When waves crash on the shore they actually create vibrations in the Earth that can be detected by seismometers and used to determine the power of the waves. Seismologists have been archiving this data from 22 locations across the world for decades. Recently, a researcher noticed a trend in the data indicating that the overall power of waves worldwide is on the rise. This trend is consistent with the prediction that storms will increase in size and power as a result of global warming. Link
It should come as no surprise that on January 5th of this year Mike Parsons set a new record for the biggest wave ever ridden when Brad Gerlach towed him into a 70ft+ bomb at the Cortes Bank. And it should come as no surprise when that record gets broken.
Check out these jet-powered surfboards from MonoJet and PowerSki. Gives new meaning to the term “power surfing”. All kidding aside they do look like fun.
The creator of MonoJet, Egon Monostory, claims that the MonoJet surfboard is the lightest, fastest jet-powered surfboard on the market and is capable of speeds up to 40 mph. Apparently it’s not that easy to get a MonoJet board, though, because Egon will only make one for you if he likes you.
I wonder how long it’ll be before we see surfers using self-propelled surfboards for catching and riding big waves. It stands to reason that a self-propelled surfboard could eliminate the need to have a tow-in partner, although, I do think that if you’re in the water when there are waves of consequence, it’s a good idea to have someone out there with a JetSki for rescue situations.
The folks at SharkShield must be feeling pretty disappointed right now. Recently, while testing one of their anti-shark devices in the shark-infested waters of South Africa, a shark actually attacked and ate the device. I can only imagine the looks on their faces when it happened.
This spectacular product failure has fueled speculation that the electrical fields, that serve as the basis for SharkShield’s shark-repelling technology, may actually attract sharks and compel them to attack. The company claims that their shark-repelling technology works fine when you’re stationary, but not so much when you’re paddling or riding a wave. Since roughly 52% of a surfer’s time in the water is spent either paddling or riding waves, I’d say it’s a safe play to avoid using the SharkShield device. Link
The European Space Agency (ESA) is employing a new technique (based on the same principle as police speed-measuring radar guns) that uses satellite radar data to measure the speed of the moving surface of the ocean. Using this new technique the ESA is able to generate Near Real Time global swell animations.
I’m not an expert on the subject, but it stands to reason that the ESA’s swell animations ought to be more accurate than NOAA’s Wave Watch III (WWIII) animations, which are based on modeled data as opposed to actual wave measurements. Although the WWIII model still has its merits when it comes to predicting future swell movements, it’ll be interesting to see if and how the ESA’s new method of measuring the ocean’s current surface conditions makes its way into the world of surf forecasting.
Check out this story about a surfer named Garrett Lisi, who recently stunned the physics community by offering a new “theory of everything” that explains how the universe works. The fact that a surfer is gaining respect from the physics community is pretty cool. Even cooler, though, is the fact that Garrett is not a professional physicist (neither was Albert Einstein) - he contemplates the physical model of the universe as a hobby - yet his theory has grabbed everyone’s attention.
Lisi’s idea is based on an extraordinarily complicated geometric shape called E8, an eight-dimensional shape with 248 points – a pattern he thinks may describe the underlying geometry of the universe itself. The myriad of different particles and forces we perceive would then stem from this shape’s weirdly symmetric geometry.
I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we did find the key that unlocks the universe. What would matter anymore? Would we all still have to go to work?
Recent storms off the east coast of Australia literally whipped up freakish amounts of sea foam that ultimately made its way to shore north of Sydney.
Scientists explain that the foam is created by impurities in the ocean, such as salts, chemicals, dead plants, decomposed fish and excretions from seaweed. All are churned up together by powerful currents which cause the water to form bubbles. These bubbles stick to each other as they are carried below the surface by the current towards the shore. As a wave starts to form on the surface, the motion of the water causes the bubbles to swirl upwards and, massed together, they become foam.
Check out this new instant ding repair kit developed
out of South Africa. It works by filling the ding with a special powder, adding drops of a special liquid, waiting seconds for everything to harden, and then sanding. Sounds pretty cool to me, especially for when you’re traveling.
They claim it’s a more permanent repair than something like Solarez. It’d be great to get some data on the strength of the repair as well as how it affects the overall weight of the board. Still it’s cool to see some innovation in ding repair technology.
