Aloha
Hawaiian word used as a greeting, a send-off, a sign of affection and/or a wish for good fortune or mercy. For more see Surfing A-Z

Asymmetrical zippers
Wetsuit zippers with staggered teeth, invented to keep a tighter seal and let less water in. Common in newer zippered suits.

Axe/axed
A heavy wipeout, usually involving the wave's lip impacting directly on a surfer. Also called drilled, pummeled, etc.

Breaking
Breaking-When a wave passes from deep water to shallow water it steepens as the wave energy is forced upward. We call this "shoaling". With increasing steepness, the wave face finally becomes too unstable and the crest or top part of the wave tumbles or "breaks" down the face of the wave.

Bumpy
Bumps on the ocean surface created by wind, usually between 6-10 knots in velocity. Definitely not clean but not choppy or blown out either.

Buoy
A floating object moored to the bottom of the ocean to mark a channel, anchor, shoal, rock, etc. Buoys with sensitive meteorological and oceanographic instruments are also moored in deep-water locations to measure wind, weather, and wave information. This information is used to help forecasters monitor the progress of swells as they pass the buoy location.

Catalyst
(see MEKP)

Caught inside
A circumstance in which a surfer is trapped between the shoreline and breaking waves. This usually means the surfer will have to wait for a lull between the larger breaking waves for a chance to slip into clear water.

Central Pressure Index (CPI)
The minimum atmospheric pressure in the eye or center of a hurricane, which is used to estimate the wind velocities in the storm. The lower the CPI, the faster the wind speeds.

Choppy
Bumpy ocean and wave conditions that are rough due to strong winds and/or currents. Wind velocities are usually over 12 knots to create choppy conditions.

Clean
Good surfing conditions with decent wave energy, a smooth or glassy ocean surface and very little onshore wind. Offshore winds blowing into the faces of the waves can create clean, groomed conditions.

Clean-up set
A much larger wave or a set of waves, which breaks further outside than normal. A clean-up set usually "cleans" the line-up of surfers caught further inside.

Climbing and dropping
Turning up and down the face of a wave as you surf down the line. A very good technique for gaining speed with each turn.

Combo swell
A combination of swells from varying directions, which will create peaky and crossed up conditions as the waves merge together. Combo swells are great for most beachbreaks but break up the perfect lines at most reef and point breaks.

Computer
("computer board", "computer shape") Many top shapers currently use highly accurate machines to cut blanks into near-ready shapes, or "pre-shapes". These are driven by computer programs, which use data from the shapers' prototype designs (see "plug"). The computer has reduced man-hours on a shape job to as little as 15 minutes.

Concave
Design feature involving a slight scooping out of an area of the board, usually the bottom from rail to rail, during the shaping process. Concave is a paradox because it provides both lift (a skatey freeing up of the board) and drive (from pressure on the water along the exit rail).

Consistent
A surf condition when waves are coming in very frequently and in predictable quantities.

Continental Shelf
The underwater shelf extending from a continent out to sea to a depth of about 165 fathoms or 1,000 feet. Long period swells of about 20 seconds will begin to feel the ocean floor at about 1,000 feet.

Corduroy
Describes the vision of a series of swells marching in from the horizon.

Corners
The end sections or shoulders of waves. A term usually used on the more closed out days when surfers try to find shoulders or corners to ride.

Crease
Damage to a surfboard caused by heavy general impact, in which the surfboard flexes further than the glass and resin allows. Usually indicated by a fracture line running across the board on bottom, deck or both. A bad crease may shatter glass around the rail and lead to a complete break in the affected board.

Cyclone
An atmospheric closed circulation rotating counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Can be a high-pressure or low-pressure cyclone.

Deck Grip
Rough-surfaced material patch, usually a fraction of an inch thick, which can be glued to the deck of a surfboard to increase traction instead of wax. Surfing A-Z

Deep Water
Water deep enough so that surface waves are not affected by the bathymetry on the ocean bottom. Generally, water more than 1,000 feet, or at least deeper than one-half the wavelength of the existing waves is considered deep water.

Deepwater breaks
Surf spots where the swells have a steep transition from deep water to shallow water so the waves are generally bigger and more powerful than elsewhere. Also includes surf spots where the deep water bathymetry of the ocean floor can greatly focus longer period swells (over 16 seconds) to create larger and more powerful waves. Spots with underwater canyons like Blacks are a prime example.

