Want to learn surf forecasting on a deeper level? How to really read charts and get dialed into the spots you surf often? This course takes you on a journey from the atmosphere, to the oceans, to the coasts and the waves you surf.
"Here’s a dirty little secret: Your home break, the spot that you surf more than anywhere else in the world – you know that spot better than anyone. But chances are you don’t have the background to turn that knowledge of your surf spot into a full-fledged prediction of what the waves are going to look like tomorrow. Enter Surf Forecasting, an online course designed to give you the knowledge that you need to make such predictions yourself."
Will Sileo - The Inertia
Online Course Structure
Easily knocked out over a weekend or more slowly digested at your own pace, the course is divided into six modules with three to five lessons per module for a total of about 10 hours of content.
This includes video lessons, written summaries, infographics, and more. The class is intuitively designed, starting with the basics such as the science behind how swells form out at sea and interact with coastlines. Then applying that knowledge to surfing and making surf predictions based on that knowledge and weather data.
A sneak preview
This is what Will Sileo from The Inertia thought after taking the course. Check out the full article here.
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"I checked the course out myself, and was blown away with the level of depth and knowledge provided in the course. One of my favorite nuggets of information that I learned was Valentijn’s explanation of wave refraction as it hits the coastline, and its implications for right or left handed waves, something I’ll definitely keep in mind next time I pull up a buoy report. The course is packed with general information useful for surf spots anywhere, as well as specific information for various surf regions across the globe such as the Pacific, Atlantic, and even smaller seas like the Mediterranean."
The Atmosphere
In this module we take you through all of the basics. You'll learn about atmospheric structure, solar radiation, the energy balance and the global atmospheric circulation.
Global Weather Systems
Here we discuss everything related to weather. From mid-latitude cyclones, to hurricanes, to monsoons. We finish with a lesson about the ocean-atmosphere interface, resulting in the likes of El Nino - La Nina.
All About Waves
A full module about waves! How do waves form, travel and why do they break? You'll also learn about wave anatomy, as well as the definitions and variables that describe waves at sea.
The Coasts and the Tides
The coast can have many different types of effects on the waves. We'll talk about all topics ranging from coastal geography, to types of waves and the tides along our coastlines.
Weather and Wave Modelling
Weather models are the tool we use to determine if we should be on the beach in 1 or 3 or 5 days. You will learn about global and regional atmospheric models as well as wave models.
Surf Regions
In this module we discuss all the oceans and surf regions around the world. You'll learn everything about how all the weather features from earlier in the course impact waves around the world.
About the instructors
The course instructors, Valentijn and Laura, have years of experience forecasting waves, weather, and storms that they want to share with you.
Valentijn studied Meteorology and Oceanography in Europe, the USA and Australia. He worked in offshore weather throughout and led marine forecasting product developments at one of the largest weather companies in the world.
Laura studied in Europe and did research on tropical weather at the University of Hawaii. She worked as an operational meteorologist for the North Sea and for the tropics, and has been a weather presenter for TV and Radio channels.
