What to look for in surf Conditions

A lot of things go into making good surf conditions and a memorable session. The most important is the swell and what direction the swell is. Make sure you know what the prime swell direction is for your local break. Also check the tide and wind speed/direction. Knowing the conditions which make your spot break well is essential to planning a good surf session.

Local Shapers

With less money to spend on surfboards many surfers are enlisting local less popular shapers to build them a custom board. Some of these shapers make great boards and others do not. The best sign as to whether they are good at making custom boards is whether they are personable. If you are getting a custom board they should be interested in you, to find out what kind of board you want. If the shaper is not personable then move on to the next shaper.

Google Earth

Back in the day a surfer looking for a surf spot to travel to, which has never been surfed, would turn to a map. You used a paper map which only showed the outlines of untouched islands and reefs. You couldn’t see the terrain visually or other important things. That stayed the same for many years until Google Earth came along.

Once Google earth came it changed surf travel for ever. It allows surfers to scour the globe in search of secret and untouched surf breaks. You can see the actual visual picture of the spot you are looking at to see the terrain around the spot. This helps if you want to get an idea of how deep the water is or what kind break it is. You can also look at many different points or outcroppings which could produce some great surf. Overall Google Earth has made looking for untouched surf spots a lot easier.

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• Guest Post: Corky Carroll
• Operation Amped
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