Difference between waves for surf and waves for bodyboard

• Ignacio


• 21 Mar 2019

Although there are big differences between surfing and bodyboarding, they have always gone hand in hand, with rivalry, fights by waves and beaches. But finally they have always lived together in harmony. The truth is that surfing has been on our beaches for quite some more time, and the bodyboard would not have been born had it not been for a broken surfboard. Still, you are always going to see rivalry and many “fights” to see which is better sport and which can get the best waves. With a surfboard you can catch waves faster than bodyboard, but at the same time the bodyboard can put up with dryer and hollow waves than a surfboard, by simple fact that you are already lying down and it is time that you save for the take off. The surfers always try to demean (with joke tone) that the bodyboard takes this type of waves because they go lie down and don’t stand up. And on the oposite way the bodyboarders are proud that when the sea is really strong and difficult and the waves are the hardest to go down are the ones that go to the water. Anyway more experienced surfers can be seen in waves for bodyboarders. Surfing usually needs a lot more time of practice to be able to catch radical waves, because of the difficulty of standing in the right place in thousandths of a second for a proper take off (standing on the surfboard), and because it involves more danger for the board, fins, standing … Something that complicates it a lot. On the other hand, in order for a bodyboard to enjoy those waves of heart attack and hard, it needs less time to evolve, although need  balls.   We will start for the beginning: To begin we will say that a wave is a swell that is created on the surface of the ocean produced by the wind in storms. It can travel hundreds of kilometers, where they grow by friction until they reach the coast where they collide with the background and break, born our passion.  

Waves for surfing:

From my point of view, a surfer usually prefers longer waves than a bodyboard, with a good wall and few different sections to be able to pump, run, send turns to the lip … In conclusion, find the perfect combo of maneuvers. Although as they improve their surfing, they are looking for more explosive waves and barrels to look for their limit, without losing sight of the wave’s line and a good snap.

They are few kind of waves:

They can be typical waves of sand beaches full of people of all levels, where each one squeeze what they need and amuses them. Usually its the daily waves. What normally we can find every where in Europe. You can also look for the endless wave. For many surfers they are the favorites, because they can surf it until they can’t feel their legs! There are of all types but these are usually with slow maneuverable sections that become fast and barrel section and backwards.   For people with a more advanced level there are where the star maneuver is to get the best barrel of the day! Big wave surfing is very popular on TV, but it is still a very unusual practice, less than 0.01% of the surfing community it. But facing normal people, those who do not surf or bodyboard 🙂 is a show of the sport. Requires very long surfboards, to have control and speed. Waves like Jaws in Hawaii, Nazare in Portugal, or Belhara in France offer spectacular images every winter. And finally there are those who has no brain and want to surf mutant waves in botton stone and murderous reefs where failure is not allowed. Although normally these waves are usually caught with a jet ski, because with the paddling you do not get the speed you need to be able to take a safe take off towards the wall.  

Waves for bodyboard:

Unlike surfing, bodyboarding is a sport that needs more powerful waves to get all its juice and fun. although there are many levels, a good bodyboarder usually looks for the better placed wave for a good maneuver, either on the beach that is, with the most square and dry barrel possible, or a good section to run and fly like a free bird. The benefit of the bodyboard is that by being dragged as some surfers call us (although they love each other) it is that they can drop drier and faster waves when they break, because they have already taken time to make the take off. In this sport there are also the daily waves. It is not ideal because there are not usually very strong waves (there are always exceptions). They are waves of sandy beaches that is usually where you usually surf, unless you find some break point that improves the conditions for this practice. Another type of beach brake that usually have a lot of fun are the famous wedges, they are waves that go against others, or that come together forming a triangle with a perfect ramp to use your imagination!

Reef waves

Within the reef waves you can find the ones that are short with a pretty technical take off where if you get it, a good cave awaits you. In these moments they have an advantage over surf because apart from lying down they get more acceleration using the fins.

Others are with a bit easier take off with a wall in the form of elbow or triangle, which are to run the wave and hit the lip to fly. This is due to the shape of the stone bottom, which causes the wave to break into a circular or triangular shape.here you can see the circular reef with form this kind of wave

 If in Surf there is nor to many people who practice big waves xxl, in bodyboarding it is much harder to see, it is not for bravery. It is simply due to the fact that you can not get the enough speed to not be swallowed by the mountain of water. Although there are exceptions, like the king of this sport Mike Stewart with his Science bodyboards.

Hybrid waves!

There are other waves as world class that both the surfers and bodyboarders loves for equal. From my point of view, these can be Pipeline in Hawaii, Teahupoo in Tahiti, Puerto escondido in Mexico and that kind of waves.TeahupooPuerto escondidoPipeline

For sure everyone has their own opinion and for each wave and sport, but this is our vision and what we have seen over the years! If you think that a wave is missing or you want to give your opinion you already know, write us down here. And we call for the brotherhood of surfers and bodyboarders to never break! There is place for everyone (almost …) in the water.

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