Since I am the official forecaster for the (Nike) 6.0 Lowers Pro this year…and I have this cool blog that lets me post all kinds of random poop…I thought I would throw out the official forecast that I sent on to the contest guys today. I normally don’t post a lot of commercialized stuff but since I am involved this year I thought it would be ok. (well that and the fact that I am still working on getting my own special contest heat where I get to surf Lowers with 3 other guys)
Anyways check out the forecast…(I did the layout too...my wife is going to let me hang it on the fridge!)
I dig the contest posters/images as well…
Here are a couple of those.
And here is the website, for some reason it is really hard to find using google…bad SEO juju…
http://www.nike6lowerspro.com/
4 comments:
Congrats Adam! All your work is of the highest quality, I look at a lot of websites and really, there are none finer or more pro than yours. Major kudos...
You're probably way busy but one of these days I'd be interested in your "take" on what constitutes "good" surf. It seems that most surf reports always report that the surf will be good when often times it just really sucks. Is it all in the eye of the beholder (or the one to whom one is beholding)?
Thanks man...working with the contests is generally pretty cool. Forecasting for one like this is a little silly though. They are in a fixed position with a fixed time-period. They are going to surf Lowers those days no matter what I tell them.
As for your question...it is a pretty good one...and one that I feel that a lot of people sort of forget to ask. In all my years as a surf reporter/forecaster it is an issue that everyone always seems to run into over and over.
This is my take on it...Every surfer has there own personal "filter" when it comes to the surf. What is fun and good for one person can be terrifying (or boring) for the next. So when a surf reporter or a forecaster says that it is going to be "good" the listener needs to think about "who" is reporting the info and try and see it through their eyes.
In a way it is sort of like getting a surf report from a couple of different friends that you surf with all the time and know their personalities pretty well. One of your friends is surf-stoked, so everything that he tells you sounds like it is the most epic day ever. Your other friend is a pessimist and a bit jaded so he isn't into it unless it is really firing.
Armed with that knowledge you can sort of cut through to the heart of each guys dawn-patrol phone call. If your stoked buddy says it is crap go back to bed...you can bet that will be a good call. On the flip side if your jaded buddy says it is firing you better haul ass to the beach.
So to answer the question about the online reports...just seeing the conditions or shape reported as "good" doesn't really mean squat to you unless you understand where that reporter is coming from. Too many online surf sites are sort of cold and lifeless, kicking out robotic reports that don't really reflect the actual conditions (or anticipate changing ones).
Personally, when I forecast, I try to think about the broad range of surfers. Trying not to forget that there are just as many guys that live for knee-high mushburgers as there are guys that like double-overhead death bombs (well probably more people like something in-between but that is besides the point). With that in mind I try and paint a clear picture in the forecast/report so that you guys can make a good choice on whether the surf will be good for you. Sometimes I throw in some personal feelings on the surf but I always try and point out that they are the feelings of a slightly demented surf-forecaster and should be taken with a grain of salt.
From a personal preference standpoint I am a bit on the jaded side when it comes to my surf...or at least I am more jaded when I have to make decisions about how to spend my time...(like, hang out with the family or surf 2-foot slop...family is going to win 95% of the time.) A perfect surf day for me would be sunny, slightly offshore, with sets going from shoulder high to 2-3'+ overhead at a beach break and maybe up to double-overhead at a softer point-break. Or any trip to indo...those are pretty perfect too.
Anyway I hope this makes sense...I guess the best advice I can give is sort of get to know, at least from a perspective standpoint, your forecaster or surf reporter...once you have an idea of where the are coming from the reports will make more since.
Good answer, right on target as far as I'm concerned and...the primary reason you re such a GOOD reporter/forecaster. You make it real on a personal level. Really, I think you are the ONLY forecaster that reports in the way that you do. In other words, "Hi, I'm Adam, here's what I do and I hope you like it..." That says a lot. Your reports are like talking to you over that first cup of coffee in the morning, like you're talking to a real person and not a college professor or something. Very few can translate the technical details into understandable surfer language like you do, yet still leave room for data geeks like me to dig for more.
I guess all I can say is keep up the great work, yours is the most unique, accurate and understandable surf reports I've ever found!
PS - Your charts are off the chart! And the follow-up pics of the wave forecasts come true...insane!
Sweet...I am always stoked that I can connect with people...and that they can score a few more waves with what I kick out there.
Post a Comment