Calif. A wave at Rincon often breaks best from about 2 to 10 feet tall and goes on forever. Still other surfers would rather surf hollow, snappy waves like the kind you find at Rocky Point on Oahu s north shore. While each surfer dreams of a perfect wave that is unique, all are variations on a theme, and most surfers agree that certain characteristics make a great wave great. Hollow waves are the opposite. They re steep and break cleanly, offering the surfer lots of speed and energy to play with.
Speed is a function of shape.
A large, hollow wave will move faster than a small, mushy one. In general, surfers like fast waves, as long as they re not moving so fast that the surfer can't keep ahead of the whitewater. The art of catching and riding waves is dictated, in large part, by the surfer's ability to predict what any given wave is going to do. In most areas of the world, a small wave would reach from knee to chest height. Waves that reach chest height to those that hit a couple of feet taller than your head is considered medium surf.