Delaminate
A breakdown of the bond between the fiberglass and foam of a surfboard, where the fiberglass becomes separated from the foam. Usually caused by water seeping in under the fiberglass due to a ding of other fracture of the waterproof bond. Can also be caused by the surfboard being exposed to excessive heat like in a hot car, which will cause the foam to shrink slightly away from the fiberglass bond. Delaminations should be fixed immediately as they will spread and the surfboard strength will be weakened dramatically.

Designer
An expert surfboard shaper or rider who originates ideas for surfboard shapes. See shaper.

Down Rail
A rail (see rail) shape in which the deck slopes down to meet the bottom, rather than vice versa. Credited to Mike Diffenderfer of the USA in the 1960s.

Down-the-line
A reference to the direction further along the crest of a wave from the location from where a surfer drops into the wave. The direction toward which the surfer is riding. Waves can also be described as "down-the-line" when the wall is long and fast.

Drag
The effect that causes water flow to be slowed or disrupted as it passes along a surfboard's surfaces. Causes of drag are usually present in the leading edges of a surfboard: the forward rail line, the forward rocker and outline, and the leading edges of fins, and in bottom features which cause water resistance, such as tail vee. Controlled drag is an essential requirement of surfboard design.

Drive
The effect of water pressure pushed against a surfboard's surface, which creates acceleration down the line on a wave. This is the simple way of describing drive and its immediate effect. Looking at it more closely, we see that "drive" in a surfboard context implies a couple of factors. - First, it's about pressure. Specifically, water pressure working against a surface. To harness the pressure, you've gotta have a surface for it to work against (ie., a fin). - Second, it's about direction. Drive is aimed; it's purposeful, not random. Drive doesn't have an opposite so much as a corollary, which is Drag. Drag results from friction between waterflow and wetted surface, and it's not altogether a bad thing; without some elements of Drag, as without Drive, a surfboard would be virtually impossible to control. (Best example I can think of: a surfboard without any fins at all.) Almost without fail, wherever you create the possibility of Drive, you'll also have the possibility of Drag. Getting that balance right is the key to great surfboard design. A middle fin adds Drive and Drag at a central point of a surfboard's tail. This adds control and direction, providing an anchor for turns. In the classic Thruster setup, the side fins are reduced in volume in order to balance the design. Take the middle fin away, and both Drive and Drag are removed; waterflow gets past the fins more easily, giving the board a skatier, skimmier feel, but some control and direction is lost. This is only partially made up for by the larger fin size of the classic Twin-fin design.

Drop
The initial part of a ride when a surfer slides down the face of the wave.

Dumping
Used to describe waves that are very hollow and hard-breaking.

Duration
In wave forecasting, the length of time the wind blows in the same direction over the swell generating area, or the fetch. Duration is one of the three key elements in the fundamental wave generation formula-along with wind velocity and fetch length-used to determine wave heights and wave periods in a storm or wave generating area.

Energy
A unit of measurement for the power in a wave. Usually in meters squared or centimeters squared.

Entry
A term used to describe the area of the surfboard where water first comes into contact with the rocker.

Entry line
The line a surfer will draw when dropping into a wave.

Epoxy
A type of plastic resin used by some manufacturers in place of polyester resin. Usually an epoxy-user also uses a polystyrene blank, which can be badly affected by polyester resins.

Exposure
A term used to describe how breaks within a region will pick up an incoming swell relative to whether they face the incoming swell or not. For example, if you have three breaks facing different directions: break #1 faces south. Break #2 faces southwest. Break #3 faces northwest. Now if we have a incoming S swell: Break #1 would be the best-exposed, #2 would be partially exposed and would most likely be consider average, it would get enough energy to break but not as much as the first beach. Break #3 would be facing away from the swell and would not break.

Extratropical
A term used to indicate that a tropical cyclone has lost its "tropical" characteristic-a warm core center that was the storm's primary energy source. Once "going extratropical" the remains of the tropical cyclone often merges with a cold "winter type" cyclone. The resulting effect of mixing the remnants of warm tropical air with cold air creates a "combustible" type of weather system, which often supercharges the storm with very intense wind speeds and extremely large waves. Extratropical storms usually happen in the fall when late season tropical cyclones converge with early winter storm systems. The storm in the movie "Perfect Storm" was a classic example of an October extratropical storm.

Eye
A relatively calm area found near the center of storms, primarily hurricanes and typhoons. Also termed as the "eye of the storm". In hurricanes or typhoons, the eye is either completely or partially surrounded by the eyewall cloud.

