Glossary of surfing
Open-knowledge reference entry
This glossary of surfing includes some of the extensive vocabulary used to describe various aspects of the sport of surfing as described in literature on the subject.[a][b] In some cases terms have spread to a wider cultural use. These terms were originally coined by people who were directly involved in the sport of surfing.
About the water
A-Frame: Wave with a peak that resembles an A and allows surfers to go either left or right, with both sides having a clean shoulder to work with.
Barrel: (also tube, cave, keg, green room) The effect when a big wave rolls over, enclosing a temporary horizontal tunnel of air with the surfer inside[c]
Beach break: An area with waves that are good enough to surf break just off a beach, or breaking on a sandbar farther out from the shore[c]
Big sea: Large, unbreaking surf
Blown out: When waves that would otherwise be good have been rendered too choppy by wind[c]
Bomb: An exceptionally large set wave[d]
Bottom: Refers to the ocean floor, or to the lowest part of the wave ridden by a surfer
Channel: A deep spot in the shoreline where waves generally don't break, can be created by a riptide pulling water back to the sea and used by surfers to paddle out to the waves
Chop or choppy: Waves that are subjected to cross winds, have a rough surface (chop) and do not break cleanly [d]
Close-out: A wave is said to be "closed-out" when it breaks at every position along the face at once, and therefore cannot be surfed
Crest: The top section of the wave, or peak, just before the wave begins to break
Curl: The actual portion of the wave that is falling or curling over when the wave is breaking
Face: The forward-facing surface of a breaking wave [c]
Flat: No waves[c]
Glassy: When the waves (and general surface of the water) are extremely smooth, not disturbed by wind [c]
Gnarly: Large, difficult, and dangerous (usually applied to waves) [c]
Green: The unbroken portion of the wave, sometimes referred to as the wave shoulder
Inshore: The direction towards the beach from the surf, can also be referring to the wind direction traveling from the ocean onto the shore
Line-up: The queue area where most of the waves are starting to break and where most surfers are positioned in order to catch a wave[a]
Mushy: A wave with very little push
Off the hook: An adjective phrase meaning the waves are performing extraordinarily well [c]
Offshore wind: Wind blowing from the land towards the ocean. This is considered the best wind for surfing because it grooms the waves, creating clean, smooth faces and longer-lasting rides. The wind holds up the wave face, allowing it to form better barrels, and makes for a "glassy" or "silky smooth" ocean surface.
Onshore wind: Wind blowing from the ocean toward the shore, which creates choppy, messy waves with crumbling lips and is generally considered poor surfing conditions.
Outside: Any point seaward of the normal breaking waves
Peak: The highest point on a wave
Pocket: The area of the wave that's closest to the curl or whitewash. Where you should surf if you want to generate the most speed. The steepest part of a wave, also known as the energy zone.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Glossary of surfing” is open-knowledge reference entry. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Glossary, surfing and Open-knowledge, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “open-knowledge reference entry” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3516893. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Glossary of surfing”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Glossary of surfing primary sources, Glossary of surfing archive and Glossary research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Glossary of surfing”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Glossary of surfing” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.