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Surf Science: An Introduction To Waves For Surfing
Product Description
Have you ever wondered where waves come from? What makes every one different, why some peel nicely and others just close out? Why, some days, waves come in sets of six and others in sets of three, and what factors affect the behavior of a surfing break? If you have, this book is for you. Now in its second edition, Surf Science is the first book to talk in depth about the science of waves from a surfer’s point of view. It fills the gap between surfing books and waves… More >>
Aug 28th, 2010 at 12:08 am
I’ve never surfed in my life but read this book as a scientist with an interest in fluid mechanics. The book introduces a wide range of concepts and models, starting from large-scale climate patterns, to storms and generation of waves, to their propagation and evolution, taking the reader step-by-step through some rather complex phenomena. The writing is plain and accessible to a non-physicist, yet scientific, making this book a pleasure to read. My favourite section was probably the one on climate patterns, which discusses the atmosphere as a non-equilibrium, dissipative system driven by the energy of the Sun and coupled to the rotation of the Earth – and manages to do it quite well without introducing a single equation. For those wishing more mathematics, there is a list of references for further reading. I did find one or two minor blunders, such as the statement that “the equator is warmer than the poles because it is closer to the Sun” (the reason it is warmer is, of course, in the different incidence angles of sunlight), or equations with no units. Another warning is that this is a book about the physics of *waves*, not the hydrodynamics of surfing. But overall, this is a great piece of popular science. Any teacher who values problem-based learning will appreciate it – as, hopefully, will any surfer who wants to know why waves behave the way they do.
Rating: 4 / 5
Aug 28th, 2010 at 1:37 am
This book is written for the layman and has great illustrations to back up some very complicated topics ranging from climatology and atmospherics to answering the “simple” question: what makes a good wave?
If you have never studied weather patterns, buoys, or local surfbreaks, you stand to learn a lot from this book. It covers all aspects of wave science without the heavy textbook feel. Those with a formal science background will find this an easy read and be tempted to look into the references for a bit more of the equations behind the science.
One point that it did not cover was the physics in the surfing of waves. It hits hard on “what makes a wave” but doesn’t touch the “what is surfing” question. Reading this book will not make you a better surfer but, it will teach you how waves form and yield some insight into wave prediction.
Rating: 4 / 5
Aug 28th, 2010 at 4:28 am
If you want to see waves and surfing, buy a magazine. If you want to learn about the surf and waves, how they are formed, and what affects their size, form and period, buy this book. It takes complex concepts and explains them in simple, understandable terms with good graphic illustrations. If you want the mathematics behind the concepts, those are available too in the back of the book. I found the section on earth rotation and winds very good. It helped explain why the waves aren’t any better where I surf.
Rating: 4 / 5
Aug 28th, 2010 at 7:15 am
Two words… “Surf Science”.
And this is absolutely the best title for this book. A must have for all the surfers that are interested not only in surfing good waves, but for all of them that are interested in knowing how and why the waves break so well or so bad. Wind, wave perfection, cost line, sandbars, reefs, rocks, wave frequency, channels, hollowness, etc… every aspect that affects the wave is explored in this book with great depth.
Everything is very well explained in this book and in a language that is very accessible to all people.
Rating: 5 / 5
Aug 28th, 2010 at 10:01 am
I always lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and this is a very large “surf city”. I have surfed recreationallly for about 20 years now, and I can say that this book should be read by anyone who likes surfing of any kind, or fishes by the ocean, or lives by the ocean, or just plain likes the ocean and live in a landlocked place.
Very easy reading, very good graphics, and very understandable for a very complicated issue. I’m buying almost all the book that the authors recommend.
Rating: 5 / 5