For those confused by the surf report, lemme just quickly explain what those surf heights actually mean:
In Hawaii you take the actual height of the face of the wave, divide it in two and subtract another one for every five feet. Therefore, when looking at the wave that is seven times the height of a six foot person you would start with forty-two feet. Divide it in two, making it twenty-one feet. Then subtract one for every five, making it a seventeen foot wave in the eyes of the locals.
In California we simply divide the height in two. It never gets big enough to use the one for five factor. On the east coast they do just the opposite. They so rarely get sizable waves that they double it. So then, a ten foot tall wave in Hawaii is called three feet, in California it is called five feet, and in New Jersey it is called twenty feet. (I know, it's insane)
So, when you see the surf report for Hawaii, and it says, 1-3 feet, it really means 6 - 12 foot faces. 4 or 5 feet means 12-15 foot faces. You get the idea. And that is some big ass surf.
