Speak surf.
Every term used across the atlas and the live reports — in plain English, linked to the spots and lessons where it matters. New to it all? Start with the course.
What NNW means
Swell and wind directions are compass bearings on a 16-point rose. NNW is north-north-west — between north and north-west, about 338° (the coral needle). A swell direction is where it comes from; a spot fires when that points at its coast and the wind blows offshore.
CONDITIONS & FORECAST
Swell
Organised lines of energy travelling across the ocean.
Swell is wave energy that has left the storm that made it and is marching across open ocean in orderly lines. It's what a surf forecast is really measuring — the raw material every wave is made from.
Groundswell
Long-period swell from a distant storm — clean and powerful.
Groundswell is generated by storms far out to sea. Having travelled a long way, it arrives as long-period, well-organised lines that break with power and shape. It's what surfers hope for.
Windswell
Short-period swell from nearby wind — weaker and messier.
Windswell is made by local wind close to shore. It has a short period, so waves are weaker, closer together and less organised than groundswell — surfable, but rarely world-class.
Swell Period
Seconds between waves — higher means more power.
Period is the time in seconds between two passing wave crests. Under ~8s is windswell; 10–13s is solid groundswell; 14s+ is long-period power that reaches deep and breaks hard. The live report on every spot shows this.
Wave Height
The size of the swell, usually in metres or feet.
Forecast wave height is the open-water swell size, not the face you'll ride — a shallow reef can double it, a soft beachbreak can halve it. Always read height together with period.
Offshore Wind
Wind blowing from land out to sea — grooms clean waves.
Offshore wind blows from the beach toward the ocean, holding waves up, smoothing their faces and helping them barrel. It's the single biggest factor in a wave looking clean. Each spot lists its ideal offshore direction.
Onshore Wind
Wind from sea to land — makes waves crumbly and messy.
Onshore wind blows from the ocean toward the beach, bumping up the surface and causing waves to crumble and close out. Strong onshores ruin most surf.
Cross-shore Wind
Wind blowing along the beach, neither on nor offshore.
Cross-shore (or side-shore) wind runs parallel to the coast. It's less destructive than onshore but still adds chop and can push you down the line.
Compass Directions (N, NNW, SW…)
The 16-point compass used for swell and wind direction.
Swell and wind directions are given as compass bearings. The 16 points, clockwise from north: N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW. So NNW is 'north-north-west' — between north and north-west (about 338°). A swell direction is where the swell comes FROM; a spot works best when the swell points at its coast and the wind blows offshore.
Fetch
The distance of open water a storm's wind blows over.
Fetch is the stretch of ocean the wind blows across to build a swell. A larger, longer, stronger fetch makes bigger, longer-period swell. It's why the roaring Southern Ocean feeds so many great waves.
Sets
Groups of larger waves arriving between lulls.
Waves travel in sets — a handful of bigger ones together, then a quieter lull. Reading the timing and count of the sets is half of knowing where to sit and when to paddle.
Tide
The rise and fall of sea level that reshapes a break.
Tides change the water depth over a reef or sandbar, which can switch a wave from perfect to unrideable within an hour. Some spots want low tide, others high — local knowledge and the forecast tell you the window.
Glassy
A totally smooth, windless ocean surface.
Glassy conditions occur with no wind at all — often dawn or dusk — leaving the water like glass and the waves at their cleanest.
WAVES & BREAKS
Point Break
Swell wraps a headland into one long, peeling wall.
At a point break, swell bends around a point of land or rock and peels in one direction for a long way, giving some of the longest, most predictable rides in surfing.
Reef Break
A fixed rock or coral reef bends swell into hollow waves.
Reef breaks form over a fixed bottom of rock or coral. Because the shape never moves, they can be extremely consistent and hollow — but also shallow and dangerous.
Beach Break
Shifting sandbars throw up changeable peaks.
Beach breaks break over sand. The banks shift with swell and tide, so peaks move around and quality varies — but they're forgiving to fall on and where most surfers learn.
Slab
A shallow ledge jacks up thick, square, heavy barrels.
A slab is a wave that leaps up over a sudden, shallow rock ledge into a thick, square, below-sea-level barrel. They're some of the heaviest, most dangerous waves in surfing.
Big Wave
Deep-water spots that hold giant, open-faced walls.
Big-wave spots break far offshore over deep reefs and only wake up on the largest swells, producing faces from 6 metres to over 20. They demand specialist equipment, fitness and nerve.
A-frame
A peak that breaks both left and right at once.
