Know the state of the sea before surfing
Over the years, technology has advanced and there are more and more facilities for us to reliably access a greater amount of data. Knowing well the weather conditions that we are going to face will allow us to enjoy surfing better.
So, you may be wondering, what are the best surf apps where you can check the weather conditions?
At Laga Surf Camp we have analyzed the different surf apps so that you can be aware of the forecasts for both the sea and the waves, since we use them daily before the surf courses at our school.
But first, let’s review what information they give us and what we can do with that information.
WAVE HEIGHT
This is without a doubt the KEY FACTOR, since without waves it is difficult to surf.
These websites show us the height of the waves on the high seas and it does not coincide with the height that will reach the coast. Swells, better known as swells, are waves that occur on the high seas and reach our coasts in the form of surfable waves.
- From 0 to 0.8 it is flat
- From 0.8 to 1.5 it is small
- From 1.5 to 18m it is medium
- From 2m onwards it is large
The important thing is to check the websites before going surfing and thus you will get an idea of the sea that there will be depending on the size that the forecast websites put, since the direction or the shape of the beach bottom come into play and in many occasions it is difficult to determine.
WAVE PERIOD
It is measured in seconds and is related to the moment in which the waves are formed.
- 1 s: no surfing, small and weak waves.
- 5-6 s you can get something small
- 7-9 s the waves will be weaker and the sets are not usually clear.
- 10-12 Potential to create quality waves
- 10-15s: it is a good period
- Longer than 15 s: a lot of swell
If we combine the height and the period we can analyze and know in detail what waves there are that day and with that we can start surfing. But, we cannot forget that one of the most important factors in this sport is the wind…
¿Cuál es el viento idóneo para surfear?
El viento puede encontrarse en distintas situaciones y con ello podemos adivinar cómo va a ir el resto de la jornada de surf.
- Side-shore: pueden ser unas condiciones aceptables, aunque no asegura una calidad de la ola como la que suele regalarnos el viento terral.
- Glassy: no hay viento. Es óptimo para surfear, aunque a veces depende demasiado de las características y del mar.
- Cross-shore: se trata de vendavales perpendiculares a la línea de la costa. Dependiendo de donde vengan y de la fuerza que tengan darán condiciones buenas o no.
- Off-shore: el viento que se hace de la tierra hacia el mar. El off shore permite a tener olas con un periodo más alto creando oleaje estable y constante.
- On-shore: el viento que se produce desde el mar hasta la arena. Aplasta las olas evitando que puedan coger forma y forzándolas a romper más rápido e impredeciblemente.
La condición ideal es la del viento terral bien marcado pero flojo. El viento lateral (side-shore) también puede ser aceptable, aunque no asegura una calidad de la ola como la que suele regalarnos el viento terral.
THE MOST POPULAR APPLICATIONS AMONG SURFERS TO CHECK THE WEATHER
WISUKI
It allows us to know the state of the sea and the wind forecast:
- Maximum wind and waves in 24-hour intervals.
- Data intervals of 1 hour and 3 hours
- Wind: alerts, direction, speed, gusts
- Waves: direction, height, period.
- Weather: alert icon, temperature, cloudiness, precipitation.
- Landscape graphical view with a resolution of 10 minutes
WINDGURU
It is one of the longest-running applications for surfers, offering data such as swell direction, wave size, period or water temperature, which has made it become the most visited wind and wave forecasting website in the world.
SURF FORECAST
It is one of the best-known tools for surfers to check weather conditions.
It is mainly characterized by being one of the tools that best collects data related to weather conditions. Thanks to Surf Forecast we can find out data such as wave forecasts and surf reports from many beaches around the world, wave and wind maps from 48 hours to 7 days.
With Surf Forecast you will access an easily configurable wave and wind alert system to have up-to-date information for your surf days so you can choose when and where to surf.
Have you ever looked at these types of apps? They are becoming more and more accurate and giving us more useful information.
Don’t forget to check them out, and if you know of any other apps that could be helpful to you as surfers, we’d be happy to read them and, if necessary, analyze them!
In addition to this, if you want to know some plans to do in the Summer in the Basque Country, visit our blog and you’ll be able to find out this information and much more.
