Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Swell, Waves & Seas? Seas are created when the wind blows on the surface of the water, creating movement. With enough wind over a large enough area for a long enough time, swell forms, which become organised, well spaced patterns. The swell then travels until worn out by time, distance or obstacles. Generally, Swell refers to open ocean waves, Waves are what people want to go stick their surfboard on. Seas can sit on top of a swell, and ruin a surfers day out. They are the localised chop, that given enough time and wind energy would ultimately turn into swells. An example: Consider a nice windless day & youre looking at your local surf break. 6 foot swell, no wind, no seas: What youll see is a surfers dream. A milky smooth water surface and crystal cylinders. 6 foot swell, no wind, moderate seas: The swell is still solid, but youll notice that theres no milky smooth water surface any more. Therell be chop, and wavelets mucking up the waves. So, seas are the smaller waves/chop that are present within the swell. Depending on how theyre generated, depends on how much it can take away from a surfers day. (Information sourced from seabreeze.au)
Posted on: Sat, 17 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000
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