A-frame
A description for a wave that is peak-shaped. This highest point of the crest is in the middle with left and right shoulders resembling the shape of a triangle or the letter "A".
Accelerate
To gain speed off a bottom turn or trimming on the face of the wave.
Accessory Man
A surfer who has every surf gear imaginable and uses it all the time.
Acetone
Chemical solvent used to clean polyester resin from tools. This chemical is toxic and flammable.
Aching
How a surfer feels after an intense session or from being pummeled.
Acid Drop
When a surfer takes off on a wave and the bottom of the wave hollows and falls out. This leaves the surfer free falling down the face of the wave.
Aerial
A surfing maneuver in which a surfer launches into the air off the top of the wave getting air born. A number of tricks and moves can be done in the air such as grabbing the rail of the surfboard or rotating 180 degrees.
Aerial Barrel Roll
An aerial maneuver with a 360-degree twist added in the air.
Aerial with Re-entry
An aerial maneuver with a landing on the same wave.
Aggro
A feeling of annoyance of frustration or a reference to someone who is annoyed, frustrated or angry. This is usually caused from a breach in surfing etiquette. It can also be caused from a lack of surfing and moodiness.
Ahu
A place close to shore where a broken wave peaks and breaks again.
Air Freak
A surfer who is awesome at aerial maneuvers
Air to Fakie
When a surfer catches air and lands with the tail of the board pointing down and sliding backwards before spinning 180 to finish off.
Airbrush
An art tool that sprays paint using an air compressor. Often, an airbrush is used to decorate surfboards.
Alaia
A flat wooden surfboard made of wood with no fins or rocker. Originated in Hawaii with the birth of surfing.
Aloha
Hawaiian word used for greeting, good byes, affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy.
Amped
Feeling stoked or charged up.
Amplitude
The vertical distance from still water level to wave peak. This is usually half the height of the wave.
Ancillary Stoke
Condition of onlookers when watching a surfer pull off a radical maneuver.
Angle off
Descending on the face of the wave towards the left of the right. Also called Angling.
Angling
Refers to a surfer paddling or taking off on a wave at an angle in order to ride across the face of a wave rather than riding it straight towards the beach. This is often used to prevent the surfboard from pearling and/or to make the section of the wave. Also called angle off or angled.
Ankle Slop
Small waves that are too small to surf.
Ankle Straps
Leash used to secure the surfboard to a surfer's ankle.
Artificial Reef
A man made structure submerged underwater for one or more of the following reasons.
Creating quality surf. Aid in the development of an ocean ecology for marine life. Preventing beach erosion by lessening the impact of swells pushing sand away from shore.
ASP
Association of Surfing Professionals. This is the governing organization of professional surfing. ASP link
Asymmetrical Zippers
Common in new wetsuit zippers. Designed with staggered teeth to keep less water from penetrating the wetsuit.
Atoll
A coral island consisting of a belt of coral reef. Partly submerged surrounding a central lagoon or depression.
Average Wave Period (AVP)
The average time between successive wave crest observed during a given time period given in seconds.
Axe/axed
A heavy wipeout caused by a big impact of the wave on a surfer. This is also called drilled or pummeled.
Backdoor
The right hand wave produced by the Pipeline. The phrase "backdoor" is also used to describe taking off deep on a wave and shooting through the barrel and out the other side.
Backside
Surfing with your back facing the wave. A goofy footer going right and a regular footer going left.
Backwash
This occurs when a wave traveling toward the beach meets the water rushing back out to sea after going up a steep slope on the beach.
Balsa
This surf industry used this light wood to manufacture most surfboards in the 1940s and 50s. While Polyurethane (PU) foam replaced balsa for board shaping by the 1960s, modern center stringers and parabolic rails are typically made of this wood that grows only in Ecuador.
Barney
Lame surfer
Barrel
The pocket inside a wave between the lip and the face, created when the lip of a crashing wave projects out toward the beach.
Bat-Tail
A surfboard tail design that resembles the wing of a bat.
Beach Break
A wave breaking over sand bars scattered along the ocean floor.
Blank
The unshaped block of foam a shaper receives before starting a new board.
Blind stitched
Stitching process for higher end wet suits. The seams are glued together, then stitched halfway through the material so it's not seen on the other side.
Blown out
Choppy, poor surf conditions caused by on shore wind.
Bodyboarder
Someone who lays his belly on a bodyboard when riding the wave.
