Banzai Pipeline, North Shore, Oahu
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Banzai Pipeline
If there is something real as a perfect wave, You will find it in Oahu’s North Shore at the Banzai Pipeline. This place attracts some of the best surfers in the world. The beach stretches more than 7 miles. This beach holds the “Super Bowl” of surfing competitions. The sands are very thick. The months between November and February are the best time to watch big wave surfing. These waves can get up to 30 feet high! It is even tough for experienced surfers! From May to September, the waves are normal.
What Type of Waves do Surfers Look for?
Surfers look for waves that hollow out and break into a tube. You want a wave that looks like it’s peeling away from you, like a banana.
What Are The Dangers of Surfing?
There are many dangers of surfing. But here are the most common dangers of surfing.
1. Waves-
Waves begin deep in the ocean, swelling until it comes close to the shore. The biggest problem of being in one of these waves are you can drown fairly easily.
2. Lateral Currents-
These types of waves have a part break laterally back to the ocean. These might not sound bad, but they can take surfers out to the sea or take them to rocks where they can get hurt.
3. Rip Currents-
Rip currents are the most accountable for major surfing accidents. These types of waves start at the shore and go out to sea. They can be sighted by the brown look from the sand and mud on the shore. This thick water can take the surfers out to sea and drown them.
4. Backwash-
Backwash usually occurs with high tides. The water that touches the bay goes back into the ocean and it picks up the materials located on the beach. This is more dangerous for younger people.
5. Shore Break-
The dangers of being in a shore break is the waves fling you towards shore which can cause neck and back injury.
These are the main dangers of surfing. Some others you should look out for is
-Sharks
-Your Board
-Drowning
-Sandbars
-Rocks
-Reefs
1. Waves-
Waves begin deep in the ocean, swelling until it comes close to the shore. The biggest problem of being in one of these waves are you can drown fairly easily.
2. Lateral Currents-
These types of waves have a part break laterally back to the ocean. These might not sound bad, but they can take surfers out to the sea or take them to rocks where they can get hurt.
3. Rip Currents-
Rip currents are the most accountable for major surfing accidents. These types of waves start at the shore and go out to sea. They can be sighted by the brown look from the sand and mud on the shore. This thick water can take the surfers out to sea and drown them.
4. Backwash-
Backwash usually occurs with high tides. The water that touches the bay goes back into the ocean and it picks up the materials located on the beach. This is more dangerous for younger people.
5. Shore Break-
The dangers of being in a shore break is the waves fling you towards shore which can cause neck and back injury.
These are the main dangers of surfing. Some others you should look out for is
-Sharks
-Your Board
-Drowning
-Sandbars
-Rocks
-Reefs
What Conditions do Surfer Avoid? Why?
A condition that surfer avoid while surfing is a rip tide. A rip tide is a stretch of turbulent water in the sea caused by the meeting of current changes in depth. Surfers avoid these because the riptide can pull the surfer deep into the ocean. If you want to overcome a rip tide, you need to have knowledge on parallel swimming. You basically parallel swim until you get to shore.
What Part of a Wave Does a Surfer Ride? Why?
There are three main parts to a wave. They are the crest, trough, and the wavelength. Surfers normally surf on the crest and the trough. The crest is the part where the wave breaks first also known as the peak. The trough is the very bottom of the wave that helps the surfer get a "boost" on speed and the wavelength is the middle of the wave, or where the wave is curling. It's very hard to surf there. The reason the surfers don't surf in the wavelength is because if you surfed there, you would most likely fall off your board and hit the water. (If you hit the wave part, it would feel like hitting a brick wall.
What is the Connection Between Waves and Surfing?
All bodies of water have waves. But, not all waves are surf-able. First of all, a wave needs to be large enough to carry a human and a surfing board and it needs to have size. Surfing would not be fun if there was no big waves right? These waves are perfect for surfing and they are connected.
What Makes A Great Surfing Wave?
There are two main things that determine how good the surfing wave will be. First, the conditions that lead to the wave formation. This determines the quality and size of the wave that the surfer will ride. The second factor is the conditions at the surf spot. These have to be correct to ensure the ocean can create good waves.
How Are Different Waves Approached By Surfers?
When a surfer sees a wave, they paddle towards it. Right when their board is in the correct spot, they stand up on their board and staying ahead of the white water or the breaking point of a wave. Some surfers approach a wave by using "cutbacks" or turning back to the breaking point of a wave. This is used by experienced surfers when they are approaching a medium or regular sized wave. On bigger waves, experienced surfers surf in the "tube" part of a wave like the one shown in the picture. One more way surfer approach waves is by "floating", or riding on the top of the breaking twist of a wave.