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by oldman » Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:47 pm

BTW, there are regional and generation variations, so calling a wave size to a central coast mal rider will be a very different measurement to a North Narrabeen neanderthal. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Beanpole » Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:22 pm

oldman wrote:BTW, there are regional and generation variations, so calling a wave size to a central coast mal rider will be a very different measurement to a North Narrabeen neanderthal. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Did I mention I started surfing in Queensland :D
Its a long wait for waves up there sometimes.
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Skipper » Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:48 pm

That pic yer nameless mate sent Iggy , it looks like that's a remote control surfer on a 2ft shorey. :shock:


oldman wrote:
In the 70's, when they would show surfabout on TV, slightly overhead north narrabeen was called 6'.

They must have been shorter in those days.
indeed they were. Studies have shown the average height of yoof has increased since the introduction of KFC's hormone infested chicken around that time.
And that goes someway to explain the disparity of wave sIze calls these days. As well, yer meat n 3 veg cenny coast Mal riding tradie would probably undercall as opposed to your Narra Neanderthal, raised on a supersize diet of similarly hormone infested 'golden arches' nuggets and big macs. :idea:

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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Beerfan » Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:24 am

As a bit of bait, its filthy, smelly and pretty rotten, but fu.ck me wave height still catches lots a fish!!. I dont see why describing the wave height right is such an important part of surfing, and why people get so uptight about it haha

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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Spoon » Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:57 am

I have resorted to
"it was tiny", "pretty small", "nice size and a lotta fun", "sets had a bit of size to them", "fair size" "pretty big", "fcuking huge"
I seem to think one of those sayings covers most sizes without me wrongly quoting the actual size
On reading back you could also apply this scale to tits. :roll:
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Grooter » Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:21 am

Spoon wrote:I have resorted to
"it was tiny", "pretty small", "nice size and a lotta fun", "sets had a bit of size to them", "fair size" "pretty big", "fcuking huge"
I seem to think one of those sayings covers most sizes without me wrongly quoting the actual size
On reading back you could also apply this scale to tits. :roll:
Hey that's not a bad idea!

Maybe we could use cup sizes eg

it was tiny = A
pretty small = B
nice size and a lotta fun = C
sets had a bit of size to them D
Fair Size = DD
Pretty Big = E
Fcuking huge = anything bigger than an E

I've always been a C or D Cup man myself :D
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Cpt.Caveman » Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:34 am

It still doesn't make sense!!!

You say an average rider is 5'10", but in your scale a 5ft wave is just under double overhead (10ft or so, based on our 5'10" rider). That is some serious under-calling if I ever said it myself.

How about stating the average wave height, and the height of the sets, using the rider height scale. Much easier to understand and relate. "It was about shoulder high with the occasional set a bit overhead."

You don't have to be Hawaiian or a mathematician to work that out.
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by Cpt.Caveman » Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:34 am

I need ANSWERS dammit! :D
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by FishStick » Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:02 pm

I use the Iggy scale but I find it's crap because non-surfers think you are a pussy.

Example, you are talking to a surfer at work about getting clobbered by a 6 foot wave, and saying it was pretty big. A non-surfer overhearing you is going to think 6 foot is 6 foot, e.g head high and wondering what kind of a pussy you are as he was riding '6 foot waves' on his boogie board with his son last summer.

We are only making ourselves look stupid with this farked up scale.
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by oldman » Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:56 am

Spoon wrote:I have resorted to
"it was tiny", "pretty small", "nice size and a lotta fun", "sets had a bit of size to them", "fair size" "pretty big", "fcuking huge"
Works for me too Spoon. I tend to insert 'out of my league' in between 'pretty big and 'pharking huge', or between 'fair size' and 'pretty big', depending on who I am talking to.

I'm surprised Iggy clled that Maroubra pic a 10' wave. I though he would go for 6' myself.

I saw a kneelo catch an absolute ball-tearer out Maroubra on Saturday. It was about 8 times overhead. Now it's getting complicated.
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by offshore1 » Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:36 am

iggy's gotten very excitable lately, IMHO :D
i'd reckon he's up to about a 'four' on the iggy scale.... :mrgreen:
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Re: How is wave height measured in Australia?

Post by black duck » Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:27 pm

iggy wrote:
STOP BEING SILLY !!!
it's not MY scale, it's not the IGGY scale, it's the f*cking way that waves are f*cking measured in f*cking australia.. :x :x :x
Too late Iggs. Your name is all over it. You put it down in writing. Now you own it. :mrgreen:
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