Bomb
Rare large wave coming through that is much bigger than what is typical for that session.
Bonzai Pipeline
The crown jewel of the seven mile miracle on the North Shore of Oahu. This heaving left hand wave has made careers and ended lives.
Bonzer
Board shape created by Duncan and Malcolm Campbell in 1971. The board has three or five fins and has double concave channels. These channels help to direct water through the back of the board, increasing top end speed. It is the precursor to the modern single to double concave bottom.
Bottom Turn
The turn performed at the bottom of a wave after dropping down the wave face. It is typically the first maneuver performed on a wave. A bottom turn builds speed for the surfer and sets up the rest of the ride.
Break Line
The line in the water where waves begin to break. As a standard rule, waves break when they reach a depth of 1.3 times the height of the wave face.
Breaking
The act of the top of a wave crumbling or pitching over itself. This happens when energy transfers to the top of a wave after hitting more shallow water.
Bro
Friend or mate
Buoyancy
A measure of how well a surfboard floats in the water
Catalyst
Added to resin to make harder
Cavitation
The rapid formation and collapse of vapor pockets in a flowing liquid in regions of very low pressure; occurs on one side of a fin disrupting control
Orbelian, George. "Essential Surfing." Orbelian Arts, 1987, pp. 239
Channel
A fast moving current moving out to sea formed by a trench between sand banks or reefs.
Channel
A fast moving current moving out to sea formed by a trench between sand banks or reefs.
Chine rails
Rails that are faceted or beveled rather than rounded.
Orbelian, George. "Essential Surfing." Orbelian Arts, 1987, pp. 239
Chop
Bumps and ridges on the face of waves. Usually caused by windy conditions.
Classic
Description of something traditional
Cleanup set
Group of waves that break further out than normal. They are usually bigger and catch people by surprise
Close out
A wave that break along the face all at once and does not peal. This is not ideal and suitable for surfing.
Concave
A design feature of a surfboard. It is the bottom contour of a surfboard that is concaved. This is typically used for channeling water through the board for the purpose of drive and speed.
Consistent
Waves that break regularly and frequently.
Cord
The leash that is tethered from a surfer's ankle to the surfboard.
Crest
The top of the wave
Cross stepping
A maneuver typically done on a longboard in which the surfer laterally steps forward or back.
Curl
Area of the wave where the lip is falling and the wave is breaking.
Current
A parallel flow of water along the sea shore.
Custom board
A customize surfboard shaped to fit an individual surfer's needs, ability and style.
Cut back
A maneuver when a surfer is on the shoulder of the wave and turns back towards the breaking part of the wave.
Cutting off
Also known as snaking. Its when a surfer uses poor etiquette and catches a wave in front of another surfer who is closer to the breaking part of the wave or who has the right of way.
Dawn Patrol
Early morning surf session, taking place near sun rise to avoid crowds and windy conditions.
Deck
Top surface of the surfboard.
Deepwater Breaks
Large, powerful waves caused when swells transition from deep water to shallow water over a short distance.
Delaminate
Delamination occurs when a board's fiberglass separates from the foam. They most common cause is water leaking into the board through a ding. It can also happen due to extreme heat, such as leaving your board in a hot car. The foam will actually shrink away from the fiberglass. Fix delaminations as soon as possible or risk your board losing its structural integrity.
Ding
Damage to your surfboard created from a collision with another board or a different hard object. Dings will allow water to leak into th eboard and reach the foam. Dings should be dried out and repaired immediately to loss of strength in your board.
Double Blindstitched
A wetsuit's seams that are glued, blind stitched, turned inside out and then blind stitched again.
Down Rail
A rail design whereby the rail slopes downward from the desk, its apex below the middle of the rail.
Down the Line
The direction a surfer moves on a wave from the point at which he originally dropped down the wave's face.
Drag
The term used to describe the water resistance created when the board travels across the wave. A board's design features will either promote or reduce drag.
Drive
This term refers to the acceleration generated during a turn. Applying water pressure against a board's fins or rails will produce a rebound effect. A good comparison is a competitive swimmer approaching a pool's wall. He wants to change direction so he pushes off the wall with his feet and accelerates in the process. The same principle is in effect when a surfer engages his fins to change direction.
Drop-in
The act of dropping down the wave face after paddling for a wave. "Dropping in" on someone refers to the act of dropping down in front of a surfer already riding the wave.
Duck Dive
This is the act of diving under an oncoming wave. Performed by pushing the front of the board deep below the surface using the arms and then pushing the back of the board down with either the knee or foot.