Eyewall/Wall Cloud
A deep, thick band of clouds that surround the eye or center of a tropical cyclone.

Fade
A) When a surfer drops in and angles back into the power of the wave to get deeper and closer to the breaking part of the wave. B) A wave may fade or weaken as it passes from shallow water to deeper water closer to shore.

Fan
The spray generated from a strong, slicing turn, creating a trail of water, which may be temporarily suspended in the air. Similar to the spray or fan created by a water skier's turn.

Fin
A) Rudderlike device(s) used beneath a surfboard to assist control, direction and drive. Many different fin shapes are possible, but most are designed to resemble a dolphin's dorsal fin. Today fins are mostly used in groups of three-two ahead, one behind-a configuration known as a Thruster (see Thruster). They're also used, less frequently, in pairs or singles. B) Rubber swim fins worn on the feet of body boarders and body surfers to help catch waves in deep water. Surfing A-Z

Fin System
A catchall phrase referring to various inventions allowing fins to be attached and removed easily and quickly, i.e., Fin Control Systems.

Flat
When there are no waves to surf. Unridable surfing conditions. Some waves also have "flat" sections, which are mushy and powerless.

Flatstitched
(flatlocked) Seams which have the stitching sewn through the material; generally usually used in warmer-water suits because-though it's super flexible-it does let water through.

Foil
1) The rate of change of thickness from nose to tail of a surfboard. 2) The rate of change of thickness of a surfboard fin from its front to its back edge. 

Forehand
(see frontside)

Forerunners
1.5 times the swell period to be exact.

Forward Vee
(see reverse vee)

Frontside
Facing the wave while surfing. A goofyfoot going left or a regularfoot going right. Also called forehand.

Fujiwara Effect
When two tropical cyclones rotate about each other. This is caused by the lack of steering winds in the upper atmosphere so the cyclones actually end up affecting each other.

Funboard
A compromise surfboard design, combining the superior paddling attributes of a longboard, but stripped of some of the unwieldy length and bulk so the rider may have a taste of shortboard maneuverability.

Gelcoat
(see hotcoat)

Glass job
The protective fiberglass and resin coating applied over the foam of a surfboard.

Glasser
A person who is employed to laminate surfboards using resins and fiberglass (thus the name).

GMT
Greenwich Mean Time. The Greenwich Meridian is located at 0 degrees longitude, over a town named Greenwich in England. GMT is World Time and the basis of every time zone in the world. It is fixed all year and does not switch to daylight savings time. All other time zones have a GMT correction to determine local time. For Standard time, New York is minus 5 hours from GMT, and California is minus 8 hours. So if GMT were 1200, California would be 0400 Pacific Standard Time. GMT is also sometimes called Zulu Time, especially on weather charts which may display 12Z for 1200 GMT (Noon), or 00Z for 0000 GMT (Midnight).

Going off
When the surf is very good and firing or pumping. Also refers to a surfer who is surfing particularly well, i.e., "Kelly Slater's going off."

Goofyfoot
A surfer who surfs right foot forward and faces the wave on lefts, and doesn't face the wave on rights.

Great Circle
The shortest distance between two points on a curved or spherical surface like the Earth, which is actually a curved line when projected on a flat surface like on a Mercator chart. These lines are called Great Circles. Swells travel in Great Circles around the Earth. As an example, if you take a string and extend it between two points on a globe, you can see a good representation of a Great Circle.

Gun
A special surfboard designed to ride big waves. Generally longer than normal surfboards so the surfer can paddle faster to catch the bigger, faster moving waves, with a pulled-in tail to handle the high speeds.

Gusset
The panel that runs down the arm, invented to make paddling easier.

Height vs. Period
A selection tab on Surfline's LOLA swell model, which offers a look at the amount of energy or wave height within each swell period band. Very effective to see how much longer period energy is in a swell, and also good to spot early long swell period forerunner energy which precedes a swell.

Hit the lip
An advanced move in which a surfer turns the surfboard up to strike the falling lip of the wave, and allows the board to be swung back down with the impact. Generally seen as an aggressive, powerful move requiring excellent timing.

Hollow
A wave state in which a tube or barrel forms underneath the lip or crest of the wave. When you get tubed on a hollow wave, you ride in the barrel.

Hull
A bottom shape reminiscent of a boat, in which the bottom swells out to the stringer from the rails. Common in longboards designed before 1967, and in some longboards today.

