swell
This unfinished page contains text from either the 2003 or 2005 print version of Encyclopedia of Surfing. An updated version, with more photos, is coming soon.
Generally refers to the entire output of waves generated by a storm, or combination of storms; also used to describe a single unbroken wave. Swells are identified primarily by their incoming direction (north swell, south swell, northwest swell, etc.) and by wave period (the amount of time it takes two successive waves to pass a stationary point). "Ground swell" refers to a swell generated from a d...
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