How do you know which way the wave is breaking?

[SoCalSurfing]

If I want to go down the line, how do I know which way to go?

Thanks!

[surfnoob]

The opposite way to where the white water is - away from the peak. Look left and right and before takeoff.

[surf patrol]

The better the waves are the easier it is to tell which way to go. Once you have some more experience in the surf you'll be able to tell.

[tonylamont]

To add to the messages above, there are certain waves, especially point breaks and reef breaks, that consistently break in one direction. Many such waves are known as "lefts" or "rights." So if you really want to work on your front-side or back-side surfing, you can choose one of those breaks if any are in your area. Beach breaks can be inconsistent and harder to predict. With lower-quality breaks, you just have to learn how to read the waves as noted above.

[SoCalSurfing]

Tony,

Are there any good one direction breaks around SoCal, that are not too big (4ft and under)

Also, when you say "reef breaks" does that mean there are hard reefs right under? I'm not down for that!

Thanks!

[RonG]

This is one aspect of surfing I'm really struggling with. I live at a beach break with a sandbar that seems to change size and shape daily. Even on a relatively good day, I'm lucky if I guess right half the time. Half the time a decent ride down the line, the other half a short trip into a wall of foam

[SoCalSurfing]

Nice! haha. How do you maneuver the sandbar? IS it really shallow in some places? Also, where is this beach?

[tonylamont]

Tony,

Are there any good one direction breaks around SoCal, that are not too big (4ft and under)

Also, when you say "reef breaks" does that mean there are hard reefs right under? I'm not down for that!

Thanks!

I've never surfed SoCal, though I know Malibu is a right point break. I would assume it breaks pretty consistently in the same direction.

Yes, reef breaks have hard (and often jagged) reef, sometimes right under the surface. They may break more consistently because, unlike sandbars, they don't shift around. plus due to geometry part of the reef may get shallow farther out than other parts. The wave hits the shallow part of the reef, jacks up and starts to break. The wave may then peel off consistently in one (or both) directions because the reef is deeper elsewhere and it takes longer for the wave to break on the deeper parts of the reef.

Some reefs are shallower than others. So not saying you shouldn't surf them, but make sure you get some dependable local knowledge first.

[RonG]

Nice! haha. How do you maneuver the sandbar? IS it really shallow in some places? Also, where is this beach?

I do most of my surfing in a 6 block stretch of beach to the north and south of the street where I live. Seasons, storms, and currents change the shape and location of the sandbar all the time, so how the waves are breaking along that stretch of beach varies a lot. Yes, it gets really shallow in some places, and you find those places when you suddenly find you've drifted into the impact zone and the water is only a few feet deep.

BTW it's southern NJ.

[SoCalSurfing]

BTW it's southern NJ.

wow! I didn't know there was surfing there, pardon my ignorance.

[RonG]

BTW it's southern NJ.

wow! I didn't know there was surfing there, pardon my ignorance.

Well, it's certainly not the world's best surfing, but we do have 130 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline
The barrier island I live on accounts for about 18 miles of that.