Hurricane (Typhoon,Cyclone)
A tropical storm in which the maximum sustained surface winds are 64 knots (74 mph) or more. These tropical cyclones are called "hurricanes" when located in the Northern Hemisphere and east of the International Dateline of 180 degrees Longitude to the Greenwich Meridian of 0 degrees Longitude. Everywhere else they are generally called typhoons or cyclones.

Hurricane Warning
A warning issued by the National Hurricane Center that sustained winds 64 knots (74 mph) or higher in a hurricane are expected within a specific area in 24 hours or less.

Hurricane Watch
An announcement issued by the National Hurricane Center for specific areas that hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.

Inconsistent
A surf condition in which waves don't arrive frequently or predictably, and there are long, uncertain waits between sets.

Interval
See swell period.

Isobars
Lines of equal atmospheric pressure on a weather chart. The closer the lines are together, the faster the wind blows within the isobars.

Kick out
A ride-ending maneuver in which the surfer turns out through-or over-the back of the wave.

Kneepads
Often made of slightly harder rubber than the rest of the suit to protect neoprene from constant duck diving pressure. Many suits feature molded kneepads, which are pre-formed rubber that ostensibly helps with flexibility.

Knot
The marine term for a nautical mile, which equals approximately 1.2 miles per hour on land. Wind speed and other velocities are always termed as knots when used in marine and aerial environments.

Kook
A person who has an exaggerated idea of his/her surfing capacity, and who as a result interferes with other surfers' enjoyment of the waves. Often-but not necessarily only-applied to beginner surfers.

Leash Plug
A small plug with a crosswise metal or plastic bar used to attach a leash to a surfboard, usually inserted in the deck near the tail of the board.

Latitude
The distance north or south of the Equator, as measured in degrees along a line or meridian. Each degree of latitude equals 60 nautical miles at that specific location. The combination of latitude and longitude measurements is used to accurately specify an exact location on the surface of the earth. See longitude.

Leash
The urethane cord used to attach the surfer to a surfboard or bodyboard. Also called leg rope.

Left
A wave breaking towards the left from the vantage of a surfer riding the wave. From a beach viewpoint, a wave breaking toward the right as the onlooker is facing the ocean.

Length
A term describing the surfboard's dimension from nose to tail along the stringer.

Lined up
Waves or swells with long crests, either in deep water or as they break. If they waves are too lined up they will close out. Perfect waves at point breaks are very lined up but still break from one direction toward the other so surfers can still surf through the entire wave. Sometimes called "mostly walled" in surf reports.

Lined up peaks
When a combination of swells merge to create long peaks with long lined up rights and lefts. Different from "peaky lines" which are usually dominant in one direction or the other. Peaks offer much shorter rides.

Lines
The swells approaching the shore before they break. Also refers to the track a surfer takes on a wave.

Locals
Long time regulars at a particular surf spot or area. Locals may or may not live at or near the spot, but their regular surfing means they are accepted as particularly knowledgeable or experienced by the local surfing community. Locals can be very protective of their surf spot and outsiders need to be very aware to the fact that they are visitors.

Locked in
A '60's term for when a surfer is tubed on a wave, or rides in the barrel. A surfer does this by pulling into the hollow part of the wave under the lip.

Long wave
Waves with periods greater than 30 seconds. Extremely rare, and the ultimate forerunner.

Lull
A period of time when there is a break in the consistency of the waves.

Mercator
A type of chart that shows a flat surface to the Earth, which is actually a curved surface. A straight line on the curved surface of the Earth actually shows up as a curved Great Circle line on a Mercator chart.

Midpoint
The point on a surfboard exactly halfway between the nose and tail; not necessarily the wide point (see wide point).

Millibars (mb)
Units of atmospheric pressure equal to one thousandth of a bar. Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1,013 millibars. Strong high-pressure systems can be around 1040 millibars while deep low-pressure systems can drop to around 930 millibars.

Millimeters (mm)
Refers to thickness of neoprene. Wetsuits are rarely all one thickness, usually using a thicker rubber in the torso for warmth and a thinner rubber in the arms and legs for flexibility. While thickness can range from 0.5mm to 5mm, typical suits are 3/2mm for cool to cold water and 4/3 for cold water.

Mini-back zip
Small zipper, often flanked by a layer of rubber behind it to prevent seepage, which was developed as a compromise between ease of entry of zippered suits and flexibility and warmth of zipperless suits.