Check out Shredda’s new fin configuration. The company claims to use 100% recycled materials and that the cost is under $100 (presumably AUS). They also make the claim that their new steering system “has increased the speed ,stability and turning ability by at least 20%….”
Read more about it at http://www.shredda.com
Pororoca is a bore in the Amazon river that could be the world’s longest natural wave.
“Twice a year, between the months of February and March, the Atlantic Ocean waters roll up the Amazon river, in Brazil, generating the longest wave on the Earth. The phenomenon, known as the Pororoca, is caused by the tides of the Atlantic Ocean wich meet the mouth of the river. This tidal bore generates waves up to 12 feet high which can last for over half an hour.”
There’s some debate as to whether this video is real or not. Just check out the comments on any of the numerous sites that’s streaming the video. Regardless, I think the concept is pretty cool. Kids, my guess is that you should not try this at home.
A study funded by the EMF seeks to quantify the health risks associated with surfing. After looking at the number and severity of injuries involved with 32 pro and amateur surfing contests worldwide, the researchers (some of whom are trained physicians) published a report stating that competitive surfing is safer than collegiate soccer or basketball.
To say that surfing (in general) is safer than soccer is total bullsiht. To be fair, though, the study does recognize the fact that contest surfing is much more controlled and generally safer than amateur surfing. In the past I’ve made it clear that I am not a doctor, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this study is far from being comprehensive. If they want a clear picture of the health risks associated with surfing, they should look to hospitals and life guards for data on the injuries that they treat. And while they’re at it, why not talk to these guys and count up all the illnesses that result from surfing in poopy water.
One time when I was a kid I got smacked upside the head for asking if I could build the world’s largest water park 300 meters from a natural beach. Well, as it turns out maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea after all.
Located in Miyazaki, Japan the Ocean Dome measures 300 meters long, 100 meters wide and the temperature is around 30C. The surf kicks up every hour for a few minutes just after the volcano erupts. The entrance fee is around $24.
Judging surfing competitions is going to be a little bit easier in 2007 as the ASP tour is embracing video replay technology. ASP president Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew explains,
“As a result of the performance standards being raised, judges at top tour events are forever facing increasing pressure to be 100 per cent accurate in the delivery of scores and results,” he said. “For this reason, for the first time ever in the sport, ASP will be introducing instant replays via personal monitors for each individual judge so they can access previous waves and further scrutinize over wave scores….It will aid the guys in judging when two competitors are riding or when something is critical…”
I think this is a good move for the ASP. Having a scoring system that is more accurate and reliable can only make the sport more attractive to spectators.
Ever wondered why Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza all happen to fall around the same time of year? It turns out that they’re all originally celebrations of the winter solstice, which is the point at which the days stop getting shorter and start to grow longer in the northern hemisphere.
And Santa Claus - he actually originates from an old Danish sea god who had the power to control storms and resurrect the dead. With powers like that, I’d imagine he dominated the line-up. This article provides a pretty comprehensive overview of the real meaning of the holiday season.
Science Wire does a cool overview of the scientific aspects of surfing. Most of it will seem pretty basic if you’re already an accomplished surfer, but it’d be a good resource for any beginners out there.
NASA’s website has a cool article about how satellites have helped to generate more accurate surf forecasts by providing accurate measurements of wave heights and wind speeds across the entire globe. The data that these satellites collect is freely available in case you’re interested in using it to create your own surf forecast. Here’s a link to the Winds Report from QuikSCAT.
And here’s a satellite image of Point Reyes, California. You can see the swell lines pretty clearly. That’s a lot of waves.
If you’re reading this, then that means you found broceanography’s new home.
At first glance it may seem as though nothing’s changed. The new site has a couple of new features:
Navigation bar at the top of the page just underneath the broceanography banner.
On the side panel there’s a section for surfLinks.
There’s a link at the bottom of the page that let’s you page chronologically through Previous Entries. This had been a popular request.
Hopefully, it’s an improvement over the old site. Let us know how you like it.
