Surf Booking Journal · Reading the sea
Left, right, beach break: the dictionary that unlocks the line-up
When the instructor shouts 'go left!', which way is that? Surf vocabulary in ten terms, properly explained.
August 24, 2026 · 1 min read
Surfing has its own vocabulary and nobody hands you the glossary. Here it is — the ten terms you'll hear in week one.
The sides
Left and right are named from the surfer's point of view, facing the beach. A "right" breaks to YOUR right on the wave — from the sand it runs left. Yes, everyone gets confused at first.
The bottoms
- Beach break — sand. Where you learn: falling is soft
- Point break — breaks at the same spot, runs long
- Reef break — rock or slab. More predictable, more serious. Ericeira is famous for these
Parts of the wave
- Peak — where it starts breaking
- Wall — the open face you ride
- Whitewater — the broken wave, the beginners' gym
- Set — waves arrive in groups; counting sets is your first superpower