Surfing Waves

BaNZ wrote:Unsure how well you surf. But if you can't identify a rip, it kinda hints that you're newish to surfing. I might be wrong but most surfers should be able to spot one easily with experience.

BaNZ wrote:Winter surf in Cornwall is brutal, you really shouldn't be going out all the way to the lineup until you're more capable. I did it in my second year of surfing. I nearly couldn't get back to the beach. The rip dragged me out to the lineup but the sets was too big, I couldn't catch them safely to make my way back in.

BaNZ wrote:Anyway the easiest way to spot a rip is to sit at a surf spot for 30 minutes monitoring how the other surfers gets in and out of the water.

Best of luck and enjoy your surfing adventures.

BaNZ wrote:I mostly go to North Devon as it's a little closer and less crowded. Croyde and Woolacombe.

BaNZ wrote:Not been to Summerleaze Beach. But I can tell from google map that Summerleaze rarely have any waves unless the swell direction is correct. It's a cove and it's enclosed. There is the rip as you can see the difference in water color. The greener shows it's deeper and that's where the boats comes out.

jaffa1949 wrote:Every beach that has wave will have one or more rips, the bigger the surf the stronger the rips,look up how to identify a rip! or a rip Lots of good videos
Your life could depend on it and it is also an easier paddle out to the surf zone.

jaffa1949 wrote: Sand bank beach, each end of the beach has a rip going out often near the rocky point or headland.
Mid beach look firstly for calmer water between where waves are breaking appearing deeper with often a calm hole near the beach with a lateral shore current feeding into it, a strong rip may be discoloured by sand in it.

jaffa1949 wrote:You cannot paddle or swim against a rip, you either need to swim across the current or let it sweep you out to where it turns towards the beach!
If you go across you swim into the wave zone, allow this to wash you in or body surf in!
A good practice for a new beach is to ask the lifeguards or a knowledgeable surfer, what the hazards are. They’d be happy to answer that than have to rescue you.
If you have an experienced friend get them to show you rips, board and leash are not a safety device essential skill is being able to read a beach!

Naeco78 wrote:I hope everyone has a healthy appreciation for riptides. As others have eluded to, they can either be your best friend or your worst nightmare. Kinda like a sailor and the wind

ale wrote:Hello! I'm new here and wanted to say Hi!

I also wanted to ask a question about the various Bude beaches. The other day I had a short chat with folks from Bude and they mentioned that there's a rip that takes one out to the line up. I was wondering if anyone knows which of the beaches that is, I read about Summerleaze with the river/s providing a rip but I'm not sure if that's what they meant?

Why am I asking? I went to Newquay not too long ago and struggled getting out (no rip, no or hardly any gaps between smaller & bigger sets) and so my thinking is: if there's a rip that helps getting out, then that means more surf (instead of being tired by the time I get to the lineup) .. until I've become better at duck diving / turtle rolling and all that fun stuff .

Any pointers / hints / suggestions would be appreciated!

Alternatively, if there are spots with helpful rips that you know of in north Cornwall or Devon, please do let me know!

Cheers
Alex

ale wrote:

BaNZ wrote:I mostly go to North Devon as it's a little closer and less crowded. Croyde and Woolacombe.

Cool, any tips for these ? Those would also be closer to me by an hour or so I think.

BaNZ wrote:Not been to Summerleaze Beach. But I can tell from google map that Summerleaze rarely have any waves unless the swell direction is correct. It's a cove and it's enclosed. There is the rip as you can see the difference in water color. The greener shows it's deeper and that's where the boats comes out.

Ah, I used Apple Maps which seems to use a picture on higher tide so I didn't see it .. it's quite clear on Google maps though, thanks!

jaffa1949 wrote:Every beach that has wave will have one or more rips, the bigger the surf the stronger the rips,look up how to identify a rip! or a rip Lots of good videos
Your life could depend on it and it is also an easier paddle out to the surf zone.

I was mostly asking re the easier paddle out, but everyone's comments are super helpful and definitely appreciated, and the warnings about the rip also becoming a nightmare at times is a very very good warning.

jaffa1949 wrote: Sand bank beach, each end of the beach has a rip going out often near the rocky point or headland.
Mid beach look firstly for calmer water between where waves are breaking appearing deeper with often a calm hole near the beach with a lateral shore current feeding into it, a strong rip may be discoloured by sand in it.

When I was in Newquay, Towan and Great Western beach, I couldn't see any clear (or even not-so-clear) way out so had to fight through the breaking waves. Interleaving bigger & smaller sets were breaking pretty much allover the place. I also asked some locals (on the way out) and they unanimously all said the same, there's none. There is a harbour wall, but I wanted to stay clear of that as it's near rocks and I was more comfortable with the thought of fighting through the waves where there aren't any (or much fewer) rocks .

jaffa1949 wrote:You cannot paddle or swim against a rip, you either need to swim across the current or let it sweep you out to where it turns towards the beach!
If you go across you swim into the wave zone, allow this to wash you in or body surf in!
A good practice for a new beach is to ask the lifeguards or a knowledgeable surfer, what the hazards are. They’d be happy to answer that than have to rescue you.
If you have an experienced friend get them to show you rips, board and leash are not a safety device essential skill is being able to read a beach!

No lifeguards at this time of the year, but yes, thanks for the suggestion, that's a good idea. I also tend to look up hazards and tips on thesurfatlas.com (or google things about the spot in general) just to get an idea before going; there's little or no "local" knowledge (or is too generic) though, which is why I am asking about more details on here .

Naeco78 wrote:I hope everyone has a healthy appreciation for riptides. As others have eluded to, they can either be your best friend or your worst nightmare. Kinda like a sailor and the wind