| Understanding the weather and how it works is a | | | | direction for a few days. This was noticed |
| complex and sometimes confusing thing. Listening | | | | recently on the Gold Coast, Australia when a wind |
| to the weather man is sometimes easier and | | | | fetch of over 3000 nautical miles pointed swell |
| they tell you some of the information that you | | | | towards the east coast of OZ and produced a |
| need to know about your local conditions. | | | | week long 6ft+ waves with offshore winds. This |
| However, have you ever wondered how you | | | | swell event is quite rare and in most cases |
| missed a excellent swell and conditions when the | | | | Western coastlines would receive this type of |
| weather man has forcasted something different. | | | | swell action as most weather patterns move in a |
| Let me shed some light on the information you | | | | West to East direction. |
| see on the weather map. | | | | Low pressure systems are generally what you |
| The lines that you see are called isobars. They | | | | look for when predicting swell because they |
| give you an indication of wind direction and | | | | create strong storms and wind patterns. During |
| strength. If the isobars are very close together | | | | the seasons, winter is usually the best time to |
| that will indicate that there is strong winds | | | | receive large waves as low pressure storms drift |
| connected with the weather pattern and light | | | | further away from from the polar caps and into |
| winds if they are far apart. In the southern | | | | larger areas of ocean. |
| hemisphere Low pressure systems spin in an | | | | The next thing you need to know is that you |
| clockwise directions and high pressure systems in | | | | need to understand you local area and the |
| a anti clockwise direction. The opposite will happen | | | | conditions that are needed to bring all the |
| in the northern hemisphere because the weather | | | | elements together. Understanding tide times, local |
| is generally always trying to balance itself out. | | | | wind patterns and swell direction will generally give |
| So now that you have a basic understanding of | | | | you an idea on the best locations to head to for |
| isobars and wind direction you need to be looking | | | | the best surf. Once you get a grasp on |
| for isobars that are tight together and that the | | | | understanding the weather and how it all comes |
| wind direction is pointing towards your local beach. | | | | together, that next perfect surf may be just |
| This is called a fetch and this is what points the | | | | around the corner with only you and a couple of |
| waves toward your beach. Wave fetches can | | | | mates out. Good luck with it all and remember |
| vary greatly from localized wind swells to large | | | | that the weather changes all the time, so keep at |
| ground swells. Generally small wind swells are very | | | | it and refer to the weather maps regularly, and |
| short fetches with light winds. Usually the longer | | | | when unexpected swells come in and check them |
| the fetch the larger the wave heights and the | | | | out and see how they were created. |
| swell. Large groundswell are usually formed when | | | | I've been studying the weather for years and |
| strong low pressure systems create a windband | | | | always get excited when I see weather patterns |
| of considerable length and maintain a similar wind | | | | come together. |