Surf Language: 'clean', 'peaky', 'lumpy', 'glassy', 'choppy', 'consistent' & 'inconsistent what does it mean?

Question

What do the terms 'clean', 'peaky', 'lumpy', 'glassy', 'choppy', 'consistent' and 'inconsistent' mean in the Surf Language to describe a wave?

Answer 1

clean means that the surf is well organized and peeling well

peaky usually is used to describe a beach break, when peaks are forming in all kinds of places on sandbars, so u have to get lucky, but you get lots of sick waves.

lumpy means that its windswell, or a little windy near shore, or there's backwash, or whatever, but the face of the wave isn't smooth (opposite of clean).

glassy means that the surface of the water is really still. there is no effect of wind on the water, or if it is it's offshore. the faces are really smooth.

consistent means that there are constantly rideable waves, and inconsistent means the opposite.

those are easy though! we make up so many other words that are hard to define:
warbly, inside-outside, backwashed, sketchy, friendly, mushy, grovel-status, the list goes on...

sometimes i describe the surf to a fellow surfer by completely making up a new set of sounds with our known consanants and vowels. strangely, they seem to understand exactly what point im trying to convey. just like how the eskimos have so many words for snow, we have this weird jargened language for surf. is jargened a word? if not then i have proved my point.

Answer 2

Clean- nice smooth waves not a lot of white foamy stuff-good
Peaky- where there are lots of peaks the peak is where the wave peaks and starts to beak- good (I'm pretty sure on this one but not 100%)
lumpy and choppy kinda mean the same bumpy water, like if it's really windy-not good
glassy opposite of choppy. where the water is so smooth it looks like glass- good
consistent- where there is wave after wave, doesn't describe how good a wave is more like the intervals of a wave like every 10-15 seconds is consistent
in consistent- not that the waves are not surfable. just that they are far between. you could have an awesome set roll in every 15 minutes=inconsistent

Answer 3

the previous answer (BTMEAD21) got most of the content here so I won't repeat it.

When I hear "Peaky" I think of Southern California inconsistent wind-waves (summer, mainly) or odd-tide swells that rather than break down the shore tend to pop up in specific spots (the peaks) perhaps 100-200 yards apart, or less, all along the shore.

The upshot is that you aren't going to ride a long set wave all the way to the inside. Another peak is going to close out the ride before you get too far.

Answer 4

Glassy Definition

Answer 5

Clean/Glassy: Smooth water, i.e. smooth as glass
Peaky: Never heard this one. Guessing that it has to do with waves breaking high.
Lumpy/Choppy: Rough water
Consitent: Lots of surfable waves
Inconsistent: Few surfable waves

Answer 6

describes the water and the waves

Answer 7

it describes not how a wave is surfed
but what the wave looks like and howbig or small, strong or weak it is