Scarborough Beach: Surf's Up! Traditional Cache

Scarborough Beach: Surf’s Up!

The cache, a small screw-topped black-taped tablet pot, is hidden close to the large parking area for this wonderful sandy beach - a perfect spot to observe a stunning sunset and watch the Atlantic waves . . . highly recommended for a chilled-out sun-downer visit. See here for a great drone-video of the beach,

The cache was hidden as a replacement for GC6ZC8G Scarborough Beach: Sunset Paradise hidden on 16/1/17 and archived 10/2/21 - due to GZ no longer being accessible - after some 64 finds.

The location is also popular with surfers on suitable (fortunately many) days, ie. when the waves are good. So, what makes a good wave . . . read on!

Wave Energy: surfers owe the Sun a greater debt of gratitude than the rest of life on our planet. Its energy creates the wind energy that ultimately produces wave energy. The energy contained in ocean waves is immense. Even small surfing waves are capable of lifting 1,000s tons of water

The more they understand how wave energy is transformed into epic surfing waves, the better they can harness these incredibly powerful forces of nature.

1. Types of Swell: When the wind blows on the surface of the ocean it creates wave energy. As it moves through the open ocean it becomes an organized swell of 2 main types, with different effects on the waves that break on a beach:

1. Groundswell: is generated by storms and very strong winds over a long distance in the open ocean - the bigger the storm the more energy the swell has. This wave energy can reach as deep as 1,000 feet and travel for thousands of miles, ultimately producing stellar surfing waves.
2. Windswell: is created by wind and is much more localized and closer to shore. As a result, its wave energy is usually not as deep or powerful as groundswell.

Sometimes surf spots simultaneously receive both ground and wind swells from multiple directions.

2. Wave Refraction: When swells eventually reach shallow water they slow down and the wave energy is released in the form of breaking waves. This energy is focused toward the shallower areas of water, as that part of the wave doesn’t move as fast as those moving over deeper water. The way a line of swell bends horizontally as it breaks is called refraction and depends on landscape characteristics and the depth of the sea floor. There are two types:

1. Concave: if it moves over a raised bottom contour with deeper water around it, the wave ends bend toward the shore. From the side, the wave looks like a ‘bowl’ with energy focused at a peak in the middle. This is ‘concave refraction’ can produce excellent surfing waves to the left or the right of this peak.
2. Convex: if it meets a headland with deeper water adjacent to it, the middle of the wave bends away from the deep water and toward the shoreline. So the wave energy becomes defocused or spread over a wide area. This ‘convex refraction’ usually results in less powerful waves but longer rides.

3. Types of Breaks: there are 3 types of breaks producing surfing waves:

1. Beach breaks are waves that break on sandbars. Wave shape, size, and peak location at such breaks can vary significantly from day to day as the sand shifts. The sandy bottom at means these breaks are safer for novices.
2. Reef breaks are waves that break on shelves of rock or coral. Unlike beach breaks, they are much more consistent in terms of wave shape and peak location. Also they can create great waves for surfing.
3. Point breaks are waves that break on a section of land jutting out from shore. When swells come from the right direction, they wrap around these points to create epic waves. These occur at some of the most consistent surfing spots in the world, with the best-shaped waves and the longest rides.

4. Types of Surfing Waves: the swell size and direction, as well as the tide, currents, and wind, heavily influence the conditions at every surf spot. Depending on these variables, several different kinds of waves can be found at a break:

1. Closeouts: waves that break all at once instead of peeling, creating much whitewater without a clean wave face - not good for surfing.
2. Crumbly: gently breaking waves produced when the bottom contour is more gradual are not very steep, fast, or hollow. They are also called ‘mushy’ waves as they don’t have much power. Their forgiving nature makes them perfect for beginners.
3. Reforms: will sometimes break and then die down as it hits deeper water before ‘reforming’ or breaking again when shallower water is reached. Depending on the spot and the conditions, advanced surfers may kick out before the wave hits deeper water, leaving the inside reform to less experienced surfers.
4. Tubing: hollow waves and barrels (aka ‘plunging’ waves) generated when a swell rolls through deep water and then hits a much shallower area. These are highly sought after by experienced surfers – but novices should steer clear!
5. Double-ups: occur when 2 waves meet and their crests and troughs align. This wave energy combines to create an extra powerful and larger wave. Double-ups can become ultra-hollow and even dangerous when they break. Even surfers with very advanced skills can have a tough time taming these wild beasts!

Surfing reports and forecasts: for a surfing spot usually describe: wave height, swell period (ie. how long between waves) and direction, wind strength and direction, tide times and heights, other weather conditions like temperature, cloudiness and precipitation, and sea temperature.

They are found on numerous surfing websites and usually presented as figures and in graphics. Some sites also provided an overall assessment of surfing conditions as a score or star rating.

Surf Spot Characteristics

Surf Spot Quality: Wave quality: Regional Classic; Experience: All surfers
Frequency: Very consistent (150 days/year)
Wave: Type: Beach-break; Direction: Right; Bottom: Sandy with rock
Power: Hollow, Powerful, Fun, Normal length: Short (<50m); Good day length Long (150-300m)
Tide, Swell and Wind: Good swell direction: West; Good wind direction: East, NorthEast; Swell size: Starts working at <1m and holds up to 2m+
Dangers: Sharks

General surfing description - Scarborough is described on one site as follows: ‘there are 3 possible breaks here. A small righthander that peels along a rip channel in the left corner, a peak in the middle of the beach and a righthander off rocks in front of the car park. These spots depend on conditions. A clean West swell and light offshores turn on the car park. The beach is more consistent. Reforming righthanders (having wrapped around an outside point) swing back into the beach and break on a sandbar alongside a deeper channel running along the rocks of the inside point section. The rip keeps the sand out and on the sandbar. Gets perfect here, but a little inconsistent. For its size, it is pretty juicy. Best at around 2-4'.
Atmosphere: great in summer. A wave here almost all year round. Super hollow at times. General: cold perfection.