Surfing and Weather Links

Just as there are countless surf spots in the world, so, too, there are an overwhelming number of places to surf on the Web. We've collected some sites if you're looking for reports on weather conditions or wave heights, online surfing publications, and other surfing-related stuff.

All links fresh as of Aug. 10, 2002

Weather Conditions

Definitions
Data

Surf Report/Forecast
Buoy/Coastal/Ocean Data

Weather/Oceanography Images

Definitions
Images

Surfing Sites

Products/Services

Weather/Oceanography Sites

Surfing Publications

Articles/Papers

Just For Fun

Weather Conditions

Definitions

Dew point; relative humidity; units of pressure; atmospheric pressure; sea breezes; land breezes; Interpreting Surface Observation Symbols.

The process that leads to cloud formation and rain starts when a body of warm air is lifted, or is made to rise, through the atmosphere. As the warm air rises it cools, and as air cools humidity rises. In Hawaii, there are three common ways an air mass is lifted: convection (afternoon showers), orography (windward showers), and fronts (winter storms).

(Definition links: Online Meteorology Guide.)

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Data

Oahu Observations/Forecasts Summary
Everything in one place: Watches/Warnings/Advisories, Hourly Weather, Short Term Forecast, 7-day Forecast, Surf Observations and Forecast. Also available for Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, and island of Hawaii (North/East, West, and South).

Hawaii Latest Observations
Most-recent data. From the National Weather Service.

Hawaii Information
Good presentation of aggregated weather data. A national view is available, with different bandwidth-versions, including high-speed (animated graphics) and text-only (no graphics). From the National Weather Service.

Hawaii Hourly Roundup
Summary of general data for selected locations. From the National Weather Service.

Hawaii Current Conditions
Interactive page for detailed weather conditions at selected locations. Information for U.S. and international locations is also available. From the National Weather Service's Internet Weather Source site.

Hawaii State Forecast
General forecast for all islands. From the National Weather Service.

Hawaii 7-day Zone Forecasts
Good general picture, includes advisories and warnings. A graphic showing the different locations ("zones") referenced in the forecasts is available. From the National Weather Service.

Hawaii Hourly Wind Data Summary
Basic information on wind speed and direction. From the National Weather Service.

Hawaii Temperature/Rainfall Summary
From the National Weather Service.

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Surf Report/Forecast

Oahu Surf Forecast
With analysis/commentary by Pat Caldwell (weekdays only). Includes advisories and warnings. From the National Weather Service.

Surf News Network
From the people who bring you 596-SURF.

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Buoy/Coastal/Ocean Data

Hawaiian Islands Recent Marine Data
Go right to the source, the National Data Buoy Center. Interactive map shows the location of reporting buoys. To access stations (buoys) in other regions, use the global map or, if you know the station number, the buoy ID list. Excellent resource.

Honolulu Tides
Daily predictions for the year listed by month. For other locations (both domestic and foreign), see Tide Predictions at U.S. Reference Stations. Also, to access graphs of the predicted and observed tides for Honolulu and other stations, use the interactive map at Tides Online. All from NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS).

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Weather/Oceanography Images

Definitions

Low pressure centers; isobars; GOES-8 and GOES-10; visible imagery; infrared imagery; enhanced infrared imagery; numerical weather prediction. (Definition links: Online Meteorology Guide.)

Key Terms and Symbols used in marine weather reports, forecasts, and images (from the Marine Prediction Center).

Wave period - the time it takes two successive wave crests, or troughs, to pass a given point. The period of a particular wave does not change and is always constant. (What does change is the mean period of a wave train, or group of waves, which is what the buoys measure.)

Fetch - the distance the wind blows in the same direction over open water.

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Images

Pacific Surface Analysis
From the Weather Server at the University of Hawaii. Look for "L"(ow) pressure centers with many closely-spaced isobars radiating from the center. Also available: sea-level pressure analysis for Northern Pacific and Southern Pacific.

Hawaii Surface Pressure and Wind
From the U. of Hawaii's Weather Server.

Hawaii Infrared
From the U. of Hawaii's Weather Server. Pacific-wide view also available.

Hilo, Hawaii Nexrad

Honolulu, Hawaii Nexrad

Keahole Pt., Hawaii Nexrad

Lihue, Hawaii Nexrad

Lightning Explorer
Graphic of continental U.S. showing recent lightning strikes.