Molding/Molded Boards
generic term for a type of surfboard manufacturing in which a hard plastic molded shell is injected with expanding foam; currently practiced by Europe-based BiC Surfboards.

Monochromatic waves
Waves generated in a laboratory wave pool for scientific study where each wave has the same length and period.

Noseguard
Trade name, becoming generic, for a silicon tip designed to be glued to the nose of a surfboard, theoretically blunting the destructive effect of its collision with the human body or another board.

NPAC
Abbreviated for North Pacific.

Nylon
Smooth material, usually used as a liner/jersey, and to keep the neoprene from expanding and falling apart.

Outline
The defining shape of a surfboard from nose to tail as seen from the deck or bottom. Outline is the first step in a designer's work, and can be gauged accurately by measuring width from rail to rail at various points along the board. Also known as the template, or template curve.

Overhead
Wave heights that are great than the height of the surfer on the wave. Often used as a measurement scale of waves such as 2 feet overhead, three feet overhead, double overhead, triple overhead. Etc.

Peak periods
The swell period with the most energy during a wave or swell event. Typically a swell will initially arrive with lower energy in the longer swell periods, peak with maximum energy in the swell period a few seconds less than the initial swell period, and then the energy will slowly drop in the lower swell periods.

Peaky Lines
A combination of Lined Up and Peaky-the wave is a long line connecting across the beach with defined peaks at spread along it. You can take off at any of the peaks and usually get some sort of ride before the smaller sections between the peaks start to close out. Generally, there is one dominant direction with longer rides in one direction, and shorter rides in the other direction.

Pearl
A wipeout where the nose or front of the surfboard goes under the water, usually when dropping into a steep part of a wave. (After "pearl diving".)

Peeling
A wave condition in which the wave breaks perfectly from takeoff all the way down the line, the lip creating a curve or arc of similar angle from start to finish.

Period
See interval or swell period.

Phazer
A type of surfboard design with golfball-like dimples on the bottom. The dimples are intended to create air pockets underneath the board, which would lessen water drag to make the surfboard faster.

Pintail
A tail shape in which the two sides of the board come together in smooth curves to form a point. The pintail is a sensitive controlling shape, ideal for powerful hollow surf.

Pitching out
A wave condition in which the lip throws forward creating a very hollow wave face, barrel, or tube. This happens when the wave is shoaling over a fast transition from deep to shallow water such as an abrupt reef. See jacking.

Planer
An electric tool designed for carpentry and co-opted by surfboard shapers to trim foam from the blank during shaping. Usually the Skil 100 brand. Loosing importance over the years, due to the development of computer shaping machinery; still widely used by "backyard" low-volume manufacturers.

Plunging Waves
Mostly a scientific term to identify steep, hollow waves that break quickly with lots of power.

Polar stereographic
A type of weather chart which shows the curved surface of the Earth, contrary to a Mercator chart which shows a flat surface of the Earth.

Polyester
A type of plastic resin; the most common type used in surfboard manufacturing.

Polypropylene
Wicking material (i.e., it doesn't absorb water) replaced many nylon linings in wetsuits in the late '80s and is often used for insulating rash guards today.

Polystyrene
A type of plastic foam used to make surfboard blanks, usually employed together with epoxy resins.

Pop-up
The process of a surfer getting to ones feet on a surfboard, just after catching the wave.

Primary swell
The dominant swell in the water at a specific location like a buoy. The second dominant swell would be called the secondary swell, and the third dominant swell would be called the tertiary swell.

Prog
Abbreviation for prognosis chart, which is a weather chart for a forecasted time in the future. Surf forecasters make final decisions on "analysis" charts, which are real time charts, and other factual information after the storm actually happens. But the progs are great for looking out further to get a heads up on what may happen in the future.

Pull in
The process of turning the surfboard up to enter the barrel or the tube.

Pull out
See kick out.

Pumping
Excellent surf; a surf condition of very consistent waves with a very strong swell. Also, the act of making deep quick turns on a surfboard to gain speed down the line.

Punchy
A surf condition in which the waves are powerful, but not extraordinarily so. Often used to described short interval beachbreak.

Rail grab
Holding or grasping the rail of a surfboard to maintain control. Most commonly used in backside tuberiding (see "pigdog") but also used in aerial surfing.

Rake
The distance between the back edge of the fin base and the tip of the fin, measured lengthwise down the surfboard.

Real-time
The descriptive term for information gathered and distributed at close to the current time.

