What is SurfChecks and how to read ocean conditions
We built SurfChecks to answer every surfer's simplest question: 'Where is it good to surf right now?'. Without confusing charts or complicated jargon, we bring together 24/7 live beach cameras, real wave size, wave energy, wind quality, and safe tide windows.
HOW TO READ THE OCEAN IN 4 SIMPLE STEPS
See the Waves Before You Drive
24/7 optical live streams built on a ZERO-CLS architecture via youtube-nocookie.com show you in real time whether waves are lining up cleanly and how crowded the lineup is.
Why a 1m wave can be gentle or heavy
Open-Meteo telemetry with Airy/Stokes ocean wave power physics: waves under <350 kJ are soft and friendly for learning, while groundswells over >3000 kJ pack serious power.
Know the Best Time to Paddle Out & Exit
Our lunar M2 harmonic tidal solver calculates high and low cycles every 12.42h, alerting surfers to critical entry and exit windows before boulder ramps get submerged.
How Submarine Contours Shape Clean Waves
The steep drop from the -200m continental shelf down to deep water combined with island peaks rising to 1862m generates clean swell refraction and offshore wind shadows.
Airy/Stokes wave energy flux formula derived from Open-Meteo telemetry: seawater density ρ=1025 kg/m³, gravity g=9.81 m/s², significant wave height H_s and group velocity c_g. Gentle sessions measure <350 kJ, while heavy Atlantic swells exceed >3000 kJ.
Principal lunar semidiurnal M2 constituent with a 12.42h cycle provides precise water level elevations for rocky pointbreaks.
Volcanic drop-offs at the -200m contour and volcanic summits reaching 1862m channel swells and block unfavorable winds.
TIER 1: VAULT DB provides encrypted state persistence while TIER 2: SERVING REPLICA handles edge delivery with ZERO-CLS performance.
Beach, School & Camera Suggestions
SurfChecks is built by surfers who love the ocean. If you run a local surf school or want to suggest a new beach camera, drop us a message.