When you’re learning how to surf, understanding what a left-breaking wave and a right-breaking wave are can be a bit confusing since you tend to think from the spectator’s point of view rather than the surfer’s point of view.
But before we make this distinction let’s do a simple wave breakdown.
When a wave breaks it forms whitewash, which if you are a beginner it is usually where you start surfing, and then the wave peels to the left or to the right of the whitewash, and this part of the wave we call the face of the wave or green wave.
As you progress as a surfer you want to be surfing on the face of the wave (or green wave) and not on the whitewash and that is why it is important to understand that waves can go left or right and what it means.
Left and Right is defined by the surfer’s perspective
In surfing, left and right describe the direction in which a wave breaks relative to the surfer riding it. Importantly, these directions are always defined from the surfer’s point of view, not from how they appear to someone watching from the beach. Here’s how it works:
- A Left Wave: When a surfer paddles into a wave that is breaking to their left and they turn left then they are riding a left-going wave. From their perspective, the wave breaks to their left-hand side.
- A Right Wave: When a surfer paddles into a wave that is breaking to their right and they turn right then they are riding a right-going wave. From their perspective, the wave breaks to their right-hand side.
How Left and Right relate to Frontside and Backside
If you’ve read our previous blog post, What is Frontside and Backside Surfing, you’ll know that your stance (regular or goofy) determines whether you surf frontside or backside on a given wave. Here’s how this connects with lefts and rights:
- Regular-Footed Surfers (left foot forward):
- Frontside on right-breaking waves.
- Backside on left-breaking waves.
- Goofy-Footed Surfers (right foot forward):
- Frontside on left-breaking waves.
- Backside on right-breaking waves.
Join us for surf lessons in Costa da Caparica, Portugal
At Breakthrough Surf School, our surf coaches will help you learn how to surf. In group surf lessons you will be able to learn how to surf in the company of other surfers and during the private surf lessons you will have a personalised and exclusive, 1 on 1 surf lessons with your surf coach.
We are located near Lisbon in Nova Praia, Costa da Caparica.
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See you at the beach!
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