To learn to surf, it’s not enough to know how to maintain balance on the board. It is also essential to understand the environment in which this sport takes place. Knowing the parts of a wave and understanding surf anatomy will help you improve faster and enjoy the sport more, whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced surfer.
Discover the parts of a wave
At our Surfintrip surf school in Corralejo, we know that familiarizing yourself with the anatomy of a wave is essential to understanding how it influences your movements and how it can help you to surf with confidence, style, and control. This knowledge helps you to read the sea, interpret its behavior, and make the most of every wave, ensuring the maximum enjoyment.
Crest: The most recognizable part of a wave
You definitely know this one: it’s the highest part of the wave, right before it breaks. In surfing, locating the peak (the highest point of the wave) is essential both to catch the wave by utilizing the most powerful section and to execute maneuvers.
Lip of a wave
When a wave breaks, the lip is formed, which is the highest part of the wave at that moment. In many spectacular photos of surfers inside the tube, the lip is clearly visible because it rises above and wraps around the surfer. However, it is not always easy to recognize it in other types of waves.
Tube
This is one of the most famous parts of a wave, both for its importance in surfing and for how easy it is to recognize. The tube, also well known as “barrel”, is the empty cylindrical space created when the wave breaks and the lip falls, forming a kind of roof.
It is one of the most iconic images in surfing, but not all waves create a tube. This is one of the first lessons to learn: you can still enjoy surfing even without tubular waves.
The pocket is the most critical and steep section of the wave, located at the point where it begins to break. In this area, the energy of the wave is at its maximum, and being there allows you to make the most of its power.
What is the wall of a wave?
The wall is the section that rises vertically above the base of the wave. It can have different inclinations, similar to a ramp.
In surfing, the wall is the area the surfer slides along and where basic and advanced maneuvers can be performed.
Arm of a wave
In the anatomy of a wave, the arm is the extension of the wall where the angle gradually decreases when the wave hasn’t broken yet. In other words, it is the area where the wave loses its verticality.
The arm represents the length of the surfable section of the wave. The surfer moves along it, following the breaking line. It is the least steep part of the wave and the farthest from the lip.
Base
The base is the lowest part of the wave, where the energy starts to dissipate. Mastering the base is one of the fundamental techniques of surfing, as it is the ideal spot for executing bottom turns.
Foam
The foam is one of the easiest parts of a wave to recognize because the color and texture of the water change. As the name suggests, the water turns into a mass of white bubbles when the wave breaks and releases its energy.
Foam can appear at the beginning or end of a wave, depending on the type and power of the wave. It is more whitish than the transparent part of the wave.
Foam can also be surfed! In fact, for beginners, it’s one of the best options for learning the bases.