An A-frame is a peaked wave that offers a left and a right from the same take-off, shaped like the letter A. Two surfers can go opposite ways on the same wave.
Peak
The highest part of the wave, where it first breaks.
The peak is where a wave stands up tallest and breaks first — the spot you paddle for to catch it with the most power and the longest ride ahead of you.
Barrel (Tube)
The hollow chamber inside a breaking wave.
The barrel, tube or 'green room' is the hollow space formed when the lip throws over a hollow wave. Riding inside it is surfing's most prized moment.
Face (Wall)
The unbroken, rideable front of the wave.
The face or wall is the smooth, steep, unbroken part of the wave ahead of the whitewater — the canvas a surfer draws turns on.
Section
A distinct part of the wave, e.g. a barrel or a wall.
Longer waves break in sections — a fast barrel here, a soft wall there. Named sections (like Pipeline's 'Backdoor') describe where and how the wave does its thing.
Close-out
A wave that breaks all at once, offering no ride.
A close-out is when the whole wave collapses simultaneously instead of peeling, giving nowhere to go. Common in strong onshore wind or on straight beachbreaks.
IN THE WATER
Lineup
Where surfers wait for waves, out past the break.
The lineup is the area beyond the breaking waves where surfers sit and wait, lined up roughly where the sets break. Reading it — and the pecking order in it — is a skill in itself.
Priority (Right of Way)
The surfer closest to the peak has the right to the wave.
The core rule of surfing: the surfer nearest the breaking peak has priority. Everyone else must not take off on that wave. It keeps order and prevents collisions.
Drop-in
Taking off on a wave someone else already has — a foul.
Dropping in means catching a wave in front of a surfer who already has priority. It's the cardinal sin of surf etiquette, dangerous and quick to start conflict.
Duck Dive
Pushing your board under an oncoming wave to get out.
A duck dive is how you get a shortboard under a breaking wave on the paddle out — push the nose down, then the tail, and slip beneath the whitewater. Longboarders 'turtle roll' instead.
Paddle-out
Getting from the beach out to the lineup.
The paddle-out is the journey through the breaking waves to the lineup. At heavy spots it can be the hardest part of the session — using channels and rips saves energy.
Rip Current
A fast channel of water flowing back out to sea.
A rip is a narrow current dragging water off the beach back out through the surf. Dangerous to swimmers, but surfers use them as a free ride out to the lineup. Never fight a rip — paddle across it.
Wipeout
Falling or getting knocked off the wave.
A wipeout is any fall from the wave. On small days it's nothing; on big waves or shallow reef it can hold you under and hurt — which is why big-wave surfers train for breath-hold.
Localism
Territorial behaviour by a spot's regular surfers.
Localism is when regulars enforce an unofficial pecking order at their home break, sometimes aggressively. Show respect, wait your turn and don't drop in, and most lineups open up.
BOARDS & GEAR
Shortboard
A small, high-performance board for steep, powerful waves.
A shortboard (roughly 5'6"–6'4") is thin, pointed and manoeuvrable — built for vertical, high-performance surfing on punchy waves. Hard to paddle and catch waves on until you're experienced.
Longboard
A 9-foot+ board for gliding, noseriding and small waves.
A longboard (9'+) is thick, stable and easy to paddle, made for gliding, cross-stepping and hanging five on softer, peeling waves. The classic wave for learning and for style.
Fish
A short, wide, fast board for small, weak waves.
A fish is a shorter, wider, flatter board with extra volume and often a swallow tail. It paddles easily and generates speed in gutless surf — a fun everyday board.
Gun
A long, narrow board built to paddle into big waves.
A gun is a long, narrow, pointed board (7'+ up to 10'+) designed to paddle fast enough to catch big waves and hold a high-speed line down a huge face.
Volume (Litres)
How much foam a board has — its float and ease of paddling.
Volume, measured in litres, is the single best guide to how a board will paddle and float for you. More volume means easier wave-catching; less means more control for advanced surfers.
Fins
The blades under the tail that give grip and drive.
Fins provide the hold and drive that let you turn instead of sliding sideways. Setups vary — single fin, twin, thruster (three) and quad — each with a different feel.
Leash (Legrope)
The cord tethering the board to your ankle.
The leash keeps your board from washing to shore (or hitting others) after a wipeout. Match its length and thickness to your board and the wave size.
Wax
Grippy wax rubbed on the deck so your feet stay put.
Surf wax is rubbed onto the deck for grip. It comes in temperature grades — cold, cool, warm, tropical — matched to the water you're surfing.