Release
The effect that allows water flow to be accelerated as it passes along a surfboard's surfaces. Causes of release are usually available in the second (tail) half of the board, through tail rocker, outline curves and trailing fin edges, and through bottom features which open up opportunities for water to move, such as concaves and channels. Controlled release (along with its opposite, drag) is essential to successful surfboard design.

Rhino Chaser
Big wave board (see gun)

Round tail
A tail shape in which the two sides of the board come together in smooth curves to form a semicircle. The round tail is a neutral tail shape, not resisting or adding to any turn. 

Rubber arms
The feeling of very weak arms after a lot of paddling. Beginners will often feel "rubber arms" until they build up paddling muscles in their shoulder and arms. Advanced surfers may feel rubber arms after multiple hours of intense paddling. Also called "noodled".

S-Core
Trade name for the hollow surfboard blank designed by sports equipment company Salomon and made from styrene foams and carbon fiber; still in r-and-d in early 2003, and not yet commercially available.

Seams
Seams-The connecting area between panels on a suit; one of the most important zones and the focus for much of new developments in wetsuit technology. (See: flatstitched, blindstitched, double blindstitched, taped, stress point taping.)

Secondary swell
The second dominant swell at a specific location like a buoy.

Shape
The term used to rate the quality of waves as they break down the line. Perfect shape is if the waves peel off down the line without any sections. Average shape might be if the waves peel off but has various sections the surfer must navigate around. Poor shape is if the waves are closed out or if a surfer can't make it through the sections down the line. Also the outline and specifications of a surfboard, and/or the action of shaping a surfboard.

Shooting the curl
A term from the 60's used when a surfer trims right along the breaking part of the wave, almost in the tube. Now fairly outdated.

Sideshore
Winds that approach the waves from the side, parallel to the coastline, rather than directly from the land or ocean. Side offshore is when the winds approach from the side and slightly from the land blowing into the wave faces, which create cleaner conditions. Side onshore is when the waves approach from the side and slightly from the ocean, which create bumpier, sloppy conditions.

Significant Wave Height
The average height of the highest 1/3 of all the waves at a given location like a buoy. Practically all wave model charts show significant wave heights. The intent is to provide an accurate simulation of an experienced observer who reports on the wave climate, which would approximately fit the definition of the significant wave height.

Significant Wave Period
The dominant swell period of the highest 1/3 of all the waves at a specific location.

Skeg
An older name for a fin on a surfboard. (see fin)

Sloppy
Disorganized bumpy or choppy waves from the wind, currents, or tides.

Snake-
Snake-A person who regularly sneaks around behind other surfers in order to take more waves; the act of doing so. This is done in breach of etiquette according the Surfline Bill of Rights and Lefts.

Snapback
A quick, short cutback into the power of the wave. Often used in a steep part of the wave when the quick maneuver will keep the surfer in the "power pocket" of the wave. Also used when the wave is too fast to offer a chance to do a full cutback because the wave would pass the surfer by.

Soup
An older term used for the white water from a broken wave. Also called whitewater.

SPAC
Abbreviated term for South Pacific.

Spat out
When a surfer completes a deep barrel or tube ride in a hollow wave, and exits the tube at the same time air compressed within the tube, is also forced out of the tube as spray with the surfer.

Springsuit
Short armed, short legged wetsuit, often 2mm. Used in cool water. (Some companies make long-armed springsuits.)

Squaretail
A surfboard tail shape in which the rails end suddenly, forming a box shape; the squaretail floats well and is usually part of a small-wave surfboard design.

Squashtail
A modified squaretail in which the square tips are softened; the squashtail combines squaretail flotation with some of the pintail's sensitivity.

Steep
A) A very vertical wave face where the crest or lip of the wave throws forward to create a tube or barrel. B) Also used to describe a swell which is approaching a forecast location at a very sharp angle compared to the direction the coastline faces. The incoming swell energy may be just on the edge of the swell window, which usually means only the very best exposed breaks to the incoming swell, will be able to pick it up. C) A term used by the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) to describe the dominant sea state at a buoy. For a given wave height, steep waves represent a more serious threat to capsizing vessels or damaging marine structures than broad swell.

Stick
Slang for a surfboard.

Stinger
A surfboard design featuring a dramatic cutaway section just tailward of the wide point and terminating in a singlefin swallowtail; credited to Ben Aipa of Hawaii and ridden with tremendous creative success by Dane Kealoha, Button Kaluhiokalani and Mark Liddell in 1975/76; also ridden by Mark Richards in that period.