Brazilian surfer, Rico de Souza, set a Guinness World Record by riding a wave for 11 seconds on a 28-foot surfboard. Kinda looks like he might be in contention for the tiniest wave ever ridden, too. Link
Sharks like to eat seals. Everyone knows that. NPR has a story about some shark researchers in South Africa, who lure sharks to strike simply by floating surfboards on the water.
"To a shark, apparently, a nice little six-foot swallowtail does a near-perfect imitation of a seal. When retrieved, the decoys were often missing hubcap-sized chunks from their sides"
Correction: sharks like to eat things shaped like seals.
Here’s a site dedicated to "all things sharky…and other aquatic antics."
I guess when they built the Montauk Point Lighthouse in 1796, the builders didn’t expect the point to slowly disappear. Well, time has taken its toll and apparently, the lighthouse is now in danger of collapsing into the ocean unless something is done to stop the relentless waves from eroding the ground on which the lighthouse stands.
The Army Corps of Engineers is proposing a $14 million sea wall. Surfers are opposed to the sea wall because they say it would ruin the waves, so the local chapter of Surfriders has proposed moving the lighthouse back from the water in order to save Alamo. Although it would cost nearly twice as much to move the lighthouse, the surfers claim it’s a better proposition for the taxpayers: "You’re done for 300 years." I, for one, can appreciate their acknowledgement of the fact that 300 years from now we’re gonna be stepping on this same rake again.
What’s kinda funny here is that, according to the article in the New York Times, surfing is actually prohibited at the point (but only enforced sporadically). It’s amazing that the surfers have made it this far.
70percent put me onto these cool videos of Perry Farrell interviewing Kelly Slater. Slater mentions some new wave pool technology that he’s licensed. It’s called Surf the Ring. So far all I’ve been able to find on the web is this one-page site that offers very little info.
It’ll be cool to see if they actually produce one of these wave pools. These days the way mankind is learning to create and manipulate surfable waves…. just think about how much better you’d be at riding waves if you could go and practice at a wave pool that offered an all-you-can-eat buffet of perfect waves.
Surfing could be headed for a brave new world.
Here are links to the other 4 parts of the Slater interview:
Ironically, in the surfing world Florida is known more for producing great surfers, but not great waves. The folks in Coco Beach, FL (home of Kelly Slater) are looking to make some nice waves by installing an artificial reef. They’re working with the same company, ASR Ltd, that designed the Mount Reef in New Zealand.
http://spacecoastreef.com has some interesting info & links on their site. Here are some of their preliminary reef specs:
Surfable Days: 300 per year (assuming at least 2 ft swell for those days)
Surfing Ride Length: 400 ft (avg)
Surfing Ride Duration: 40 seconds (avg)
Breaking Intensity: High - tub rides during favorable swell & tidal conditions
Construction Cost: $3 Million (USD)
Great to see the people of FL taking matters into their own hands.
The Association of Professional Towsurfers is forming their own touring competition circuit. It will be interesting to see what kind of mass-media attention the APT garners. The 2004/2005 Maverick’s Surf Contest was broadcast on NBC. If the APT follows suit and really tries to sell their tour to the masses, then it’ll likely attract a lot more attention to surfing in general.
Have you ever missed a wave because you were out of breath or because you just weren’t paddling hard enough? Well, here’s a surf workout that’s designed for building core strength. They say 10 minutes 3 days/week. You can read more about this brief workout at surfersvillage.com.
Surfers are in close proximity to stingrays all the time. I see them darting around the shallows when I’m getting in and out of the water. And when the water is clear, I can see them cruising along the bottom when I’m out in the lineup. It’s always a little nerve-racking when you see the sillouhette of a big stingray slowly passing right underneath you. I typically try to take comfort knowing that stingrays are docile creatures and only sting when provoked.
I figure now is as good a time as any to go over the basic rules of living with stingrays:
Yesterday in Florida a 5 ft, 30 lb stingray jumped out of the water and into an 81 yr-old man’s boat and stabbed him in the chest. According to this article the man seems to be doing OK, though open heart surgery may be necessary in order to remove a piece of the stingray barb that’s stuck inside him. The stingray died.
That is really extraordinary, especially so soon after Steve Irwin’s fatal encounter with a stingray last month.
Don’t be surprised when Hollywood comes out with a Jawsesque stingray franchise film.
