Once again wave scale

[jaffa1949]

Scale of size;
Double underhead = millpond flat
Under head = ripples less than ankle breakers
Knee High = knee high
Waist high = waist high
Shoulder high = shoulder high
Head high = Head high measure surfer for translation to other systems
Overhead = what it says
Double over head = starting to get serious at some breaks
Triple over head = lunatics liars and stay on shore and take photos or watch
Bigger than that tow in.

AT what level does comfort go and fear kick in.

[oldmansurfer]

It changes with your exposure to surf. Even before I surfed on a board I was completely comfortable in double overhead waves both bodysurfing and paipo boarding. So when I started board surfing it took me a while before I was scared by the size of the waves I was surfing. It was about learning to surf so I slowly increased the size. There is generally some fear when I surf but far less often in smaller surf. Fear however to me is the performance juice. If I am afraid, my performance goes up a notch and if I am really scared, I go into the zone or so I hear it is called, where I am sort of like a passenger just along for the ride and my instincts do everything. Right now it's like about head high that I am comfortable with. Long ago it was double overhead.

[Geezer]

I’m good to double OH. Beyond that it’s too heavy for me.

[jaffa1949]

An it depends for me is wave size + conditions+ which particular break+ crowd factor and their attitude.

But seriously I have had two of my worst injuries in small surf

[waikikikichan]

Others don't like surfing with me, because I make the surf break more crowded. Surfers pull up in their cars, look out and see it's overhead. Then they paddle out to the line up and get disappointed when they realize it's only overhead for me.

[jaffa1949]

But you were taller with the moon boot and broken leg

[oldmansurfer]

When surfing at Hanalei, which is one of the best right breaking waves on the island, back in the day, if it was overhead to double overhead it was seriously crowded. It wasn't big enough to keep the wanabe surfers from coming out and sitting in the lineup. Going up to triple overhead was a marked drop in the number of surfers in the lineup and every one of them would be catching waves, made up mostly of just the guys who I surfed with a lot while learning to surf. So triple overhead was a treat as you were going to catch lots of waves. The only time I surfed there alone it was around 5 or more times overhead and initially there were 6 guys out but they declined to surf and went in.

I had a VW camper van and even camped on the beach at Hanalei so I could be the first guy out in the morning. But even though it was still dark enough that you couldn't see the waves there were 6 guys out. I think they were the same 6 guys who were out on that big day. Lots of fear with those bigger days but there was always the fear of not surfing and regretting it for the rest of my life. So it was like maybe I will die but if I don't go out then I will regret it for the rest of my life.

I hear that these days Hanalei has more than 100 surfers out at triple overhead and that holds true for the waves at the breaks I usually go to near my home. Huge crowds if it's nice and triple overhead. The nice thing about my home area is there are often multiple peaks that one can chose so even if it's crowded you can find a peak with 10 or less surfers. I like stormy surf that discourages everyone from going out.