BARRELS

Mark's Physics of Surfing

BARRELS

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PRINCIPLES OF A 'BARREL'

Surfing is all about having fun and pushing the limits. One of the most sought after types of breaks forms a wave that is referred to as a ‘barrel’. A ‘barrel’ is a hollow cavity formed in the wave as it breaks. When a swell that’s large enough hits a reef, the wave is forced up. The water particles begin their circular motion which in turn leads to an elliptical motion as the water gets shallower. As the particles reach the bottom of the ellipse, their velocity decreases. The particles then travel to the top of the ellipse. At this point, these particles are moving faster than the particles that are at the bottom because the particles loose velocity every time they hit the bottom. This cycle results in a constant decrease in velocity of the overall wave. This also causes the peak of the wave to pitch out in front of the crest. Gravity pulls the peak down, but the peak is now far enough ahead of the face that there is a hollow section inside the wave.

To ‘get barreled’, riders take off farther inside (closer to where the wave is cresting) the wave so the wave breaks over them. Riders can also enter the ‘barrel’ by stalling. This is where a rider shifts his/her weight to the back of the board causing added friction on the tail of the board, which reduces speed. When the rider wants to exit the barrel he shifts his weight back to an evenly balanced position and squats to gain speed.

BIG GLASSY BARREL !

Why would anyone want to ride inside of a wave? Its an adrenaline rush like any other extreme sport. The wave is going to collapse at some point and you have to get out before it does. How deep in the barrel can you get and still make it out? How big of a barrel can be conquered? Pushing the limits is all part of the fun.