Posts: 45,177. Images: 241. Re: Wave height / Period /Wind speed comfort. I’ve always felt that a wave period (in seconds) of 1.33 times the wave height (in feet) generally provides a comfortable ride. A wave period equal to, or less than, wave height (square waves) will be very uncomfortable.
What is a good wave period?
10-12 Good to Great – Decent surfing waves arriving in uniformed sets. Expect more wave face, longer rides with a more pronounced shape. 13+ Excellent – Great long period ground swell generated by a large storm and high winds far out to sea.
What wave period is uncomfortable?
An 8 second wave period is fairly typical for a local 1′ – 3′ wind swell. With 5’+ wave heights, that same 8 second wave period becomes an abnormally uncomfortable head sea.
What is average wave period?
In simple terms the average period is the 20 average of all measured waves as someone stated above. DDominate wave is the largest of the wave patterns. Since there is often waves from multiple direction, some locally wind driven and some from a storm or weather condition sometimes hundreds of miles away.
Is a 2m swell big?
Sea waves caused by the local wind, are often superimposed on swell moving in from a distance.
Sea waves and swell.
| Height | Description |
|---|---|
| Low | 0-2 metres |
| Moderate | 2-4 metres |
| Heavy | over 4 metres |
What is a good swell size for surfing?
1-3m
Swell size
If the surf forecast says 1-3m (3-9ft), then it’s usually a good time to go surfing. 3m waves are not appropriate for beginners, but experienced surfers take on waves of incredible height. Under 1 meter, waves are usually more suited to beginner surfers.
What is a good swell period for boating?
Swell explanations
| Description | Wave Length | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Short swell of moderate height | 0-100 m | Less than 8 sec |
| Average swell of moderate height | 100-200 m | Greater than 8 sec, < 11 sec |
| Long swell of moderate height | over 200 m | Greater than 11 sec |
| Short heavy swell | 0-100 m | Less than 8 sec |
What is wave height and period?
There are three fundamental properties of ocean waves: height, period, and direction. Wave height generally refers to how tall a wave is from trough to crest, wave direction is the direction the wave is coming from, and wave period is the time it takes for successive waves to pass a fixed point, such as a buoy.
What is wave period in boating?
Wave period is the distance between two waves passing through a stationary point, measured in seconds.
How many seconds between waves is good?
10 – 12 Seconds
They can often create good quality surf. These swells won’t bend or ‘refract’ into hard to reach surf spots and are less likely to barrel when smaller than longer period swells.
How big is a 3 foot wave?
roughly six feet high
Thus, a “3-foot” wave is roughly six feet high (in actuality an Hm0 of ~1.8 m), i.e., head-high to a 6-foot (~180 cm) person; a “2-foot” wave is roughly four feet high (Hm0 of ~1.2 m), i.e., chest-high to such a person; and a “6- to 8-foot” wave would be 2 to approaching 3 times head-high to such a person (Hm0 of ~3.5
What does Seas around 2 feet mean?
The interval is the amount of time between wave crests (wave length). So, in this case, there is a 2-foot swell coming out of the west at a distance where a wave crest will pass a stationary point every 8-seconds. In other words, they’re calling for a fairly calm ocean.
What size waves can a boat handle?
A rule of thumb is 1/3 of your boat length is what your boat can reasonably handle. Obviously, with seamanship, you can take more but the math is against you. Think a boat a boat balanced on a wave 50% of the length. The boat can go down at a 45% angle.
How big do ocean swells get?
With a height of up to 29.1 meters (95 feet) from trough to crest, the single waves are the highest ever measured. In terms of so-called significant wave height, they established a new record, according to the scientists: 18.5 meters (61 feet). Significant wave height is the median height of a wave’s upper third.
Are 4 meter waves big?
But the official World Meteorological Organization (WMO) sea state code on the Douglas Sea Scale of a “rough sea” is waves of 2.5 to 4 metres (8 ft 2 in to 13 ft 1 in). A sea as you describe; 0.5 to 1.25 metres (1 ft 8 in to 4 ft 1 in) is called a “slight sea”.
Is a 3ft wave big?
As far as I’m concerned, three feet is the perfect size for a wave. It’s big enough that you can ride a shortboard and still have some decent faces to work with, but it’s small enough to bust out the longboard and work on your nose-riding without worrying about bouncing your head off the reef.
What does Lotus mean in surfing?
forecasting model
LOTUS is our new forecasting model; the successor of LOLA. This new forecast model combines cutting edge prediction technology with NOAA’s Wavewatch III source code to give you more accurate wave forecasts.
What size waves should a beginner surf?
GOOD WAVE HEIGHT FOR BEGINNER SURFERS? Generally speaking the smaller the better — but not too small that you can’t get moving. This usually means waves in the 1.5 – 2ft range (occasionally 3ft if you’re up to it).
Is 1.5 m swell big?
If the wind is stronger than 15 knots, don’t go, if the swell is bigger than 1.5 meters, don’t go and if the seas are bigger than 1.5 meters, don’t go. The difference between seas and swell.
What is too windy to boat?
Generally, wind gusts of 34 knots (39 mph) or more are often strong enough to capsize small boats, especially when they catch the boater off-guard.
What is the difference between a swell and a wave?
Waves are generated by wind moving over water; they indicate the speed of the wind in that area. Swell are waves (usually with smooth tops) that have moved beyond the area where they were generated.
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