Parts of a Wave: Wave Structure and Wave Shape

A crucial part to surfing well is understanding the waves. Knowing wave structure and wave shape allows you to harness the wave’s energy and form to your advantage, leading to better rides.

If you’re a beginner surfer, you might have heard more experienced surfers in the lineup say things like, “it took me forever to paddle through the impact zone”, “that left was a sweet ride” or “I caught it at the peak and flew all the way down the line”. Confused, you probably wondered, “but what’s a ‘left’?” Or “Which part of the wave is the peak? Where’s the impact zone? And what the heck does ‘down the line’ mean?”

If this sounds like you, you’re in good company! Almost everyone has asked these questions at some point – especially those of us who learned to surf later in life or didn’t grow up in surf culture.

Our Wavehuggers surf instructors are stellar at covering these types of basics during the surf lessons, but in case you need a refresher or haven’t had a lesson yet, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about the parts of a wave and wave shapes below.

The Parts of a Wave:

This graphic gives an overview of where each part of the wave is in relation to the others. Now let’s go through each one individually!

Peak

Also known as “the crest”, this is the highest point on the wave and the first place that the wave breaks. You can usually identify the peak based on where the wave has a slight point or where the wave is starting to curl over on itself.

Intermediate to advanced surfers aim to catch the wave as close to the peak as possible. The closer to the peak they are, the higher quality and longer their ride will be.

Face

The face is the unbroken section of the wave to the side of the peak and past where the wave is breaking. Surfers use this section to prepare to generate speed and power for maneuvers. Intermediate surfers can use the face to practice surfing faster and turning. Longboarders like to cross-step or hang ten in this area. For beginner surfers who are learning to ride unbroken waves, the face or further down on the shoulder are good places for them to hang out.

Lip

The lip is the top edge of the wave. Because this part of the wave is just about to curl over, it holds a lot of power. A number of tricks and maneuvers tap into this power. For example, perhaps you’ve heard of a surfer, “snapping off the lip”. This means that they used the lip to help them turn very sharply on the top part of the wave, directing the surfboard back down onto the face. While beginner surfers might make it up to the lip occasionally or accidentally, it’s usually advanced surfers who spend more time there because maneuvering on the lip requires speed, agility and the ability to transfer your weight to different parts of the board, just to name a few skills. Another reason for this is because these maneuvers typically require small to medium sized boards and beginners are usually on longer foamies.

Curl

This is also often called, “the pocket”. It is similar to the face, but steeper, more curved, and more powerful. It’s just outside the tube or almost directly below the peak. Advanced surfers spend time here if they aren’t in the tube because the combination of the curved angle and the power it has leads to endless opportunities for maneuvers. For example, it can sometimes act as a ramp for skills like airs.

Tube

Also known as “the barrel,” this is the part of the wave where the lip curls over onto the face, forming a hollow section that a surfer can ride through. If a surfer says they, “got barreled,” that means they caught the wave and then positioned themselves to stay deep enough in the pocket that the barrel formed over them. Then they were able to ride in the tube for a few seconds.

The goal is to ride through the tube all the way out to the open face at the end – which is no small feat. Only very advanced surfers can accomplish this due to the immense skill required to weave your way through the tube. If you’re too deep, you run the risk of “going over the falls”. This happens when the surfer gets swept up in the momentum of water going up the wave’s face and then plummets over the lip into the impact zone. It’s definitely something to avoid and can be very dangerous!

However, on the other hand, if you’re too far on the outside edge of the tube, the lip will probably hit you on the head and knock you off your board. Another challenge comes from the fact that the tube section on many waves will clamp off before the surfer can make it through. This traps the surfer in the tube and leads to a guaranteed wipeout when it collapses on them.

Not all waves have a tube. The creation of a barrel is highly dependent on the size of the wave, the typography of the ocean floor, wind conditions, tides and many other factors. This only serves to make waves that have rideable barrels even more coveted in the surfing community.

Shoulder

The lip and the face start to blend together on this part of the wave. It is farther away from the peak and has a gentler slope with a less pronounced lip. The shoulder also has less power and speed so advanced surfers don’t often ride over here. However, it’s an awesome spot for beginner and intermediate surfers to start to get a feel for riding unbroken waves.

Trough

Just as the peak is the highest point on the wave, the trough is the lowest. It also has very little power or momentum, so while surfers cross through the trough here and there, they don’t stay there. It’s most common to ride through this section after coming down the face of the wave and doing a large bottom turn.

Impact Zone

Have you ever been paddling back out to the lineup and had an oncoming wave break right on you? If so, you were in the impact zone.

The impact zone is the area of flat water that the lip of an oncoming wave will land on, creating whitewater. Don’t be deceived, it can be flat and calm one moment and then turbulent and intimidating the next. If possible, it is best to paddle around this area – especially if you’re a beginner surfer and if the surf is large – to prevent getting pounded by the oncoming waves and to avoid getting in the way of surfers riding those waves. However, in many cases this is not possible, so do your best to anticipate the waves or surfers that are coming towards you and always practice good surf etiquette.

Whitewater

This is the foamy, white area of the wave that’s created when the lip hits the impact zone. Sometimes it forms in more of a row or a line, other times in more of a ball shape. Different types of waves have different strengths or amounts of whitewater. Whitewater means that the wave has already broken in that section.

The whitewater of broken waves is one of the best places for beginner surfers to practice catching waves and popping up. It provides a flat, mellow section for them to gain their footing, without having to worry about the steeper, faster parts of an unbroken wave.

Types of Wave Shapes:

While most waves have all the sections that we just identified above, waves can still be very different from one to the next. This is where wave shape comes in. Knowing a few basic wave shapes will help you read waves more confidently.

A “Right”

A “right” wave breaks to the right from the surfer’s perspective, meaning that the shoulder and face of the wave is to their right. So if the surfer catches the wave at the peak and surfs down the line to his right, he is riding “a right”.

(”Down the line” means the surfer is riding from the peak of the wave towards the shoulder, following the line of the wave as it’s breaking.)

A “Left”

A “left” is exactly the same as a “right,” but going the other direction. A wave that peels off to the left from the perspective of the surfer in lineup is a “left”.

“A Frame”

An “A Frame” wave breaks on either side of the peak, creating both a “left” and a “right”. These waves are awesome because two surfers can split the wave at the peak – one going left and one going right – while still adhering to surf etiquette and not getting in the way of each other. Effectively, each surfer has their own wave.

Closeout

The term “walled” is another word for a closeout wave. Closeout waves don’t have a singular peak that breaks first. Instead, the wave breaks all at once, creating a “wall” of water as opposed to a smooth, unbroken face either to the right or the left sides to surf. This makes them very difficult to surf. However, some advanced surfers enjoy the challenge!

 

Ready to take this knowledge into the water?

Wavehuggers offers private surf lessons and group surf lessons for all ages and skill levels.

Join us at one of our 19 beach locations across San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles. Our fun-loving and expert surf instructors will meet you there with all the gear (boards and wetsuits) and teach you everything you need to know to become a true surfer.

Alternatively, we also offer community surf classes for beginners who know the basics and want to take their surfing to the next level! Classes are usually held on Saturday mornings at multiple locations. See you there!