Stoked
Extremely happy or elated. An original surfing term.

Storm Surge
The abnormal rise in sea level accompanying a hurricane or other intense storm, caused primarily by wind stress on the water. Storm surges are greatly enhanced when the storm winds blow the water into partially land-locked areas like bays where the excess water can't escape. The measurement of the storm surge height is the difference between the actual observed sea level associated with the storm and the normal sea level that would have occurred without the storm. Increased storm surge may also occur from the reduction of atmospheric pressure associated with the lower pressure in a storm or cyclone.

Stormy
Trashed surfing conditions with strong winds, large chop in the water, and generally accompanied by with rain, hail, snow, and/or lightning. Overall a great time to find something else to do.

Straightening off
Describes a move in which a surfer turns toward the beach when the wave has closed out or is too fast to make down the line. Used if/when there isn't an opportunity to pull out over the top of the wave. In larger waves the surfer may opt to lay down on the board to hang on.

Stress point taping
Gluing tape is cut into small pieces and placed on seams in various pressure points throughout the suit, such as at the elbows, knees, and under the arms. The goal is to provide durability where necessary while keeping as much flexibility as possible.

Stringer
The wood or glue lamination point, usually in the center of a surfboard. Wood stringers add weight but give the board much more strength. Most stringers are single laminations down the center of the surfboard. Some classic or older surfboards have three stringers for additional strength and weight. Also used by shapers as a central point for shaping measurements.

Subtropical Depression
A subtropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speeds are less than 33 knots (38 mph).

Subtropical Storm
A subtropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speeds are greater than 34 knots (39 mph).

Superstretch
(ultrastretch, highstretch etc) Trade name referring to a particular brand's most flexible rubber. Often only used in high-motion areas (i.e., the shoulders) as it's generally considered less warm and durable than other kinds of neoprene. (This changes dramatically from year to year; what was last year's superultrahigh stretch is this year's boring old neoprene.)

Surfari
An older surfing term for a surf trip, from African safari.

Surfology
The science of surfing, surf forecasting, and the surfing lifestyle.

Surging Waves
A scientific term to describe waves that don't have time to break because the transition from deep-water to shallow water is too fast. Very little white water is evident before surging waves reach the shore. Typically happens in many areas during high tide.

Swell direction
Where the swell is coming from. In the marine community, swell direction is always identified from the swell source, not its destination. See direction.

Swell Height
The average height of the highest one-third of the swells with swell period energies over 11 seconds. Shorter period wind wave energy with periods under 11 seconds is excluded.

Swell Period
The peak period of the swell energy in seconds. If there are multiple swells at a specific location, then the peak period of the dominant swell is used. This is the time between successive wave crests as they pass a stationary point on the ocean surface, such as a buoy.

Swell shadow
The area behind islands, points of land, or other obstacles where the swell and waves have been blocked by those obstacles. The swell shadow will change with different swell directions.

Synoptic Chart
A chart showing various meteorological observations and conditions over a given area at a specific time.

Taped seams
Nylon tape is glued along the seams, covering up whatever stitching exists. Long considered a necessary evil to keep water out and add strength to the seams; often now only used at specific pressure points (see stress point taping) or replaced by liquid seam tape, a more flexible and perhaps equally durable option.

Tertiary swell
The third dominant swell at a specific location. The primary swell is the dominant swell, followed by the secondary swell, followed by the tertiary swell.

Titanium
A soft metal occasionally weaved into neoprene as early as '91, supposedly to reflect heat back to the wearer.

Towboard
surfboard designed specifically to be used during tow-in surfing, usually in very big surf; usually marked by drastic reductions in length, width and thickness, and by equally drastic additions to overall weight through ultra-heavy blanks and glass jobs. Towboards often feature footstrap setups, not unlike sailboards and/or kiteboards.

Tropical Depression or Disturbance
A warm-core cyclone, originating over tropical or subtropical waters, in which the maximum sustained surface wind speed is 33 knots (38 mph) or less.

Tropical Storm Warning
A warning issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) that winds within the range of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph) associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in a specified coastal area within 24 hours or less.

Tropical Storm Watch
An announcement for specific coastal areas that tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours.

Tropical Wave
A trough, disturbance, or cyclonic curvature in the trade-wind easterlies originating over tropical or subtropical waters. Tropical waves are the first sign of possible future tropical cyclone development.

