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It doesn’t necessarily get any easier to tell the height of a wave from the water. Photo: Brent Storm//Unsplash
Editor’s Note:
Welcome to Surf History 101, where we look at innovations in the world of surfing and beyond that changed the pursuit forever. In this edition, Sam George examines the history of measuring waves and how it’s shaped the pursuit.
What Is It
The decades-long custom of ignoring actual wave height, choosing instead to declaratively assert an estimate – the assigned figure having been reached in a completely arbitrary manner.
Who Developed It
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During the recent Margaret River Pro, held at that venerable Western Australian reef break, a classic example of estimating wave height was on display, the result, no doubt, very confusing to those surf fans new to the game. Early rounds were held in heavy, blustery, Indian Ocean swells that two-time world champion Gabriel Medina from Brazil called the biggest he’d ever
HAWAII (WABC) There s new video of a surfer s paradise Saturday in Hawaii with swells reaching 50 feet.
Weather watchers in the Aloha State are reporting that the waves within the island chain were the biggest of the season.
Waves are also expected to be elevated again Sunday.
Extremely large swells are no stranger to Hawaii this time of the year, mainly due to the passing of mid-latitude cyclones across the Pacific Ocean.