Face/Shoulder: The least steep part of the wave and the further away from the lip. This is the part where surfers ride towards when they’re on a wave.

Peak: This is the best place to catch a wave (when surfing green waves) as you can slide down into the pocket to continue riding the wave.

Pocket: This is where all the power of the wave is generated. Keeping your surfboard close to the pocket will ensure maximum speed throughout the wave.

Lip: The lip is when the wave starts to curl over. The larger the wave the more intense and “heavy” the lip can be.

Tube: You would have seen many great surfers riding the tube. This is the barrel that has formed one the lip has curled over and is hitting the water creating the impact zone.

Impact Zone: This is where the lip crashes down to the flat water and is the most powerful part of the wave sequence. You can read our tips for paddling past this point on our blog post here.

White Wash: The rolling white water – also known as foam – that makes its way towards the shore. This is where beginners learn. When learning to surf in the white water, make sure you surf at least 3-metres from the impact zone to give the wave enough time to settle and turn into white water.