measuring a wave from the back
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measuring a wave from the back
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.
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.
Re: measuring a wave from the back
you must be really short if 2ft is head highJimi wrote: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.
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.
“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.
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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.
Suck a dick.
Wave height measurement
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.
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.
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