What creates most ocean surf waves?
AnswerWind blowing over the ocean
Wind transfers energy to the water surface, building swell.
Sports · Facts & stats
Surfing facts & stats
7 fact-checked facts about surfing, waves and ocean science, each with the reason behind it. 5 more are in today's round and join this page after it closes.
The basics
Where do surfers sit and wait for waves?
AnswerThe lineup
The lineup is the spot just past where waves begin to break.
Going deeper
The famous Banzai Pipeline is on which Hawaiian island?
AnswerOahu
Pipeline breaks on Oahu's North Shore.
What do surfers call a group of bigger waves arriving together?
AnswerA set
Waves often arrive in sets with lulls in between.
If caught in a rip current, what is the usual safety advice?
AnswerSwim parallel to the shore
Swimming parallel lets you escape the narrow channel of the rip.
Expert level
Which Portuguese town is famous for some of the biggest waves ever surfed?
AnswerNazare
An undersea canyon off Nazare focuses swells into giant waves.
Which country's surfer won the first Olympic men's surfing gold?
AnswerBrazil
Italo Ferreira of Brazil won the men's gold at Tokyo 2020.
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