Egg Rail
A variety of soft, round rail that is more drawn out, like an egg.
Egg Shape
This describes a type of fun board you might see. The name says it all and explains the shape.
Entry
A term used to describe the area of a surfboard where the water the board's rocker first come into contact with one another.
Epoxy
A type of resin used an alternative to the standard polyester resin. The use of epoxy resins results in strong boards that are more durable than standard boards.
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
A lighter alternative to PU foam. They are more difficult to shape, needing two to four times the labor to shape. This material is commonly used in epoxy resin boards such as those produced by Surftech and Firewire. It is more environmentally friendly than PU foam and is recyclable. EPS blanks are typically molded by machines.
Exposure
This term is used to describe the direction a particular break is facing and from which swells it will pick up energy.
Eye
The center of a storm that is often relatively calm.
Face
The unbroken portion of a wave where most surfers ride the wave.
Face Height
Used as a form of wave height by the front of the wave, this measures the distance from the top of the crest to the bottom of the trough.
Fast
This term describes a wave that breaks down the line very quickly, causing a surfer to either surf fast enough to ride the face or get caught by the breaking wave.
Fiberglass
Glass fibers woven into a cloth. This has been the most common material used to strengthen surfboards over the last forty years. The fiberglass cloth is placed over a newly shaped board before the glasser applies the resin.
Fin
The main turning apparatus on a surfboard. It acts as the rudder in the water, using water pressure to turn.
Fin system
This refers to the many different ways removable fins are organized on a board.
Firing
Fun, good sized surf.
Fish
A surfboard style and shape that grew popular in the 1980s. Generally speaking, a true fish shape has a a flat rocker, wide nose, straighter outline, a swallow tail, and a twin fin setup.
Flat
The term used to imply there is no surf.
Foam
The material used to shape a surfboard, usually made of polyethylene. This term is also used to describe a breaking wave's whitewater.
Foil
The change in thickness from the nose of a surfboard to its tail.
Forehand
Surfing while facing the wave with your back facing the beach.
Frontside
see Forehand
Funboard
A funboard describes a board's shape when it falls between a longboard and a shortboard. It provides the surfer with good paddling ability while ridding the board of some extra foam, giving it more maneuverability.
Glassing
Laminating a shaped blank with fiberglass cloth and resin.
Glassy
When the waves are smooth with no bumps as a result of no winds.
Glide
Refers to how easy the board is to paddle and catch waves with. Often is used to describe how a longboard moves through the water.
Gloss
Final coat of resin that is buffed out for aesthetics.
Gnarly
Term used to describe a wave that is tough, big, heavy, or difficult to ride.
Goofy foot
The stance on a surfboard in which your right foot is forward and your left foot is back.
Grit Cloth
Used for blending rail contours when shaping foam.
Groms
Kids who surf.
Gun
A surfboard that is designed for large waves.
Hammered
Term used to describe a surfer falling off and getting pounded by a wave.
Hanging five
A longboarding maneuver where a surfer places one foot or five toes on the very nose of the board while surfing a wave.
Hanging ten
A longboarding maneuver where a surfer places two feet or ten toes on the very nose of the board while surfing a wave.
Haoles
A Hawaiian term for "white" people or non locals.
Hard rail
A rail with a more defined edge and sharper corner.
He'enalu
A Hawaiian term that means "wave sliding".
Header
Term used to describe a fall off a surfboard.
Headstand
Advanced longboarding maneuver where a surfer is upside down on his/her head on a surfboard while surfing a wave.
Helicopter
Advanced longboarding maneuver which a surfer spins the board around from the nose.
Hellmen
Surfer who rides big waves.
Hollow
A term to describe a steep and sometimes barreling wave. A wave that is not sloppy or mushy.
Hot coat
Also known as the sand coat. Resin layer which is sanded to refine contours of the board.
Hybrid
A surfboard design that combines aspects of at least two different types of board. For example, a surfboard with shortboard and fish characteristics. Or a longboard combined with shortboard characteristics.
Impact Zone
An area where waves are breaking the hardest and most consistent. Often when a surfer gets stuck in the impact zone, it is difficult to paddle out past the breaks.
Inside
Area between the impact zone and the shore. Closer to shore than the outside break.
Interference
During competition where one surfer disrupts the ride of another surfer who has the right-of-way.
Interval training
A training method or workout which involved periods of high intensity followed by rest or low intensity.
