The Surfer's Oracle

Surfing should be a fun activity.  Above all else, if you're not having fun out there then what's the point?  There are sure to be people reading this who think the idea of climbing into a cold damp wetsuit in a windy car park in a hail shower in December is not their idea of fun in any way whatsoever.  Well, "each to their own" say the surfers, as they try not to think about that too much, and focus instead on getting out to the waves before hypothermia sets in.  All that is instantly forgotten as soon as the first wave is surfed.  Plus, surfing provides an excuse for a nice hot Pasty or two when you are back on dry land.  It's all about balance.

There are many factors that go into making a surf session fun, and one of the most important is timing.  A good days surfing (surfing being a relatively ephemeral activity), is made up of many confluences of natural factors like swell size, swell direction, the conditions of the sand banks (reef breaks being a rarity around these parts), the wind direction, having the right equipment for the conditions, and last but not least; the state of the tide.  Turn up too late, and you will have missed the best of it.  Too early and you'll be forced to wait it out, and bore everyone around you to death loudly making up stories about the last great wave you had.  This is one of surfing's great traditions worldwide.

A beginner surfer might turn up at the beach at random and 'hope for the best' conditions-wise, but a more seasoned surfer will make a study of the many aspects that make for a good surf, and time their surf accordingly.  Some surf spots work best at low tide, some at mid., and some at high tide.  Knowing which is which comes down to timing and experience, which can only really be learnt through putting in the work (play) over the years.  Technology in the form of smart phones and apps can provide some good info (if you can get a signal), but long before the days of checking the conditions or forecast on the Internet, surfers have been relying on the humble tide times for planning surfs.  The familiar yellow jacket of this yearly soon to be well-worn booklet has come to be a must have item for any regular surfer, other ocean user, or beach walker. 

Speaking of which, another very important function of the humble tide timetable is one of safety.  Every year in Cornwall, particularly around the holiday periods, there are stories about people getting cut off by the tide, and needing to be rescued by the emergency services.  Mostly the people do get rescued, but occasionally they do not, and that's easily done if they are exploring caves and cliffs that are off the beaten track.  This makes for some pretty grim news.  If these people had known about and checked the tide times before making their decisions, then they might still be alive today.  Indeed one of the many jobs the lifeguards perform on an incoming tide each summers day, is patrolling the beaches and caves making sure that people are not about to be cut off by the tide.  Having fished a few people out of the sea over the years, if I see someone walking towards a cave when the tide is coming in, I'll always check to see if they know what the tide is doing, and it's not unusual to be asked for this info by random strangers out walking the beaches.  Prevention is better than cure, and all that.  

I can't remember exactly when I first came upon the tide times booklets, but I do remember they were brought to my attention by my fellow vegan surf friend Dave, many many moons ago.  He also came up with the idea of charting his surfs in them, just as a way of counting up each years number of surf sessions, and as a way to compare conditions over the years.  Now I also make a point of noting the number of surfs, the size of the waves, which board I took out, the times when I change from summer to winter wetsuits or vice-versa, or when I put gloves on, etc., as the water temperature changes.  Probably very boring stuff if you don't go in the sea, but it makes for interesting reading if you surf.  Patterns emerge, and you might even think of planning holidays around favourable times of the year, like September, when the waves pick up and the summer crowds go home.  Of all the surfing essentials, this single item may well be both the cheapest and most important item of all, and those two don't go together very often these days.  Whether you live in Cornwall, or come to visit, it's well worth the £1.50 to pick up a copy of this little gem (for the area you are in), and keep it with you when you visit the beach.  It could prove to be a lifesaver.  You can find them for sale in many shops in Cornwall, or buy them HERE.