What is groundswell?
Groundswell is swell generated by distant storms that has travelled a long way across the ocean, arriving as long-period, well-organised waves. It is the opposite of wind swell, which is made by local winds.
Last updated · Surf & waves glossary
About Groundswell
- Also called
- ground swell
Related terms
- Swell period
- Swell period is the time, in seconds, between one wave crest and the next passing the same point. Longer periods mean more energy: a long-period swell of the same height breaks bigger and more powerfully than a short-period one.
- Wind swell
- Wind swell is made by winds blowing near the coast. It arrives as short-period, less organised waves that usually break with less power than groundswell of the same height.
- Swell direction
- Swell direction is the compass direction a swell comes from. Each break works best on the swell directions that reach it unblocked and hit its reef, point or sandbar at the right angle.