Once you discover your passion for surfing, there are a few things that you have to figure out. One of those is how to read a surf report. Surfers want to see what’s going on out in the water before they venture out there. Checking the surf report is a great way to make sure you’ll have a good, safe day on the waves.
Where to Find a Surf Report
Since I’m in Rhode Island I refer to the Rhode Island surf report. I count on this website to give me the most accurate and up to date surf report information. All of the information presented can be a bit daunting for beginning users. That’s why I am here to help. I will explain the surf report and how to accurately read and interpret it.
How to Read the Rhode Island Surf Report
The first few things you’ll see are: the weather and temperature for the day, the wind direction and speed, a buoy report, when high tide and low tide are, and the water temperature. These are at the top of the report and are represented by icons. Further information can be gathered if needed by clicking on the icons and following the links.
Below this is a swell and surf chart for the next few days. It is color coded with green meaning clear, blue meaning fair, and red meaning choppy waters. It also indicates how high the waves are: from knee to overhead. This chart also tells you beach direction, either south or east.
Further down are pull down links which if clicked on will pull up a swell table, weather forecast, tide chart, and wind table. The center of the page has SIG wave height chart, which shows the current wave distributions. This again is color coded and you can click on certain points on the chart for different surf locations.
Below all of this is another table with surf reports from local areas including: Narragansett, Point Judith, and Gilgo Beach. This is why it’s also treated as a Narragansett surf report. Some of these locations have surf cams with live footage of the ocean. To the right is a surf forum where you can chat with local surfers about current conditions and forecasts.
The left side of the page has summaries of the conditions for the day. It tells you how the surf will be and what the day’s conditions are and will be, in words. This is arguably the best place on the page for beginners to gather their information as it’s clear to interpret and understand. There is also wind and swell information and a weekly forecast of wave height.
As I said, your first few times reading the Rhode Island surf report can be confusing, but once you get used to it you’ll find it very useful. My advice is to go and explore the site for yourself. Take your time looking at all the different charts and information. Explore all of the various links and extra information that the site will give you.
photo credit: January rush via photopin (license)
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