Reading a surf report for a beginner

[cbouza3]

Presumably it's even too early in my progression to worry about such minute details, but I want to increase my general knowledge as I go.

With a lot of breaks to choose from (even "good beginner breaks") in 20 minutes drive, I spend a lot of time out of the water looking at surf reports to pick my spots. I've read that a longer swell period is a good thing, but what about in comparison to swell height? Higher swell period = more power behind the wave, right? But which do you sacrifice in order to increase the other, swell height or swell period?

Comparing my usual two spots below for example, which is "better"? And by better, I mean for a beginner surfer able to catch waves but still working on pop-up. Even if the exact numbers below aren't different enough, can someone weigh in with generalities about the subject?

Bolsa Chica (standing on the beach facing the water you are facing SouthWest)


VS.
El Porto (standing on the beach facing the water you are facing almost directly West)

[jaffa1949]

Here is a guide as I see it for beginners and covers most circumstance as a broad assessment.
First take swell size, (easy reading that) look at the period which represents the wave length of the swell these two things give you a general estimate of the power of the wave that will generated.
Short period means less power and most likely the swell has been created fairly close by.
Longer period means the swell is more organised more powerful and probably traveled further to get to your beach.
So a two foot swell on a 15 second period will be substantial in power, a one foot by 7second will be nowhere near as powerful.

Now comes the important bit, the bottom of the beach on which you wish to surf, starting at the Continental Shelf and offshore sandbank the swell begins to react an change itself accordingly.

At the point where the swell turns to waves is the most critical and gives the variance in wave types
Long continental shelf lacks wave power because the long gradually sloping offshore bank adds friction drag to slow and de-power the wave before it hits the shore line.
A deep water coast with an abrupt rise to the shore will generate a more powerful shore wave. Add further a choice of sand rocks or man made break creators.

Then throw in local and prevailing wind conditions and that is really the way to give yourself a chance of forecasting!

Get to know the beaches where you want to surf then apply the information above.

If you want to go the scientific way read Tony Butt's writings in the Stormrider guides or especially in in The Surfers Path Magazine, he is the best studied writer on this!.

Another way to figure out what means what is to take your report with you to the beach and see just how that report stacks up against what you see.
now specifically:
for the same size Bolsa Chica would be more powerful with westerly cross shore wind a pretty average day. The el Porto surf would be mostly gutless and messy with full onshore winds and the swell( which is hardly that) would generated nearby.
There are a couple of Orange County guys on Forum who could be more specific about the Pacific! Terrific

[IB_Surfer]

Here is a trick I picked up that will make you better at predicting surf conditions. I use swellwatch http://www.surfermag.com/surf-reports-a ... an%20Diego)

The reason I do is that you can click on the swell direction and tide chart, that way you can plan accordingly. If the surf is predominally NW I have a set of breaks I like, same if SW, and similarly low and high tides, rising and falling tides too.

So how do you get better? Simple, look at the conditions before you go out, make a mental note of swell direction, size, and such, and try to remember how the waves where under those conditions. Eventually, after a while, you get used to forecasting your go-outs.