bowl

This unfinished page contains text from either the 2003 or 2005 print version of Encyclopedia of Surfing. An updated version, with more photos, is coming soon.

A type of wave, or portion of wave, that bends in on itself as it breaks; as viewed from above, a bowl section is crescent-shaped. Bowl waves are generally caused by a raised area of reef or sandbar; they can also be formed as a wave bounces off a jetty or head-land and intersects with the following wave. A bowl section not only tends to be bigger than the rest of the wave, but is harder-breaking...

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