The Importance of Wind in Defining Surfing Waves

Brad Blaicher is a respected presence in the Phoenix, Arizona, community who guides OnSite Temp Housing and provides a host of client-driven solutions. Outdoor-focused, Brad Blaicher enjoys activities such as snowboarding and surfing when he has the opportunity.

One of the most important factors in determining wave and break qualities is wind, since all waves are ultimately due to ripples formed by wind that blows across the ocean. Waves fan out from originating storms until they eventually dissipate, either through distance traveled or by hitting land.

The rate of waves breaking and the ultimate shape of wave that results is primarily connected to sea bottom topography. A sea bed that gradually grows shallower will produce gentle waves that spill rather than break. By contrast, reefs and other abrupt depth changes create steep waves with powerful, surfer-preferred breaks.

Winds play an important role in this as well; offshore winds that blow out to the ocean create forces that prevent waves from breaking until they are imbued with maximum steepness and power. By contrast, onshore winds that blow from sea to land have the effect of generating choppy, spilling waves. For this reason, wind condition forecasts are a part of any experienced surfer’s lexicon.