Wave Model Maps
The significant wave height maps, below, can show the areas that are potential sources of swell. These are where the ocean surface is choppy due to strong, localized winds from a storm or hurricane. The sea waves in such an area are disorganized and vary in size, speed, and period. Any such wind waves that have a short period lose energy, dissipate, and eventually die-out.
The peak wave period maps, below, help to distinguish waves with a long period. Longer-period waves have a period of 12 seconds or greater; have moved away from, and therefore are no longer influenced by, the localized high-wind area, or fetch, that created them; have combined and organized into wave trains; and have more speed and (below-surface) energy than shorter-period waves. Longer-period waves can travel thousands of miles to reach distant coastal areas, and since they have much power they increase in size when they reach shallow water, resulting in high surf.
Put another way, you can use the significant wave height maps to locate potential swell sources. Use the peak wave period maps to track swell direction and position--you'll be able to watch swell move out from the source and toward particular map locations (and hopefully to your favorite surf break).

Global Significant Wave Height/Mean Wave Direction
By Oceanweather, Inc. (Oceanweather has more graphical data available.) Look for those nice colors -- concentric zones of red, orange, yellow, green, and light blue -- that indicate the source of swell.

Global Significant Wave Height/Mean Wave Direction
The U. S. Navy's FNMOC's Third Generation Wave Model map. To access other regions and time frames, use the Global WAM Plots page. Uh . . . we're not quite sure yet if we understand the concepts involved.

Global Significant Wave Height/Mean Wave Direction
From The Scripps Research Institute and La Jolla Surfing. To access other map types as well as maps for other regions and time frames, use the Plots page. Based on NOAA's Wavewatch III wave model.

Global Peak Wave Period/Peak Wave Direction
From The Scripps Research Institute and La Jolla Surfing. To access other map types as well as maps for other regions and time frames, use the Plots page. Based on NOAA's Wavewatch III wave model.

Pacific Wave Height
NOAA's Wavewatch III next-generation wave model. To access maps for other regions or time frames, use the interactive data page (note: initial page is redirected). Underlying concepts, anyone?

Pacific Peak Wave Period/Peak Wave Direction
NOAA's Wavewatch III next-generation wave model. The best graphical indicator of swell movement and direction currently available. To access maps for other regions or time frames, use the interactive data page (note: initial page is redirected).

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Surfing Sites

Global Oceanic Surf Links
So you want links? Look no further because you'll find more than enough here.

Global Surf News
Presented by Surfersvillage (note: initial page is redirected).

Snake Gabrielson's Surfing Library
Links to surfing sites and interesting articles and papers on a wide range of surfing topics, from the principles of physics underlying surfing, to tutorials on surfboard design, construction and repair, to lessons in surfing history.

Surfline
Surf cams . . . blessing or scourge? Presented by Swell.com.

Surfing Live
Ditto.

SurfLink

Surfer Resources

Boardfolio
"The surfer's directory."

HI Surf Advisory
Good site by a local bodyboarder and one of the first surfing-oriented sites on the Web.

Bud's Surfing Life
Excellent site by a local surfer, with surf-session journal, photographs (including many water shots), and a great discussion forum.

Surf Guide Hawaii
New site by a local surfer with helpful information and tips and a surf-session journal.

Bagus Surf
Surf-session journal by a local surfer.

The Surf and the Fury
A witty, articulate, and well-written blog. And it's about surfing.

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Products/Services

The following links are given as consideration for a reciprocal listing of the s-spot.

Maui Surf Shirts
T-Shirt design, graphic artwork, and custom-made surfboards.

G-land Jungle Surf Camp
"The Ultimate Surfing Adventure." One of the world's most popular surf-ari destinations located at Plengkung, Banyuwangi-Indonesia.

Hawaii Surfboard Rentals
Located on Oahu. Surfboard rentals (free delivery/pick up available) and surfing lessons.

Hawaii Directory
Listings of Hawaii-related information and products/services.

SurfingPanama.com
Just as the title implies: "Information about surf in and around Panama."

KitesurfingNow
Articles, brief tutorials, news, and helpful information, with photo gallery and links.

