Surfing Waves

Hi Guys so im quite a newb, I was surfing in cornwall, I found this beach on the map that was off the beaten path, it's the most north west facing beach in cornwall, it gets loads of atlantic swell, the swell was south westerly The onshore winds were epic, the surf was messy, every set was crashing into each other, I tried turtle rolling and duck diving but to no avail, I took a step back watched the waves for 5 minutes then saw the riptides and paddles those out. When the waves hit me (even the 3 foot waves hit me), bloody hell they were heavy it was like being hit by a dumper truck and I heard a guy say this cove had a very heavy wave?! It's the first time the waves ever felt this heavy and when i got hit by a 6 footer i was easily under for 10 seconds or more . Does anyone know what causes this or had and any similar experiences?

It just depends on the swell and the type of break. Each beach is different so you never know until you paddle out.

You'll also find the same beach has different waves in high/low tide. Also the sand can move creating a whole new wave!

Here are three photos of waves. Look at the lip - the bit that is curling over. Note how the lip is different thicknesses - the first one really really thick, the next one thick and the last one pretty thin. Also see how 'wide' the wave is at the base - again, the first very wide. Basically a 'heavy wave' is a wave with a lot of water in it, which shows up in the thickness of the base plus the lip.

More water = more power. It doesnt mean the wave moves or breaks faster necessarily or is even bigger than other waves, but it means that if it hits you then it hits you with a ton (or, literally, several tons) more water than a wave that isnt heavy. Given that there is more power behind you, you will be propelled faster.

So heavy waves are more powerful. You go faster but if you get things wrong then you get pounded harder. So not as good for beginners

You will also find people sometimes call waves 'heavy' when they rise up and then pound down, such as in the second photo. Check out the difference between the white water bouncing up between the second and third photos

jerome,
your story is a reminder to carefully observe waves before entering the water. All surfers with some experience know to do this. Intermediate to experts to pros do it and they may do it without it being obvious to a grom. At minimum, this practice leads to more fun because you identify the route to get to the outback and waves to surf. At maximum, this practice can save your life. And remember, never turn your back on the sea.
billie

Yes DTC!!! That's it exactly ,there was more water in these waves, I'd surfed similiar height waves before but there was more water in these ones then i'd ever encounted before, i got pounded harder than ever before, im not trying to exagerate but for a 6 footer it looked and felt more like picture 1. Do you know what causes some waves to hold more water?

Hi Billie, I won't lie I had a quick one minute look from the top of the cove and it looked pretty calm it wasn't until i was in the water i was like "SHHIIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!!!!!" Im glad for the experience i was a bit out of my league and comfort zone, it forced me to review things and not take them for granted and to take a real hard look at the sea and see what i was doing wrong and how I had to change my game plan. It's helped me no end and next time im gonna be watching the sea like a fiend and I've learnt a million things from this experience. I've learnt my limits from this. I've never heard the one about never turning your back on the sea... I WILL remember that. Thanks

Jerome - There are times when you will find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, and the waves are bigger than you estimated, or a rogue set rolls through. Thats the thing that makes surfing so difficult, the ocean is never predictable. It happened to me this past Sunday, a big nasty rogue set rolled through here at Blacks, and I took a solid 8-10 footer on the head. I was held down forever seemingly. It wasn't a big day persay, playful waves, about chest to head high. Just a nasty rogue rolled through. I looked up at the wave before I tried to swim under, and it seemed like a huge mammoth of a mountain of water falling on top of my head, I ditched my board, and swam as deep as I could. It turned pitch black underwater, and I was getting twisted, pulled, and yanked in every direction, the washing machine. Finally, the wave let me go and I was able to swim to surface. But it was sure scary. It rattled me for the remainder of my session.

I can't imagine how the big wave surfers take 40 footers on the head. I would die.

This may sound harsh but at your level going out at secluded cove, in harsh onshore conditions is asking for trouble. Onshore winds ( epic you say) make any surf a washing machine and hide rips and other dangers, they make the surf mushy and or unpredictable. Watch any surf is the first thing you do anywhere. If you can't handle it there is no shame in not going out , better than being a casualty.

You have been shown quite a bit a bout heavy, means hard hitting are you ready to be hit, have real good read through the forum, find out where you really are in the food chain!
Get your skills in gentle conditions and then move out wards

jerome-v6 wrote:Yes DTC!!! That's it exactly ,there was more water in these waves, I'd surfed similiar height waves before but there was more water in these ones then i'd ever encounted before, i got pounded harder than ever before, im not trying to exagerate but for a 6 footer it looked and felt more like picture 1. Do you know what causes some waves to hold more water?

If it looked like picture 1 I wouldnt be any closer than at least 100m on shore...that wave (called 'cyclops') is reputed to be the heaviest wave in the world (or at least the heaviest lip - Pipleline, Mavericks, Chopes etc all have a claim to the heaviest)

Why are some waves heavier? Its just a combination of the factors that make up a wave - swell, wind, the sea floor, things like whether the water is funnelled by reefs or headlands into a small zone etc. As Jaffa pointed out, onshore winds is a factor. For example, if a wave rises up out of the water about to break, if the wind is offshore (blowing out to sea), then the wind will blow against the way the wave is breaking and hold it up just a little bit. Making the wave a bit steeper. But if the wind is onshore, as the wave rises up the wind just blows it straight down again and it crashes.

Mostly its the swell,bay formation and the sea bottom, so a beach with a heavy wave will usually have a heavy wave all the time (subject to changes to sandbars etc) given the same swell; but the wind can change a wave from normal on one day to heavy on another.

Just an example, today at T land was a day too heavy for me.Minimum double overhead as the basic wave and building on that, twenty knot offshore winds making a huge racing feathered lip, high speed wave.
I wouldn't have been able to get my longboard up to that speed in the drop. I barely handled the sets at that size the day before with a light offshore grooming wind.
Today's decision, gentle day and watching other people get hammered

A 64 year olds stay at home time!