One of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global science research and education in the world, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, has used science to confirm what all surfers already know — how to find the “sweet spot” of a wave.
Conducted by some really smart dude, postdoctoral researcher Nick Pizzo, the study applied principles of physics at the ocean’s surface—where air and water meet—to identify how energy is transferred from the underlying wave to a surfer.
“Based upon the speed and geometry of the wave, you can determine the conditions to surf a wave and also where on the wave the maximum acceleration, or ‘sweet spot,’ will be located,” said Pizzo.
So, where is the “sweet spot?” Right inside the curl of the breaking wave.
Of course it is. So, why all this research?
According to Pizzo and his team, they are studying the mass, momentum, and energy of breaking waves to help improve our understanding of weather and climate.
It’s also a great excuse for more “board meetings.”
