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Surf Science: An Introduction to Waves for Surfing
Have you ever wondered where surfing waves come from, what makes every wave different, why some peel perfectly and others just close out; why, some days, the waves come in sets and other days they don't, and how the tides, the wind and the shape of the sea floor affect the waves for surfing? If you have, this book is for you. Now in its third edition, Surf Science is an introduction to the science of waves and oceanography from a surfer's point of view. It fills the gap between surfing books and waves textbooks, and helps surfers to learn how to predict surf. You don't need a scientific background to read it, just curiosity and a fascination for waves.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 1905
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340 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 6, 2023
An excellent guide for those who want to learn more about how surfable waves come into existence explained to people who aren't experts in the field of oceanology.
Surf Science is what it claims to be: a comprehensive book about the science of surfing, or waves in specific. In fourteen chapters we learn why waves exist and break in the first place, how they grow and behave in shallow water, how local winds and temperature affects water, rips and tides and how to read forecasting charts.
Online forecasts are great these days, but it's even better to know what they're actually predicting. People who surf will know the common websites such as surf line or surf forecast, which will tell you what the waves are going to be like in the upcoming days. But just like the weather, waves aren't completely random and it's just a lot more satisfying to know why things are the way they are. The field of oceanology is probably way more complex than this book makes it feel like, because Tony Butt is not only filtering the relevant information for surfers, but also explaining them at a level that non-scientists like me can understand well – with a lot of graphics, analogies and examples.
I personally learned a lot and even took a couple of notes while reading in order not to forget what Butt has taught me. I loved his approach of delivering information and starting with easy concepts before moving on to more complex themes. I think any surfer will greatly benefit from the knowledge provided here!
Surf Science is what it claims to be: a comprehensive book about the science of surfing, or waves in specific. In fourteen chapters we learn why waves exist and break in the first place, how they grow and behave in shallow water, how local winds and temperature affects water, rips and tides and how to read forecasting charts.
Online forecasts are great these days, but it's even better to know what they're actually predicting. People who surf will know the common websites such as surf line or surf forecast, which will tell you what the waves are going to be like in the upcoming days. But just like the weather, waves aren't completely random and it's just a lot more satisfying to know why things are the way they are. The field of oceanology is probably way more complex than this book makes it feel like, because Tony Butt is not only filtering the relevant information for surfers, but also explaining them at a level that non-scientists like me can understand well – with a lot of graphics, analogies and examples.
I personally learned a lot and even took a couple of notes while reading in order not to forget what Butt has taught me. I loved his approach of delivering information and starting with easy concepts before moving on to more complex themes. I think any surfer will greatly benefit from the knowledge provided here!
February 14, 2022
Top all time shelf. What a great applied scientific approach to the art of forecasting wave quality.
Especially the section on sandbars opened my eyes and intuition to a world I was blind to before. Since then, I have scored numerous times at Ocean Beach and Linda Mar, two notoriously bad or good for the same tide/swell/wind (and epic in the case of OB), most of the variance dependent on the sand bar quality.
Also the bathymetry discussions were really nice and more applied than other books I've read that chalk it up to bathymetry and go no farther. I now have a better understanding of why Linda Mar diffracts waves to always be perpendicular to the beach. Best of all, the knowledge is not in a vacuum, I have seen it, applied it, and expanded my intuition to the point I find it incredible I couldn't see it and intuit it before. But it is definitely true, I was surfing for years blind to this stuff.
Especially the section on sandbars opened my eyes and intuition to a world I was blind to before. Since then, I have scored numerous times at Ocean Beach and Linda Mar, two notoriously bad or good for the same tide/swell/wind (and epic in the case of OB), most of the variance dependent on the sand bar quality.
Also the bathymetry discussions were really nice and more applied than other books I've read that chalk it up to bathymetry and go no farther. I now have a better understanding of why Linda Mar diffracts waves to always be perpendicular to the beach. Best of all, the knowledge is not in a vacuum, I have seen it, applied it, and expanded my intuition to the point I find it incredible I couldn't see it and intuit it before. But it is definitely true, I was surfing for years blind to this stuff.
March 1, 2021
Great book going thru the scientific details of the ocean and its relation to surfing, how pressure systems creates waves, rips forms, tides theory and such. Easy comprehensible language to the layman.
March 23, 2017
Picked this up since it has been 40 years since my only course in physical oceanography. Discovered two delightful things: that the stuff is still in there and Tony Butt has the rare gift of lucidity.
June 8, 2020
This book served it’s purpose well as an intro to the basics of understanding waves for surfing. It is sufficiently simplified and devoid of math to provide the gist for a layperson, but detailed enough to understand where waves come from, how they shape, and how to read surf forecasts.
April 8, 2018
Tony Butt!
Pretty good, could use some rearranging.
Pretty good, could use some rearranging.
March 3, 2021
A very good book, despite being a bit too technical at some points.
April 8, 2021
Worth reading to get basics on waves for surfing.
May 1, 2021
This book rocks!
October 9, 2021
great intro book
March 2, 2022
Brb taking half an hour to pick the optimal swell window instead of taking 30 seconds to check Surfline
July 16, 2010
This book was a good introduction to waves and weather. For the most part, it is simple and easy to read. I likely would have liked it more had I read it when I first began surfing and knew less about waves. Still, it was worth my time.
June 28, 2016
Reviewed here: http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blo...
October 28, 2015
Good content, but needs an editor.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews