![surfer 13 scale surfer 13 scale](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1425/8892/products/IRO34096--Batman--66-Batman-Surfing.jpg)
That's very close to about 20-inch units for each half meter," Goddard told SurferToday. "But, meters are pretty coarse units of measure, so the observers were instructed to convert the wave heights to metric, only in half-meter units. They reported by teletype, sending their estimated wave heights, periods, and swell directions to the old US Weather Bureau Forecast Office in Honolulu. Last but not least, the conspiracy speculation - Hawaiian surfers and lifeguards say their waves are 50 percent smaller than they actually are to make their local surf breaks less attractive to haoles.Īccording to surf legend Larry Goddard, the Hawaiian scale, also known as the "Local Scale," was originally was reported in "half meters" by observers working at the Kilauea Lighthouse on the north shore of Kauai.
![surfer 13 scale surfer 13 scale](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/GmcAAOSw6JNckpPk/s-l1600.jpg)
There's also another theory that says that Hawaiians believe that a wave should be measured from its back, which almost always results in having smaller measurements in height. Islanders like to impress foreign surfers and tourists by undervaluing wave height, thus showing bravery, fearlessness, badassery, and boldness. Others believe there's a reputational side to the Hawaiian wave scale.
![surfer 13 scale surfer 13 scale](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/a~gAAOxydlFS-hYo/s-l400.jpg)
In this case, an eight-foot groundswell at 20 seconds would produce real 15-foot wave faces, but Hawaiians would measure it using the original open ocean swell size, i.e., eight feet. Some Hawaiians say that it all started in the 1970s when local surfers called waves half as high as they were based on swell heights measured from the offshore buoys and delivered via marine forecasts. There are several possible explanations for such a dramatic difference. So, why is the gap between the actual wave face observed by 99 percent of the surfing world and the Hawaiian readings so wide? The Hawaiian scale is an alternative wave measurement scale expressed in feet that corresponds to roughly 50 percent of the average estimated height of a wave, from trough to crest.Īs a result, an average surfer who believes he's ridden a 10-foot wave has, from a Hawaiian perspective, surfed a five-to-six-foot roller. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you'll find the Hawaiians, known for underestimating wave heights.
![surfer 13 scale surfer 13 scale](https://www.surfertoday.com/images/jamp/page/surfranchkellyslater.jpg)
Why? Fundamentally because it's human to overestimate our achievements, and our ego is always slightly bigger than the real deal. Traditionally, worldwide surfers tend to overestimate the size of the waves they ride. We do it using the metric system (meter), the imperial system (foot), and the Hawaiian scale.įrom an oceanographer's perspective, wave height is measured from the lowest part of the wave (trough) to the highest point of the wave (crest).ĭuring the second half of the 20th century, surf culture developed its own measurement unit - the body height scale.Īccording to this unique visual unit of measure, you'll get around eight main typical wave sizes: While that can be a savvy analysis, it is also true that we need to find ways of comparing different waves. Why do the Hawaiians measure waves differently from the rest of the world? There are several theories as to why this happens.īuzzy Trent once said that "waves are not measured in feet and inches they are measured in increments of fear."