Editing Surfing (section)

=== Wave conditions for surfing ===
Surfing waves can be analyzed using the following parameters: breaking wave height, wave peel angle (α), wave breaking intensity, and wave section length. The breaking wave height has two measurements, the relative heights estimated by surfers and the exact measurements done by physical oceanographers. Measurements done by surfers were 1.36 to 2.58 times higher than the measurements done by scientists. The scientifically concluded wave heights that are physically possible to surf are {{Convert|1 to 20|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}.<ref name=Scarfe2009 />

The wave peel angle is one of the main constituents of a potential surfing wave. Wave peel angle measures the distance between the peel-line and the line tangent to the breaking crest line. This angle controls the speed of the wave crest. The speed of the wave is an addition of the propagation velocity vector (Vw) and peel velocity vector (Vp), which results in the overall velocity of the wave (Vs).<ref name=Scarfe2009 />

Wave breaking intensity measures the force of the wave as it breaks, spills, or plunges (a plunging wave is termed by surfers as a "barrel wave"). Wave section length is the distance between two breaking crests in a wave set. Wave section length can be hard to measure because local winds, non-linear wave interactions, island sheltering, and swell interactions can cause multifarious wave configurations in the surf zone.<ref name=Scarfe2009 />

The parameters breaking wave height, wave peel angle (α), and wave breaking intensity, and wave section length are important because they are standardized by past oceanographers who researched surfing; these parameters have been used to create a guide that matches the type of wave formed and the skill level of surfer.<ref name=Scarfe2009>{{cite journal |last1=Scarfe |first1=Bradley E. |author2=Terry R. Healy, and Hamish G. Rennie |date=2009 |title=Research-Based Surfing Literature for Coastal Management and the Science of Surfing—A Review |url=http://www.jcronline.org/doi/full/10.2112/07-0932.1 |journal=Journal of Coastal Research |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=539–557 |doi=10.2112/07-0958.1|s2cid=145159559 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Table 1: Wave type and surfer skill level<ref name=Scarfe2009 />
! Skill level !! Peel angle (degrees) !! Wave height (meters) !! Section speed (meters/second) !! Section length (meters) !! General locations of waves
|-
| Beginner|| 60-70 || 2.5 || 10|| 25 || Low Gradient Breaks;{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} [[Atlantic Beach, Florida]]
|-
| Intermediate || 55 || 2.5|| 20 || 40 || [[Bells Beach, Victoria|Bells Beach]]; [[Australia]]{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}
|-
| Competent|| 40-50 || 3 || 20 || 40-60 || [[Kirra, Queensland|Kirra Point]]; [[Burleigh Heads, Queensland|Burleigh Heads]]
|-
| Top Amateur || 30 || 3 || 20 || 60 || [[Pecatu#Bingin Beach|Bingin Beach]]; [[Pecatu#Padang Padang Beach|Padang Padang Beach]]
|-
| Top World Surfer || >27 || 3 || 20 || 60 || [[Banzai Pipeline]]; [[Shark Island (Cronulla Beach)|Shark Island]]
|}

Table 1 shows a relationship of smaller peel angles correlating with a higher skill level of the surfer. Smaller wave peel angles increase the velocities of waves. A surfer must know how to react and paddle quickly to match the speed of the wave to catch it. Therefore, more experience is required to catch low peel angle waves. More experienced surfers can handle longer section lengths, increased velocities, and higher wave heights.<ref name=Scarfe2009 /> Different locations offer different types of surfing conditions for each skill level.