Divine Surf Design
"Surf Apparel for the Soul Surfer." Offering surfing tee-shirts and stickers. Shirts are available with several designs/logos. Wholesaler inquiries welcomed.

Original Skateboards
Creator of the patented Super Series line of skateboard trucks that feature proprietary coil-spring technology.

Maui Wild
Directory resource listing primarily Maui-related information.

123 Greetings
Sports-related (and other) ecards.

Webcam-Index.com
"Webcam Index lists free webcams live from all over the world . . ."

Soul Boards
Longboard skateboards. Nice site.

The Hana Shirt Company
"The Internet's specialist in Vintage Hawaiian & Aloha shirts from the 1940's through the 1970's. We offer the most comprehensive selection of Vintage Hawaiian, Aloha, Tribal, Tiki and Surf shirts anywhere on-line."

Rincon Rats
"Beachwear with attitude." Original designs from a group of surfers in Rincon Beach, California.

Island Surf Shop
Clothing for the laid-back lifestyle.

SurfBarrel.com
Featuring surfing discussion forum, photos, videos, and classifieds.

ABCWebcam
Directory of web cams from around the world.

Hawaiimode
Directory of information on Hawaii. (Japanese version also available.)

The Ryde
From the land of cool and laid-back, two California surfers create tee-shirts for surfers and surfing-culture aficionados.

surfreal
Greeting cards and tee-shirts with a surfing theme. "Enjoy the weekly surfing comic strip 'GOING OFF' with Tico and Jake."

NewYorkLongboarder.com
"Serving New York, New Jersey, and the mid-Atlantic region." Site for longboarders on the East Coast.

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Weather/Oceanography Sites

NOAA

National Weather Service

U. of Hawaii's Weather Server
From the Department of Meteorology at the University of Hawaii.

The Weather Underground
From the University of Michigan.

Online Meteorology Guide
From the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Learn about the science of meteorology from one of the best-designed sites on the Web. The Guide uses clear, concise, easy to understand explanations and illustrative graphics to educate in an elegantly simple manner.

The Ocean Atlas of Hawai'i
From the Satellite Oceanography Laboratory at the University of Hawaii.

WeatherSites
Tons of pointers to weather-related information sites and servers. From the University of Michigan.

BuoyWeather
Serves up a collection of ocean and weather information products and links using custom applications developed by the site's author.

Ocean in Motion
Part of Oceanography, from the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research.

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Surfing Publications

Surfer Magazine
Online version of the print magazine featuring great photographs.

TransWorld Surf
Good site. Check it out.

Surf Life for Women Magazine
Successor to SurferGirl? Formerly XGirl Surf Magazine.

ChickSurf Coupons
As the title implies, female surfers are the target audience, but everyone will find something of interest here, whether it be in the coupon book or on the Web site. Both are the creative projects of my friend Sandra who is completely self-taught in the areas of graphic design and Web-site authoring.

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Articles/Papers

Endless Summer School
Go to college and major in . . . surfing? Earn a Bachelor of Surfing degree? It's for real. From Salon Magazine.

Gidget Kicks Ass
An excellent article profiling Lisa Anderson. Other profiles of athletes (including Kelly Slater and Guilherme Tamega) are available. From Outside Magazine.

The Hydroponic Dreams of Laird Hamilton
The story of one of the pioneers of tow-in surfing. From Outside Magazine. Here's a more recent piece: Laird of the Waves, originally published in Sports Illustrated, from Britannica. Check this cool video footage of Jaws, courtesy of Hookipa Surf & Sail Maui. How's that 360� kick out? (If initial viewing is choppy, reload/refresh the page.)

Jesus Christ, Personal Friend of Surfing
The title is misleading. An interesting perspective on the 1999 Lacanau Pro, on the sport of professional surfing, and on several of the sport's prominent personages. From Salon Magazine.

Life Among the Swells
A good article about the North Shore surfing culture and the professional circuit, with a focus on Conan Hayes. From Outside Magazine.

Life's Swell
Focuses on a group of Maui surfer girls: "To be a surfer girl in a cool place like Hawaii is perhaps the apogee of all that is cool and wild and modern and sexy and defiant." From Outside Magazine.

Longboard Surfing Women
An account of The Second Annual Capitola Women's Longboard Surfing Contest. But also a story of self-affirmation, some profound discoveries about the nature of surfing, and an initiation into surfing's sorority. From Salon Magazine.

