Waves are the main element to surfing. It's one reason that many find surfing competitions unreliable to judge the best surfer as it is nearly impossible to create a wave naturaly that are identical every time.
Three main factors contribute to the creation of waves. First is the moons gravitational pull pushs and drags the ocean's and seas around the world. When the water is pulled onto the shore the mixture of sand underneath will decide on the size of waves as seen below. As the wave comes close to the shore the water is pushed up and soon the water has to collaspe on itself which is the breaking of the wave. A large reef can create un imaginable waves that can be almost as big as a house. Also reef that is offshore can give surfers more time before it breaks. Many towns are now creating artifical reefs to attract surfing tourists
Wind also creates drag on the sea creating unrest on the surface which creates waves and can increase their size although this is not always desirable as they can upset your surfing
Do you have a picture of the big wave off Donegal during the week? It was the biggest ever recorded in Ireland. I think the Irish Times published a photograph of it.
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