How much is too much?

[southwesterly]

Very windy here today. I hate it on a stand up.

How much wind is too much for you?

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

9 knots on shore  I don't like it at 7 but  9 is about when my break looks like a washing machine. 

[SlatchJim]

9 knots on shore  I don't like it at 7 but  9 is about when my break looks like a washing machine.

Ditto.  I start hunting for protected breaks (cliffs or points) at 7 and at 9 it's time for lunch.

[Bean]

Upper teens off shore but 10 Kts or less on shore or side shore.

[FRP]

Depends on how desperate I am for a surf. Went out in 15 knots side shore on Tuesday. Thought I could find a bit of protection paddling over to Rosy Bay.....nope and the wind picked up to close to 20 knots. Paddled into the wind on my knees wondering if I would make it back to Chesterman, caught one small wave and went in. Two hours, lots of unforced errors and only a few short rides.....would I do it again......yes......will do it tomorrow.....no...as I had a very good session at Cox Bay today. Interesting question though.

Bob

[Zooport]

Depends on wave size and quality.  Small waves get destroyed by even light wind.  Today was 1-2 ft with a light south wind and we skipped it.  If it had been 3-4 ft we probably would have gone for it.  I don't mind tiny waves, but almost any wind ruins them. 

[supthecreek]

Since the 60's, I've envied you guys in Santa Cruz, cuz it always looked so glassy there with all the kelp and light winds.

In New England, we surf our best waves as the storms roll though = windy as hell.

When Cape Cod is being blasted by the center of the storm,
Rhode Island will have great swell and stupid strong offshore winds.
Our best sessions in RI are right on the edge of the storm.

After the storm passes, the wind switches offshore o the Cape, and blows like stink.
That is how we get most of our best swells. (Pic)

We prefer the hurricane swell, that comes from a long way away, and we get glassy or light winds!

But, if you want size in New England, it usually come at the price of 20 to 30 mph+ offshores.....and usually cold 

the bonus is:
We never surf crappy onshore or sideshore chop!

Living in Florida this winter opened my eyes to what a lot of people think are normal conditions.
Down there, 12 mph straight onshore is considered good, cuz it's more ridable than cross-shore.
I had a great winter bobbling around down there, but I'll take strong offshore and clean faces any day

Thailand? the wind was 0 to 4 mph every day.
Sultry pure glass was the norm. YES, I'll take THAT!

[stoneaxe]

Almost every bad wipeout I've had came when I got held up on a face by high wind. 15 kts I'll still go but I've found that's when it starts to get iffy. Size does matter....more to work with when it's bigger but the wind compression and increase in speed on the face is what usually gets me into trouble. If it's gusty it's even more of an issue. A drop to 10 kts is fine but a jump to 20 combined with the face can have you pitching head first into the pit......I've grown more cautious lately.....

[eastbound]

what creek said--you wanna surf round here? youre gonna deal with wind

often deal with offshores in high teens gusting into lo 20's--tough getting around making later drops--no prob once on the wave

[Zooport]

what creek said--you wanna surf round here? youre gonna deal with wind

often deal with offshores in high teens gusting into lo 20's--tough getting around making later drops--no prob once on the wave

Wow, that almost never happens in SoCal.  I've only surfed a handful of strong offshore days ever. 

[SUP Sports ®]

We get days on the Central Cali Coast that are rendered unsurfable by the offshores...

[Weasels wake]

Very windy here today. I hate it on a stand up.

How much wind is too much for you?

Well if you are still willing to pull out your windsurfing equipment, it isn't an issue.  Never mind that I got blown off the water yesterday while windsurfing, "too much" can extend to that as well, but at least it means more water time.

[Zooport]

What we get is that blasted, consistent south wind, which we have had almost every morning since December.  Usually between 7 and 15 knots, but for some reason, that wind direction does the most damage to the surf spots I frequent.  It's been a lousy year around here.  Hoping summer pays us back a little.

[SUP Sports ®]

Very windy here today. I hate it on a stand up.

How much wind is too much for you?

Well if you are still willing to pull out your windsurfing equipment, it isn't an issue.  Never mind that I got blown off the water yesterday while windsurfing, "too much" can extend to that as well, but at least it means more water time.

Yup...a few days ago I was as juiced and powered up on a 4.2m2 as I needed to be on fresh water at 2500'...solo sesh...pretty fun...
Back in the day I would have been looking for more...even though it would have meant using full sinkers and 3m2 hankies...;-)

[tautologies]

Kiteboarding is fun too.
Smacking waves on a kiteboard is almost as much fun as the best sup / surf sessions. It complements SUP perfectly IMO.