The moon is a super important part of surfing.  The moon is so important because it plays one of the largest roles in the influence of tides. Tides have a huge impact on the different types of waves in our area.

It was created after a rock the size of mars collided with earth.  The debris from the rock impacting earth accumulated to create the moon.  The moons current makeup consists of dead volcanoes on it’s surface.  It consists of highlands and impact craters.  The lunar crust is made up of rocks, debris, and dust. It is constantly being changed by meteors, astroids, and comets. The core is thought to be solid, a composition rich with iron.  It is surrounded by a liquid iron outer core, with an additional outer layer of partially molten lava.

The moon makes a complete orbit around the earth  every 24 hours, and spins at a rate that keeps the same side of the moon always facing earth.  The moon has a strong gravitational pull that draws the water on the earth toward the moon.  The bodies of water closest to the moon are pulled more strongly by gravity.  Bodies  of water closer to the moon are at high tides.  The bodies of water at the opposite end of the earth from the moon are also at a high tide from inertia.  In 1 day, as the moon rotates around the earth, four tides occur.

When bodies of water are being pulled in one direction or another it strengthens or inhibits the wave motion in the ocean.  Tidal energy influences the motion of large bodies of water in the ocean.  More closely to the beach, water going in an opposite direction as wave energy typically decreases the size and quality of waves.

The waves in the gulf rise in a short period of time.  Fronts rush off the continent into the gulf, bringing a circulating low. Hurricanes work in a similar fashion, simply moving into the gulf from a different location.  The low generates waves by creating fetch (wind traveling over water).  The strength of the low influences the strength of the wind. The strength of the wind working with or against the gravitational pull will determine the quality of waves that reach west Florida.

There are some other things you should know.  The sun impacts the tides as well, but the moon is considerably stronger.  The strongest tides are when the sun and moon are in alignment.  Those tides occur on the new moon and the full moon.

Also, the moon travels in an elliptical path.  The distance of the moon from the earth plays an additional role in the strength of a particular tidal swing on a particular day.

One more thing.  The time of year is important because of the role of the distance of the sun from the earth. Around January 2 the tidal ranges are the widest.  The low tides fall to their lowest levels and the high tides rise to their highest levels.  During this time in the winter, many stretches of usually submerged shoals and sandbars are completely visible.  Around July 2 the tidal ranges are reduced to their narrowest ranges.

It’s hard to be completely 100 percent accurate.  Sand banks and land masses change the direction of the flow of the ocean, which can impact the energy that influences waves.  Tampa Bay for example is a large body of water that empties into the gulf.  The loop current circulates around the gulf, going from the panhandle downward, around the tip of Florida, and up the east coast.  You might think that because the loop current works this way the contents of tampa bay would be emptied into the gulf and head in a southerly direction, but immediately out of the bay, the contents go north, making the beaches immediately north of Tampa Bay best on an outgoing tide.  Many spots north of passes for large bays and intra-costal waterways work this way.  So the shape of the land masses in the area and the sand formations that shift from year to year will affect the way the tidal movement influences surf.  The only way to know which spots work best on which tides is by watching the tides with a good tide graph and trying different spots on different tides.