On the subject of the swell direction and angle…
“Should we care about about swell direction and angle?
Part of the group said that swell angle and direction was a big deal and the other part of the group thought it wasn’t that critical. A few people swore that at certain angles waves broke better at our beaches and had much longer lines, while other swell angles resulted in more close outs.”
-Jeff
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In short, the answer is of course – both are equally important to determining the varying quality of waves at beach breaks.
Just as important for each swell event is the compass direction a beach faces, as well as the shape of individual sand bars waves break on. Along Florida’s sandy, ever-changing coastline, a few hundred yards can make all the difference in the world when the swell arrives to determine if a breaking wave will close out or be makeable.
Remember, the dynamic movement of sand in the surf line will change over time, so check favored breaks for each swell direction to find the one that is firing off for that swell.
-Dean
