Surf forecasting

Surf forecasting is the process of using offshore swell data to predict onshore wave conditions. It is used by millions of people across the world, including professionals who put their forecasts online, meteorologists who work for news crews, and surfers all over the world. It is impossible to make an exact prediction of the surf (shape and size of breaking waves), but by knowing a few factors a good prediction can be made. One needs to have an understanding of how waves are formed, a basic knowledge of bathymetry, and information (such as tides, location, and weather) about the surf spot being forecasted to accurately forecast the surf.

Waves are created as wind blows over the ocean, transferring its energy into the water. The size of the swell is affected by three variables: the velocity of the wind, its duration, and its fetch, or distance the wind blows over.

The only way to tell how specific conditions will affect the surf in a specific spot is to spend time observing that spot. One of the attributes of surf is that no two waves are the same, let alone two surfing spots. It requires a great deal of observation time to figure out which conditions make a particular spot good and which conditions do not. Only then can an accurate forecast of the surf for any conditions be made. It is also important to notice the difference between a surf forecast and a surf report. A surf forecast is a prediction of what to expect from waves in the future. A surf report is a report of the conditions on that current day, typically given by someone who has watched the waves first hand.

LiveSurf. ai https://livesurf. ai
Surfline http://www. surfline. com
Magicseaweed https://magicseaweed. com/
Surfnerd https://www. surfnerd. com
Surf Forecast. com http://www. surf forecast. com
Swellinfo https://www. swellinfo. com
Coastal Watch https://www. coastalwatch. com/
Swell Net (aka KOOK net as known by some Tragics, not pointing fingers, but not the Vicco boys who don’t get swell https://www. swellnet. com/
DeepSwell https://deepswell. com/
Surf Scout https://surf scout. com/

The National Weather Service in Honolulu, Hawai'i, publishes surf forecasts for O'ahu.