Most surfers recognize at least three common types of breaks: beach breaks, point breaks, and reef breaks.īeach breaks tend to generate relatively low-intensity waves point breaks tend to create medium-intensity waves, and reef breaks tend to create high-intensity waves. Tides are another vital factor that can affect wave steepness dramatically. Onshore winds, on the other hand, will force a wave to collapse prematurely, often resulting in a mushy crest and a relatively low-intensity wave. This process often results in a more intense, and more oppressive, crash. Strong offshore winds will delay the moment that a wave collapses, forcing more water into the crest of the wave. Wind strength and direction can also make a tremendous difference in the steepness of a crashing wave. As a result, Teahupoo has often been called “the heaviest wave in the world.” This is because the shallow reef at Teahupoo stops large, fast-moving oceans swells so suddenly, and so completely, that they collapse in a freakishly strong and top-heavy barrel that is often twice as wide as it is tall. Nonetheless, Teahupoo wave intensity is often significantly greater than Pipeline’s, and under some conditions, it’s off the charts. Thus they are both considered extremely hazardous, high-intensity waves. Another way of saying this is that the more “top heavy” a wave is when it crashes, the more intense and dangerous that crash will be.įor example, Pipeline and Teahupoo both generate waves that, under most conditions, collapse top-to-bottom over shallow reefs. Generally speaking, the higher the proportion of the wave’s mass that is hurled into the crest and “over the falls,” the wider the barrels will be, and the more intense the crash. Still, not all barreling waves are equally intense.

On the other hand, if the wave face isso steep that it’s collapsing all at once, then it will result in a relatively high-intensity, sudden, barreling crash. If a wave face is just steep enough to generate some foam and whitewater near the crest, then it will result in a relatively low-intensity, slow, mellow crash. STEEPNESSĭespite the importance of wave height in determining wave intensity, many experts would argue that wave steepness is a more important factor. Keep this in mind next time you paddle out into slightly larger surf than you’re used to. Roughly speaking, this is because wave intensity increases as the square of wave height. Although wave height alone will not tell you how intense a crashing wave will be, it is a major contributing factor.Īs a general rule, if you take two otherwise identical waves, with one twice as tall as the other, the taller one will crash on you with four times the intensity as the smaller one. This is only natural, as a wave’s height is the easiest feature of a wave’s magnitude to spot and communicate. Generally, when surfers compare waves concerning magnitude, they talk regarding wave height. So for the sake of simplicity, we’ll take a higher wave velocity for granted when we talk about taller and steeper waves here. Note that while velocity is an equally important factor, more massive waves travel more quickly than smaller ones, and steep waves crash more rapidly than mushy ones. Two of the most critical factors that contribute to a wave’s power include its height and its steepness. But even the best surfers in the world struggle to survive, let alone catch and ride, a fifteen-foot wave at Teahupoo.

Most moderately-skilled surfers can quickly catch and ride just about any mild, gently rolling wave, even if it’s technically fifteen feet from crest to trough.

Wave intensity