Broceanography is surf jargon for the ability to predict when and where to surf on a given stretch of coast.[1] It is an interdisciplinary field of study, drawing on meteorological, oceanographic and geographical information, to ensure that ideal surf conditions are never missed. One who practices broceanography is referred to as a "broceanographer". The playful application of the "bro" affix to a word originated in Southern California, where a cliquish group of surfers decided to affirm their membership of the surfing sub-culture by retro-fitting existing language with "bro-fixes". The practice does not appear to have spread beyond the United States.
That’s a pretty fair technical definition of the term. I’d say if you put any thought into deciding where/when to surf, then you might as well call yourself a broceanographer.
Also, I find it difficult to believe that nobody outside the U.S. is using bro-fixes. Can I get a brah-men?
Interested in making your very own surfboard? Who isn’t, right? Surfer Steve does a good job of walking you through the process. And if you do get around to making a board, send us a picture.
70percent.org posted a cool thread from Swaylock’s Surfboard Design Forum that documents the construction of a hollow wooden surfboard, so I thought I’d offer a little more on the history of hollow wooden boards.
Back in the 1930’s, when people were riding boards that were basically just solid planks of wood that weighed up to 100 lbs, an innovative waterman by the name of Tom Blake started producing hollow boards that were nearly half as heavy. Back then this was a major technological leap by any measure, especially when you consider the fact that Polynesians had been riding solid wooden boards for about 2,000 years.
There’s a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about veteran local surfers banding together to prevent surf schools from holding group surfing lessons at Pleasure Point. The surfers claim that the surf schools are over crowding the surf spot, creating a safety hazard for all who frequent the spot. The surfers and the surf schools are currently in talks to create legislation that regulates the impact of the surf schools on surf spots.
My gut tells me that the overcrowding trend isn’t going to reverse itself anytime soon. Ultimately we’re going to need more waves. Luckily, people are already working on making more waves in the ocean and on land.
Apparently there weren’t enough waves at the Bay of Plenty, so they had to make more. The Kiwi’s Mount Reef project seems to be a success in terms of the quality of waves that it’s creating. "The artificial reef is designed to have a primary purpose of creating high quality surfing waves. A database showing the shape of world-class surfing breaks has been utilised to design the reef with sophisticated computer models…" Better still, ASR Ltd claims that "national and international studies show that multi-purpose reefs bring 20-70 times their full construction cost back to the community through visitor spending." I think the Mount Reef project ran about 1,350,000 NZD, but don’t quote me on that - check out what happens when you click their link to where the money has gone.
Time will tell how well the Mount Reef holds up. If it proves to be sturdy, then I’d imagine we’ll see more reefs like them being installed at some of the world’s more crowded beaches.
Lots of great pictures and videos that document the entire project from start to finish on the Mount Reef website.
"After spending two years in bed with Lyme disease, Steven Kotler had lost everything: his health, his job, his girl, and, he was beginning to suspect, his mind. Kotler, not a religious man, suddenly found himself drawn to the sport of surfing as if it were the cornerstone of a new faith." Read entire review
I haven’t read this book (just the review), but it sounds really interesting. The fact that the author looked to the waves and found a cure for his physical and mental illness is impressive. His exploration of the science behind it all makes it that much more compelling to me.
Everyone’s fantasy is to somehow get paid to surf. Well, how cool would it be to be able to go to college and study surfing? Students at UCSB can take Prof. Stuart Sweeney’s Geography of Surfing course, which looks pretty sweet. It’s like Broceanography 101. And if that’s not cool enough, then how’s about an entire program like the new Surf Science & Technology Foundation Degree program in Cornwall, England.
UPDATE 10/10/2006: here’s a program in Australia that offers a degree in Surf Science & Technology http://southwest.ecu.edu.au/surf/
Here’s a cool site that tracks ocean-going vessels. Take a look at the map and see just how many ships are out there at once. And it doesn’t even track all vessels, rather just the ones that are part of the World Meteorological Organization’s Voluntary Observing Ship program as well as yachts that report their daily progress to YOTREPS.
VOS actually provides us with a lot of important information on ocean weather conditions that we use to track storms and swells, which is nice.