Trough
The lowest part of a wave as it begins to break. Or in deep water, the middle or lowest area between two wave crests.

Tube
See barrel.

Tucked edge
A rail design popularized in the late 1970s in which a "soft" or rounded rail is finished at the bottom with a slightly angled edge, providing bite and release.

Twinfin
Two-fin surfboard design with a long and fascinating history; identified most strongly with four-time world surfing champion Mark Richards, who rode a twin in most of his contest successes outside Hawaii. The twinfin combines drive with release to create a very free design, which can be hard to control.

Twinzer
Four-fin surfboard design created by Will Jobson of California in 1990; adds control to the instability of the twinfin design.

Velcro
Patented hook and loop fastener, used mainly in zipperless suits to connect overlapping panels and in zippered suits to tighten neck gasket.

Victory at Sea
A surf condition in which the waves are very choppy and windblown. Derived from the old classic "Victory At Sea" TV shows in the 60's, in which the intro showed US Navy destroyers plowing through huge stormy seas in the open ocean.

Wave decay
As waves move out of the storm area where they were created, they decrease greatly in size within the first thousand miles (more than 60 percent) and slowly thereafter. This is caused by three factors: short-period waves and chop dissipating rapidly once outside of the wind-generation area; directional spreading of waves as they move away from the storm at different angles and the separation of waves as they travel forward at different speeds after leaving the storm area.

Wave Height
The vertical distance between a wave crest and the trough.

Wave Spectrum
The mathematical equation showing the distribution of wave energy in the different wave frequencies or wave periods. By analyzing the wave spectrum with LOLA, Surfline forecasters are able to separate the wave trains at a specific location like a buoy or a point on a swell model. This allows us to filter out unimportant wave and swell energy, so we can isolate the important wave and swell energy, which will greatly affect the accuracy of the surf forecast for a specific location.

Wave Steepness
The ratio of the wave height to the wavelength. A term used by the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) to describe the dominant sea state at a buoy. For a given wave height, steep waves represent a more serious threat to capsizing vessels or damaging marine structures than broad swell.

Wave Train
The independent swell or waves in the wave spectrum, which have originated from the same storm or fetch of wind, and are moving in the same direction. At a single location like a buoy, there may be a combination of different wave trains present, which have each originated from separate areas of generation. As an example, there may be a swell from the South, a swell from the West, and a local wind wave out of the Northeast. Each of these wave events are separate wave trains, which combine to constitute the wave spectrum at that location.

White caps
Ocean chop created by winds over 12 knots. As the wind increases the chop height also increases to a point where the chop becomes so steep and unstable the crest crumbles and breaks creating white water. Choppy conditions with white caps are bad for surfing.

Wide point
The point on a surfboard where width is greatest (see width).

Wind barbs
A graphical symbol of measurement used on weather charts to display wind direction and speeds. The barb points to the direction toward which the wind is blowing. On the tail of the barb are lines and flags to indicate the wind speed. A half line extending off the tail of the barb represents 5 knots; a full line is 10 knots; and each flag is 50 knots. The combinations of these lines and flags represent the sustained wind speed at the barb location.

Wind duration
In wave forecasting, the length of time the wind blows in the same direction over the swell generating area, or the fetch. Duration is one of the three key elements in the fundamental wave generation formula-along with wind velocity and fetch length-used to determine wave heights and wave periods in a storm or wave generating area.

Windswell
A type of swell with a swell period of less than 11 seconds between successive waves. As a rule, the harder the wind blows, and the longer it blows over a longer distance of ocean, the bigger the swell will be and the longer the swell period will be between successive waves. The longer the swell period, the deeper the swell energy extends below the ocean surface, which interacts more with the ocean floor, or the "ground" so to speak. Wind swells are typically "shallow water" swells because they are always generated by local winds with brief duration and over a limited distance of ocean. Wind swell energy doesn't extend very deep below the ocean surface due to the shorter swell period. As such wind swells wrap (refract) very little into spots compared to ground swells which have longer swell periods and can wrap greatly into spots.

Wind velocity
In wave forecasting, the speed of the wind as it blows in the same direction over the swell generating area, or the fetch. Wind velocity is one of the three key elements in the fundamental wave generation formula - along with wind duration and fetch length ¨¢ used to determine wave heights and wave periods in a storm or wave generating area.

Wind Waves
The combination of short period waves initially developed by the wind blowing over the ocean surface. The combination of these wind waves is called sea state, which is the mix of wave heights, periods and wavelengths.