Surf updates - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

TCS · 09-23-2010, 08:14 PM

Point well taken Chris. Here's another tidbit related to swell intervals. Swell period matters as much as direction at the launch. A four foot northwest swell with a 5 second period will pound the launch. Same swell direction with a 15 second interval will leave the launch virtually untouched. (Usually) This is due to the bathymetry of the ocean floor. The energy in a long period swell reaches much deeper under the surface of the water and the energy can then be funneled into certain areas according to the bottom contours.

For example, on a long period northwest swell, the launch might be flat and scripps overhead. On a short period swell there is not as much difference in size, although scripps will still be bigger.

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09-23-2010, 08:14 PM	#20
TCS Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 478	Point well taken Chris. Here's another tidbit related to swell intervals. Swell period matters as much as direction at the launch. A four foot northwest swell with a 5 second period will pound the launch. Same swell direction with a 15 second interval will leave the launch virtually untouched. (Usually) This is due to the bathymetry of the ocean floor. The energy in a long period swell reaches much deeper under the surface of the water and the energy can then be funneled into certain areas according to the bottom contours. For example, on a long period northwest swell, the launch might be flat and scripps overhead. On a short period swell there is not as much difference in size, although scripps will still be bigger.