The forecast for the future? Fun swell and increasing in size throughout the century. Photo: NBC News
It seems like every year the boundaries are pushed, the limits tested. In terms of big wave surfing, this is certainly true. But also every year, it seems like we’ve gone as far as we can go. Can Garret MacNamara really surf a wave bigger than his 100-footer at Nazaré? Can Nathan Fletcher tow into anything gnarlier than his 2011 Teahupoo monster? It’s like we’ve hit a ceiling, a pinnacle of progression.
Or so it seemed.
Surfing’s adrenaline-junkie hellmen may have more challenges / bigger death wishes to ride their surf craft on. A recent study found that waves have been increasing in power and size since the 1950s. The study looked to buoys, ships, and satellites to monitor the rising wave heights. And they found that there was more energy in the ocean in the 1990s and 2000s as compared to the 1980s.
The scientists involved in the study are blaming climate change for the increase in ocean activity. With higher temperatures and the ice caps melting, the oceans are getting bigger. It’s like a fish bowl: when you shake it up with a little water, it makes little waves; but when you shake it up with a lot of water, then your goldfishy goes flying onto the floor.
Bigger waves are undoubtedly bad for the earth as a whole – erosion, flooding, reef damage, etc. But surfers won’t be complaining. While the politicians debate over how to fix the planet, we’ll be out surfing. For being a peaceful and free-spirited bunch, we can also be somewhat selfish when it comes to scoring good waves, huh?
