The sea is your playground for your surfing whims, and it helps to learn everything you can about it. Such things include currents and tides, as discussed here by Surfline.com. Surfers need to know about currents because aside from the obvious safety reasons, having a solid know-how of currents and tides can help you amp up your surfing game. You can use this knowledge to your advantage by selecting wisely which current to ride and which one to avoid.
Surfers Need to Know about Currents
“The bigger the surf, the stronger the currents are going to be. You typically will face two types of currents in a normal go-out:
1. Longshore currents. Longshore currents move up or down the beach, parallel to shore. They are generally stronger in the surf zone, so remember this when you’re paddling out. Although they’re more of a nuisance than a serious threat, longshore currents can be dangerous if you’re near a pier, rock or jetty. If you’re in a longshore current and are having trouble getting past the surf zone and see yourself approaching a large structure, exit the water immediately and walk back up the beach. The last thing you want to do is get caught between a hard place and the impact zone.
This is one kind of ripping that you don’t want to be a part of.
2. Rip currents. Rip currents are the most dangerous current for any beachgoer. They can be an asset or a major threat to your safety, depending on how you understand them. As broken waves wash toward shore, they carry a lot of water with them. The water pools up next to the beach and forms a longshore current on the inside.
As the water moves up or down the beach, it will often funnel back out to sea in the deeper spots. This swift current goes straight out through the surf zone and dissipates once it’s beyond the break. Rip currents are easy to spot. Because they’re in deeper water, there are usually no waves breaking in rips. Also, you’ll notice foam and rapid water moving out to sea; strong rip currents look like rivers in the middle of the surf zone. Near a reef, the rip might be in water that’s a deeper blue. If you find yourself in a rip, don’t try to swim against it — it’s almost impossible to swim faster than the speed of a strong rip, and the effort will only tire you out. The best way to get out of a rip is to swim up or down the beach, parallel to shore. If this still doesn’t free you up, and you feel like you won’t be able to get back to shore on your own, remember that the universal distress signal is the waving of one arm.
TIDES
Tides are created by the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun on the earth and its oceans. They have a direct effect on how waves break. During low tide, you may be subject to exposed rocks or reefs that weren’t there six hours before.
Waves tend to be steeper and break farther from shore during low tide, but this isn’t always the case. We’re speaking in general terms here, but high tide usually means mushier, slower-breaking waves. High tide can also cause backwash, which is caused when waves bounce off rocks or sandbars on shore and ricochet back to sea. During high tides, you will notice that shorebreaks become more intense. Most breaks have a preferable tide. To find out when to go to your local break, grab a free tide book from your local surf shop.” Read the original post here.
Who would’ve thought those science classes would have come in handy, as surfers need to know about currents, right? Aside from tides and currents, this post also features the equipment you need to have to stay on your board for as long as possible. Have you had a wild encounter with currents and tides that you’d like to share? Let us know about them!