Mark Foo's Last Ride
A must-read for all surfers, as moving as it is informative, by the author of the best-selling book, Into Thin Air. From Outside Magazine.

Mr. Sunset Rides Again
That moniker belongs only to one man: Jeff Hakman. Most of us have not lived a charmed life. Most of us will be able to relate in some way to Hakman's ordeals. From Outside Magazine.

Something Wicked This Way Comes
A look at big wave riding and the 1998 El Nino winter season and a day of huge surf at Todos Santos. (Sidebar: Anatomy of a Big One.) From Outside Magazine.

The Surfing Rabbi
An intersting article about a Chassidic rabbi who surfs and has some provocative views. From Salon Magazine.

Surfzilla vs. the Banzai Pipeline
Irreverent, with a focus on Kelly Slater. From Salon Magazine.

Waves Lecture Notes
Good description of the physical processes involved in the creation of ocean waves, beach waves, and breaking surf. (From Snake Gabrielson's Surfing Library.)

Why Do Waves Come In Sets?
Brief and simple explanation of why ocean waves organize into sets of larger waves as they approach land. Surely you've wondered? (From Snake Gabrielson's Surfing Library.)

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Just For Fun

Weather Calculators
Bored? Well, why not take all that weather data you've collected and do some unit conversions?

Estimating Wave Height
Brief piece on wave height estimation that touches on the Hawaii-surfer rule of understatement ;-).

Global Seafloor Topography Map
From NOAA's Marine Geology & Geophysics division of the National Geophysical Data Center. There's an interactive version that lets you zoom in on particular global regions.

GOES 8/10 Hotspot Images
From the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology at the University of Hawaii. Images of stuff dats hot, like erupting volcanoes and fires, from selected global locations. More information about these images is available.

USGS Information on Hawaii
From the U.S. Geological Survey, a searchable index of links.

U.S. Naval Observatory Solar and Lunar Data
For an alternative view, check NOAA's Moon Phases page, from the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS).

National UV Index Forecast Map
Graphical map showing daily forecasts for major U.S. cities. Text version also available. From the Climate Prediction Center, part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. The CPC also provides some general information on the UV Index and UV radiation. Additional information is available from the Environmental Protection Agency's SunWise School Program site.

Near Real Time Earthquake Bulletin
What's shakin'? If you live in California, stay informed while waiting for The Big One by checking the Recent Earthquakes in California or SF Bay Images sites (for information on seismic activity within the USA only, check the USGS's Recent Earthquakes in the US page; or, for a global view check the Current World Seismicity map). After reading the SF Bay area Probability Index Page, California residents thinking of moving to Hawaii can refer to the Hawaii Earthquake Information page, the Current Felt Earthquakes list, or the Recent Earthquakes in Hawai'i page.

IRIS Seismic Monitor
From The IRIS Consortium. Graphical map allows you to select any global seismic event and drill down to get more information.

Tsunami Messages

Surf Etiquette
"Give respect to gain respect." From Surfrider Foundation Australia.

Surfology
From Surfline. An introduction to and survey of some basic surfing concepts. Primarily for the newbie, this brief tutorial will edify surfers of all skill- and experience-levels. Particularly interesting: The Bill of Rights and Lefts (surfing etiquette) and Forecasting and Meteorology.

Guide to Safe Ocean Swimming
If you're new to surfing or ocean sport activities, look here for some basic safety advice.

Hawaii's Surf
From The Queen's Medical Center, a good introduction to the hazards and safety risks beachgoers and visitors should consider before venturing into Hawaii's surf and beach areas.

Lud's Wave Prediction FAQ
How might you figure the wave size, direction, and approximate arrival time of a potential swell? Think you can do it better than the professionals? Give it a try.

Heckler Magazine Ramp Plans
Blueprints for various skate/BMX ramps.

Tum Yeto Ramp Plans
Blueprints for various skate/BMX ramps.

Hawaiian Glossary
The sound file links in "The Basics" section are disabled on this version of the page.

Surf & Wave Terminology

The S-Spot
Alert: doppelganger. The subject matter (and writing ability--ours is more worser) is quite different. I'm just surprised that someone else could have thought up such a stupid name.

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Comments and Inquiries

Modified:03/06/2008