6 Different Types of Surf Breaks Explained
When you first begin surfing, you may think a wave is a wave. However, there are many different types of surf breaks and waves actually. Some people have a preference for specific types. Some types of waves produce long rides, while others produce high walls. Understanding the different types of waves is an important part of surfing.
As you begin to understand the types of waves, you can couple this knowledge with weather and wind conditions to understand when it might be best to surf. You can also use the information to dictate how you surf the wave, at what time of day, and which board to bring.
There are really three main types of surf breaks: beach, point, and reef. Most surfing is done at these three kinds of waves. There are a few other less common breaks, and river breaks and tidal waves can be understood as a type of beach breaks.
Table of Contents
Types of Surf Breaks
Beach Breaks
The beach break is probably the most common type of wave. With a beach break, the waves are breaking over a sandy bottom. These breaks often offer crowded lineups, high consistency, and beginner-friendly waves.
The wave forms either by running into the shore (shorebreak) as the water gets progressively more shallow, or by hitting a sand bank or sandbar. The greater the change in depth is relative to the distance, the more the wave will kick up generally.
When the water gets progressively more shallow, you will get gentle beginner waves like those found in Sayulita, Mexico. When there is a rapid change in depth, you’ll get bigger waves like the beach break of Zicatela in Puerto Escondido, or the famously large wave of Nazaré, Portugal. To get into some of the bigger beach breaks, you’ll have to learn how to paddle well as the whitewater can be tough to get through.
Because beach breaks generally just rely on a swell coming in, they tend to be the most consistent waves out there. The sandy bottom kicks up the waves coming in from various directions, and with a little offshore wind you should find some glassy waves.
However, due to the moving sand on the bottom of the sea, beach breaks may not break in consistent spots. One day you may find it breaking in one spot, and another day it breaks in another spot. You may find A-frame waves at beach breaks, lots of closeouts, and more whitewater which is perfect for beginners.
Point Breaks
Point breaks are my personal favorite. As you may have guessed, a point break is a wave that breaks after a swell comes into contact with a point. Generally, these waves are best if the point is a big mass of land, but point breaks can also form off of jettys, piers, and other human-made objects.
As the swell comes in, it hits the point and can cause a long, peeling wave. Point braks can be quite racy, fast rides. They are often relatively easy to paddle out to, as you can move around the actual breaking wave. With a point break, the wave will break in a consistent spot, making it easy to read and get to know.
Some famous point breaks in Latin America include Pavones, Costa Rica, Chicama, Peru (the longest left in the world), and K59 in La Libertad, El Salvador. These are all solid breaks that are fairly consistent, but not every point break has she same level of swell consistency.
Because the wave relies on the swell coming into contact with the point,they generally need a specific swell angle. For example, K59 really needs a southern swell or a SW swell to get pumping. If the swell is coming from the north, it doesn’t hit off the point in the correct way to produce the pumping wave people love.
Reef Breaks
Reef breaks are similar to beach breaks, but instead of breaking over a sand bar, they are breaking over reef. Waves that break over rocks or cobblestone are also referred to as reef breaks. These are often the most dangerous kind of waves, and produce immense, powerful waves.
When the swell comes into a reef, rock bed, or cobblestone, it kicks up the wave rapidly. Imagine a beach break where the shore essentially juts up off the seabed floor. The rapid change in depth creates some of the best, and most dangerous, waves in the world.
As it is where coral reefs occur, reef breaks are most common in tropical surf destinations. A break in the reef can provide a channel for paddling out, but they should not generally be taken on by beginner or beginner-intermediate surfers. These waves can be super shallow, with just a few inches of water between your board and the sharp coral reef below.
Many of the most famous waves in the world are reef breaks, including Pipeline in Hawaii, Teahupo’o in Tahiti, and Cloudbreak in Fiji. In Latin America, you can find reef breaks at Playa Garza in Nosara, Costa Rica, Playa Grande in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, and the Main Reef in Popoyo, Nicaragua. The Gulf of Chiriqui in Panama is a small gulf full of islands surrounded by reef, creating many different reef breaks.
These waves are generally fairly accommodating like beach breaks. They can take swells from multiple directions. However, they will definitely have days where the waves are better than others. Too much onshore wind or a swell from the wrong direction can create a lot of closeouts.
River Breaks
A river break, or river mouth break, is a wave that forms as water flows out of a river into the sea. As the water from the river meets the sea water, amazing waves can form. These waves often depend on the river being full, tides, and swells. They can be a bit more finicky than other waves type.
There are a lot of river mouth breaks in Latin America. Guatemala has two solid ones in Iztapa and El Paredón. The Sayulita Right and Sayulita Left in Mexico are breaks that form off the river mouth in town. La Bocana in La Libertad, El Salvador is also a left-hand river mouth break in the area.
Although they’re a bit more particular, river mouth breaks can create nice peeling waves and relatively long rides. Depending on the flow of water into the tide, they can also get quite punchy and quick. These are definitely waves you’ll want to get to know as much as possible as conditions change throughout the day.
River Waves
Not to be confused with a river break, a river wave is a wave that is actually breaking in the wave. They are generally stationary waves generated by some sort of shallow bottom. Creating a continually breaking wave, they can form over either natural shallow spots or human-made concrete shelves or damns. They are super quick, often intense, and quite different from traditional ocean surfing.
There are a few pretty famous river waves. The one I see the most on my social media and among friends is the Eisbach River in Munich, Germany. Bend Whitewater Park in Oregon, USA also has a river wave I’ve seen people surf. The Zambezi River in Livingstone, Zambia is another fairly popular river wave.
These waves often require a super short surfboard to surf, and are best for intermediate or better surfers. It’s a different movement of the wave, dynamic on the board, and force being applied. It’s also quite different to be stationary.
Wave Pools
Finally, we have wave pools or artificial waves. These are a relatively new offering to the surf community, and they seem to be popping up more and more. With artificial waves, you go to a park where they can produce waves of different sizes and for different skill levels.
At most wave pools, they have different windows for different waves. They may offer beginner waves for 15 minutes, then intermediate waves for 15 minutes, then advanced waves for 15 minutes. Some of the newer ones have even created sections for aerials and other tricks.
These wave pools are popping up all over the place. There’s Surf Ranch in California, the new Surftown Munich in Munich, Germany, and many more. We hope they keep opening up, so people who don’t live near surf can get their practice time in!