Science of Surfing

Where does the sound of breaking waves come from?

The foam trailing behind a breaking wave can disappear in seconds or linger for minutes, depending on what’s dissolved in the water around you.

Oct 13 • 

Kevin Okun

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What causes mirages over water?

From the beach, you spot a boat on the horizon that appears to hover several feet above the water’s surface.

Oct 6 • 

Kevin Okun

September 2025

What are marine heatwaves?

Summer is coming to a close and the water temperature is at its most variable here in San Diego.

Sep 29 • 

Kevin Okun

5

Why do hurricanes spin (counter)clockwise?

Pull up any satellite image of a hurricane approaching the US East Coast and you'll see that unmistakable counterclockwise spiral.

Sep 22 • 

Kevin Okun

2

Why is the ocean blue?

You've probably noticed the water isn't always the same shade of blue from day to day.

Sep 15 • 

Kevin Okun

4

What do air and water have in common?

The ocean demands most of our attention when we're surfing, but considering half our bodies are exposed to the air above it, we should spend some time…

Sep 8 • 

Kevin Okun

4

How are artificial reefs created?

Building a reef from scratch sounds like a classic humans-are-better-than-other-animals power trip, and in many ways, that's exactly what it is.

Sep 1 • 

Kevin Okun

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2

August 2025

Why is sand eroded by big swells?

It's January and the sandy bottom you knew by heart has vanished, replaced by cobblestones and reefs that weren't there last week.

Aug 25 • 

Kevin Okun

6

3

Why aren't tide charts centered at mid tide?

The fools down at Tide Charts Incorporated seem to have failed basic math.

Aug 18 • 

Kevin Okun

4

How much sewage are you surfing in?

Remember when the only forecast we cared about was wave height and wind direction?

Aug 11 • 

Kevin Okun

5

What makes tsunamis different from the waves we surf?

The word tsunami literally means "harbor wave" in Japanese, which tells you something about where these waves become most dangerous.

Aug 4 • 

Kevin Okun

6

1

July 2025

What have we learned this past year and what's next?

A year ago, we started asking questions that probably pop into every surfer's head at some point.

Jul 28 • 

Kevin Okun

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1