Jacking
A wave condition when a waves increases height suddenly usually as a result of a wave passes an extreme variation in depth of the ocean floor. This usually causes a very steep hollow wave and intense wave. Also referred to as "jacking up".
Jersey
The inner material that holds the neoprene together. It is made from any combination of polypropylene, nylon or titanium.
Jetty
A structure consisting of rocks or concrete bordering both sides of an inlet and often times river mouth.
Juice
Refers to the power of the wave.
Kevlar
A type of fiber cloth which is very strong. Its occasionally used by surfboard manufacturers but generally avoided due to its high cost.
Kicking out
Turning out of the wave at the end of the ride before the wave closes out or to get out of the wave early.
Kneeboard
A surfboard designed exclusively for riding in a drop knee stance.
Kneeboarding
A type of surfing where a surfer catches a wave and gets into a drop knee stance as opposed to standing up.
Kook
A surfer who is disrespectful to other surfers or inexperienced.
Laminating
A coat of resin applied to a shaped surfboard blank. Laminatingresin is used to soak the fiberglass cloth and adhere it to the blank and harden for structural strength.
Leash
A cord used to tether the surfboard to the ankle of the surfer.
Lefts
Waves that break from the peak to the surfer's left.
Lift
The directional force created when water flow is faster across one side of an asymmetrical foil than another.
Lines
Used to describe the swell as it approaches the shore.
Lineup
The area outside of where the wave breaks where surfers sit and wait to catch waves.
Lip
The tip of the wave's peak that is just about to break down the face of the wave.
Localism
Hostility from locals towards non-local surfers.
Locals
Surfers who live near and surf a break on a regular basis.
Longboard
A type of surfboard that is usually at least 8 feet in length and has a round nose.
Longshore current
Water movement in the surf zone that runs parallel to the shore as a result of waves breaking at an angle to the shoreline.
Lull
A period of time in between sets in which no waves or small waves are breaking.
Malibu Surfboard
A type of longboard with originated and popular in the 60's. The riding style of this longboard is meant for trimming, walking the board and noseriding.
Maxed out
When waves are too large to break without closing out.
Mini-Malibu
Also called Mini-Mal for short. A type of surfboard with characteristics similar to a longboard but shorter.
Mush
When waves are small, crumbly, week and blown out.
North Swell
A North to South moving swell.
Nose
The front section of a surfboard.
Nose guard
A rubber or silicon tip that is gluedto the nose of a surfboard. The purpose is to blunt the destructive effect of its collision with the human body or another board.
Nose riding
A longboarding maneuver where a surfer stands on the front section of the board.
Nose width
A measurement from rail to rail near the front section of the board.
Off the lip
A maneuver in which the board is turned at the lip or the top peak of the wave.
Offshore
Wind that is blowing from the shore towards the ocean. Light offshore wind conditions is ideal for surfing because it helps the wave face hold up longer.
Onshore
Wind that is blowing from the ocean towards the shore. Onshore wind conditions is not desirable because it will usually flatten the waves and cause blown out conditions.
Outline
The outer shape of a surfboard.
Outside
The area between the open ocean and where the wave breaks. This is the area where set waves break. Also used to describe the furthest break from shore.
Outside break
Area where the waves break that is furthest from the shore. Waves tend the be larger in size on the outside.
Over the falls
When a surfer goes over the falling lip and plunges down the wave face.
Overgunned
When a board is too big or too small for the wave conditions.
Overhead
Description of the wave height that are greater than the height of an average surfer. Also referred to as double overhead, triple overhead and "feets" overhead.
Peak
The highest point of a breaking wave, with both left and right shoulders to surf. The word also refers to the time of a swell’s full strength.
Peak Periods
The swell period showing the most energy during a swell.
Peaky
Surf conditions in which there are a lot of peaks.
Pearl
When a surfer buries the nose of his surfboard into the water when dropping into a wave. The result is a good old fashioned, nasal-passage-cleaning faceplant.
Peeling
A description of a wave that is breaking perfectly down the line.
Pintail
This is the tail of choice for most big wave guns. The rails of the surfboard extend toward a very narrow point at the tail.
Pit
Usually refers to the barrel of a large and powerful wave.
Polyester
The plastic resin most commonly used to strengthen
Pop-out
The term used to describe the manufacturing process of surfboards by machine, with no human shaping of the blank taking place.
Pumping
When the surf conditions look fun with good size. This term also describes the act surfing up a wave face and back down to gain speed.
