Questions about swell and period

I don't understand the relationship between swells and swell period and kayak safety.  When I looked it up, Google wanted to list surfing sites that have a slightly different perspective on what makes a good swell period.

Am I correct in thinking that when the period between swells is shorter, it will be more comfortable bobbing-around in a kayak?

I will not be in a sea with swells taller than my leg is long until I have a lot more experience in open water, but it's never to soon to try to grasp the idea.

  Hey Tinker....

  Think about swell timing like waves crashing on a beach. If they are close together with a short time in between they will be more active and out on the water you will be bouncing around more quickly. Lots of up and down in a hurry. I'd say most folks are more comfortable with a small swell spread out over a longer time . That makes the ride a lot more enjoyable.
  A short time between swells will be more exciting (if you like hard bouncing) but if you want comfort and safety--- a smallish (leg high) swell with 10 seconds or more between swells will be the kind of day you'll be looking for. And once in a while that even happens.

  Take your time and find that comfortable day. It will come. Especially if you have limited salt water experience---- always live to fish another day.

The shorter the period the steeper the wave. A good starting point is look for days where the period is twice the swell .... 4 foot at 8 seconds is a nice day. 2 foot at 15 seconds is lake like. 7 foot at 6 seconds is not much fun.

Waves are dynamic and there is a lot going on with short periods waves, longer period swells, wind waves and local bathymetry.  Looking at height and swell only paints a small part of the picture.

Consider that the longer the period, the more energy is in the wave. So a 5' @10 sec wave only has a fraction of the energy of a 5' at 20 second wave.  It isn't really noticeable when out on the water but it sure is on the beach at launch.  Take it to its logical extreme and imagine how much energy is in a 5' tsunami wave with a period of 20 minutes.

Since you live at the ocean, the easiest thing is to simply keep a log of what the ocean looks like at your preferred launch sites under different conditions.  This Sunday and Monday looks fishable btw, I'm ready to jump at Brookings if you want to get salty.

FYI, there is a great primer on the full go/no-go decision on the NWKA front page:

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=38

It has details not just on the swell, but other conditions that impact going out on the ocean in a kayak.

Oh and my own personal experience (covering a whole handful of surf launches/returns)...  I've now decided to add a couple feet and subtract a few seconds to the day's forecast!  Likely add some to the wind speed forecast as well!!! 

-Sam

FYI, there is a great primer on the full go/no-go decision on the NWKA front page:

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=38

It has details not just on the swell, but other conditions that impact going out on the ocean in a kayak.

Oh and my own personal experience (covering a whole handful of surf launches/returns)...  I've now decided to add a couple feet and subtract a few seconds to the day's forecast!  Likely add some to the wind speed forecast as well!!! 

-Sam

That's a great read. I used to read it at least once a week.

Consider that the longer the period, the more energy is in the wave. So a 5' @10 sec wave only has a fraction of the energy of a 5' at 20 second wave.  It isn't really noticeable when out on the water but it sure is on the beach at launch.

+1.

FWIW, if you're diving the longer the period the more surgy it is as well...

Long period swells are not very good to dive in because it is really hard to stay in one place on the bottom...the impact of the period and the surge is usually less the deeper you are, but I have been tossed around like a rag doll even at 50+ feet....hard to hunt and potentially dangerous as well for getting thrown into rocks etc.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Another thing to consider in our area, Tinker...is the direction of the swell. I remember one day last year, the swell height was moderate but the interval was pretty long. The direction of the swell was coming in from the southwest. I pulled up to the launch at Sunset, surprised to find that a HUGE breaking wave was crashing across the opening to the bay. This wave stretched from the Titt Rocks to Squaw Island. I watched the sets for a long time to see if there would be an opening. The tide was still coming in and I thought it would flatten out long enough during the peak of the tide to sneak out and fish.
After watching it for an hour, I went for it. I fished close by for a while to monitor the swell as the tide started to ebb. The wave started to build up again. I didn't want to get stuck out there, so I waited for a safe time to sneak back into the bay. Ended up surfing the face of a big wave that was on the verge of breaking. It picked me up and nearly washed me into the tide pools.
The direction of the swell that day, mixed with the long interval gave that wave a lot of energy and it pummeled the opening to the bay. So, pay attention to the direction of the swell too!
If you ever have questions about the conditions, feel free to message me and I can help you read the conditions.

Okay, and Wow!  There's more to it than I thought, and I've been thinking about it pretty hard.

Thank you, Mark.  I will stay in the shelter of the Port Orford Heads for quite a while.  I'm preparing to go out further, but there's no rush to get there.  There are more than enough rockfish in my "home" area to keep me happy until I'm ready to run with the big boys.

Crash, I'm not ready for Brookings, but I truly appreciate the offer.  Later this year?  After I get a few hours on the sea in the Hobie?  Then I'll jump at the chance.  I don't keep a written log, per se, I keep a video log and edit in a few notes about what I'm recording.

SamM, thanks for the reminder.  I remember reading that go/no go primer quite a while back, but since I was working the rivers and not looking at the sea, I'd forgotten all about it.  It's bookmarked now.

Ling-Ling Herro, what the heck is Gold Beach brou-ha-ha all about?  Same as to Crash: give me a bit of time to get my sea-butt under me, and I'll start pestering you about going out.  Arizona Beach is closer to me than it will be to you, but I've looked longingly at it for the past year...  And yes, if I have any questions or doubts about the conditions, I'll gratefully PM you.

This is all good information.  Keep it up, please.