FrothSurf guides
16 guidesSurf Guides & Tips
Practical surf knowledge from the Froth crew — read the conditions, pick your window, and score more waves.
- 165 min read
Beach Break vs Point Break vs Reef Break: The 3 Types of Surf Spot
Every surf spot is a beach break, a point break or a reef break, and the type tells you how the wave breaks, how forgiving it is and which conditions it needs.
Read guide - 155 min read
What Is a Rip Current? How to Spot One and What to Do If Caught
A rip current is a narrow channel of water flowing away from the beach. Here's how to recognize one from the sand, what to do if one pulls you out, and why surfers use them.
Read guide - 145 min read
How Are Waves Measured in Surfing? Face Height vs Hawaiian Scale
Why one surfer's 3 ft is another's 6 ft: the difference between face height, the Hawaiian scale, body-based sizes like waist high, and the buoy numbers in a surf report.
Read guide - 136 min read
Best Surf Report Apps in 2026: Real Reports, Forecasts and Cams
Which surf app is best depends on whether you want a forecast, a live camera, or a report from someone standing at the break right now. A plain comparison of the main options, including what each one can't do.
Read guide - 125 min read
Froth vs Surfline: Which Surf App Should You Use?
Froth and Surfline answer different questions. Surfline tells you what a break should do; Froth tells you what a surfer standing there says it is doing. A straight comparison, including what Froth can't do.
Read guide - 115 min read
Surfline Alternatives: What Else Surfers Actually Use
The right Surfline alternative depends on why you're leaving: the subscription, no cam at your break, or a forecast that's wrong when you arrive. Here's what fits each.
Read guide - 105 min read
What Is Swell Period? The Most Important Number in a Surf Report
Swell period is the seconds between waves — and it predicts surf quality better than wave height does. Here's what the number means and what each range actually feels like.
Read guide - 095 min read
Offshore vs Onshore Wind: Why Wind Direction Decides Your Surf
Offshore wind grooms waves clean; onshore wind flattens them into mush. Here's what each term means, why offshore is what every surfer wants, and how to time the wind at your beach.
Read guide - 087 min read
Surf Slang: 40 Surfing Terms and What They Actually Mean
A plain-English glossary of surf slang — from barrel and closeout to grom, kook, and frothing. What surfers are actually saying in the lineup and on the report.
Read guide - 075 min read
Surf Report vs Surf Forecast: What's the Difference?
A surf forecast predicts what the ocean will do; a surf report describes what it is doing right now. Here's why the difference decides whether you score or waste a drive.
Read guide - 066 min read
Are Surf Reports Accurate? What Forecasts Get Right and Wrong
Surf forecasts are reliable about swell and unreliable about the details that decide your session. Here's what to trust, what to ignore, and how accuracy decays with time.
Read guide - 056 min read
Surf Etiquette: The Rules Every Surfer Is Expected to Know
Right of way, dropping in, snaking, and paddling out — the unwritten rules of the lineup, explained plainly so you don't learn them the hard way.
Read guide - 046 min read
What Are Good Surf Conditions for Beginners?
Small, slow, and forgiving beats big and hollow every time. The wave height, wind, tide, and break type to look for when you're learning to surf.
Read guide - 035 min read
Best Time to Surf: How Tides, Wind, and Crowds Line Up
When is the best time of day to surf? A practical guide to dawn patrol, wind, tides, and crowds — and how to pick the right window for your local spot.
Read guide - 023 min read
What Does “Froth” Mean in Surfing?
“Froth” and “frothing” are some of surfing's most-used slang. Here's what they mean, where the words come from, and how surfers use them.
Read guide - 016 min read
How to Read a Surf Report: Wave Height, Period, Wind & Tides
A plain-English guide to reading a surf report — what wave height, swell period, wind direction, and tides actually mean, and how to tell if it's worth paddling out.
Read guide