Quiver
A surfer’s collection of surfboards ranging in size, shape, and style.
Racy
A fast, but makeable wave.
Rail
The edges of a surfboard that extend from the nose down to the tail. The rail begins where the deck transitions to the bottom of the surfboard.
Rail Grab
The act of grabbing a surfboard’s rail with the back hand while dropping into a wave backside.
Reef break
A wave that breaks over a rock or reef instead of sand. While this wave is potentially more dangerous for surfers, it can also result in spectacular barrels and perfect wave shape.
Regular Foot
A surfer riding a surfboard with his left foot forward.
Release
The necessary result of a well shaped surfboard, release allows water to move away from a surfboard’s surfaces as it moves through the wave.
Roundhouse
A long drawn out turn made on the shoulder of a wave to deliver the surfer back to the waves power source.
Santa Ana Winds
These are warm winds blowing off shore in Southern California between September and February.
Scattered Peaks
When two swells (combo swell) from different directions hit the same break, resulting in waves separating into different peaks and lines.
Seams
The connection between panels on a wetsuit.
Section
A part of a breaking wave that breaks ahead of the peak.
Set
A series of waves
Shape
The term used to describe wave quality. We all want to ride waves with perfect shape, meaning no sections.
Shaper
A person who shapes a foam blank into a rideable surfboard by shaving the foam down into the desired shape.
Shoaling
Energy from a deep water swell getting pushed up to the water’s surface after its lower reaches drag across the ocean floor. This causes the waves to increase in height.
Shorebreak
Waves breaking right on the beach. These waves are typically steep, powerful, and unsurfable.
Short Period Swell
According to Surfline.com, this term defines swells with swell periods under 15 seconds between successive waves.
Shortboard
A 5 to 7 foot performance board designed for speed and radical maneuvers.
Shoulder
Open, unbroken portion of a wave extending from the peak. Shoulders are easier to make for surfers.
Shredding
Performing high-grade maneuvers on a wave. Often associated with aggressive, powerful, vertical surfing.
Snake
The act of dropping in on someone’s wave. Snaking someone in the water will result in bad juju.
Sneak Set
A surprise set that is much larger than the average sets during the session.
Spin Out
When too much force is applied to a surfboard’s fins the board will lose its leverage and push through the turn. This will cause the board to slide out from underneath the surfer’s feet.
Stoked
A surfer’s feelings of excitement.
Stringer
A strip of wood glued in the middle of a surfboard blank to add strength and flex memory to the final product.
Surfer’s Ear
A condition of the ear canal, whereby bone grows toward the center of the canal. This will block the passage to varying degrees and, ultimately, cause hearing problems.
Surftech
The company making epoxy molded surfboards.
Swallow Tail
A tail shape with a vee cutout, resulting in a wider tail with good drive and control.
Swell Period
Measurement used to identify the peak period of the swell energy in seconds. Buoys are often used to measure the time between successive wave crests.
Tail
Located at the bottom one-third of a surfboard; wide range of tail design types
Take-off
Timing your movement perfectly to successfully catch a wave by padding for a wave and jumping onto your feet
Taped seams
Flexible tape used on overlapped sections of your surfboard to avoid water damage
Thruster
A surfboard designed with a thin tail with three fins; third fin located centrally behind the first two fins
Trim
Positioning your surfboard so it can travel as fast as possible across a wave, without turning, to maintain position on the face of the wave
Trough
Bottom of the wave as it begins to collapse
Tsunami
A series of gigantic waves created after undersea disturbances such as earthquakes
Tube
Steep tunnel inside a collapsed wave or another name for barrel
Turtle
Position yourself under your surfboard while padding in breaking waves to decrease resistance; also notice as duckdiving
Twinfin
Two-fin surfboard design with a long and fascinating history.
Wall
A steep face of a wave without a section of the wave to ride on
Wave
The reason surfers exist
Wave height
The distance from trough to crest; the difference between the lowest and highest part of wave
Wave hog
Someone who will not share a wave or people that should stay away from surfing
Wave length
How apart one wave is from the next
Wave period
The time taken between the passing of one wave and the next
Wax
Rubbed on the deck of a surfboard for traction
Wetsuit
A synthetic rubber suit covering most of your body, tightly fit to keep you warm; full suits are used in winter and spring suits are shorter
Whitewater
When the wind is strong enough to force wave to collapse
Wipeout
Falling off your surfboard