Sony Animation has a film about surfing - penguin surfing, that is. I think it’s due for a Summer ‘07 release. No doubt when the film is released next summer, it’ll inspire lots of little kids to take to the water.
Check out how sweet the waves look in the trailer. Sony’s got the technology to create some pretty sick surf movies.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - surfers are an innovative bunch. When there are no waves to be found, surfers find a way to improvise. For instance, landlocked Europeans do a fair bit of surfing in rivers.
Not all seafood is good for you. In fact, some seafood can actually be bad for you and the environment. Here’s a cool guide that tells you how eco-friendly your favorite type of seafood is. The guide also indicates whether there is a health advisory for each species. Pretty nifty.
Yesterday, over 100 people gathered at Muizenberg beach in Cape Town, South Africa to attempt a new world record for the Most Surfers Standing on One Wave. Once approved, the South African’s unofficial record of 73 surfers riding the same wave will beat the official record of 44 currently held by the Lahinch Surf Club of Ireland.
The purpose of the South Africans’ world record attempt was to help draw attention to an open debate on the current shark situation around the Cape Peninsula. Shark attacks have been a growing concern in the area as the number of interactions between sharks and humans has increased in recent years. What better way to draw attention to the shark situation than by staging sort of a buffet for the sharks. By setting the world record in this fashion, the South Africans have sent a powerful, taunting message to the sharks. The South Africans will not be cowed.
It kinda surprised me when I read about the recent earthquake that occurred just off of Florida’s Gulf Coast because the area isn’t very well known to be all that active, speaking strictly tectonically of course. Luckily, it wasn’t the type of earthquake that can cause a tsunami.
A friend showed me this cool site where you can track all earthquakes that occur worldwide over various stretches of time. Red circles are quakes that happened today. Orange = yesterday. Yellow = last 2 weeks. The size of the circle is proportional to the size of the quake.
Scientists have reason to believe that if you don’t reapply sunscreen after having been in the sun for two hours, then you might be better off not using sunscreen in the first place. Going without sunscreen is certainly not advised, so the take-away here is to be more diligent about reapplying. Check out this brief article that overviews their research.
Surfrider found a pretty tasty looking point (rights AND lefts) that has likely never been surfed. Can you guess where it is?
Hint: If you wanted to score some really sick waves there, all you’d have to do is clear out some of the islands that sit about 500 miles offshore to the east (to make a window for some groundswell)….and it’d pay to be as covert as possible because the locals probably won’t shine a liking to your presence in the lineup. My guess is a high-altitude air drop would be the best way to make your assault. Getting out is gonna be a whole other ball of wax.
Competitive surfing events don’t get the same level of media coverage as things like NASCAR and Pro Wrestling because they don’t have the same mass appeal. The scoring system is subjective and all those land-locked people in the world just don’t appreciate the art of riding waves. Well, I think these guys have figured out how to make competitive surfing more accessible to the average media consumer. Their twist on the standard surfing competition might not be as simple as watching a bunch of guys make 1000 left-hand turns around an oval race track (ala NASCAR), but damn if it isn’t entertaining.
2 man teams
2 teams in 1 heat
2 waves per surfer scored
points for snaking
points for takedowns
points for surfing
1 double claim doubles wave score per heat
This video is pretty funny, but the slide show on the original post is even better. The sequence of slides 11-15 really cracks me up.
A “Paddle Out” is a public rally where citizens concerned about the state of our coasts and ocean gather on a specific beach to make public presentations and take action. Some of those attending will paddle surfboards, kayaks, etc, into the nearby water to form a “circle of solidarity” in a showing of commitment to turn around the trend of degradation. The event is not only for those willing and able to paddle – it is open to everyone who shares our concerns for the coast and ocean.
It’s basically a media event, to garner attention and support for a worthy cause. The focus of this year’s paddle out is to highlight the findings of Surfrider’s annual State of the Beach Report. Presumably, even if you can’t make it to the official rally, you can do your part by spreading the word where ever you decide to paddle out.
There’s a 
"After spending two years in bed with Lyme disease, Steven Kotler had lost everything: his health, his job, his girl, and, he was beginning to suspect, his mind. Kotler, not a religious man, suddenly found himself drawn to the sport of surfing as if it were the cornerstone of a new faith." 
