Difference Betweeb Sea And Swell

[Guest Reel Addiction (Sea Jay)]

On the BOM weathersite they give you a pridiction for the Wave height in 2 readings 1 is Sea and the other is Swell i.e.:

Illawarra Coastal Waters, Port Hacking to Ulladulla and 60nm seawards:

Friday until midnight: Wind:S/SE 10/15 knots. Sea:around 1 metre. Swell:S/SE 1 to 1.5 metresThunderstorms, possibly severe

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the two?????

[mottyman]

Hey mate,

The "sea" is the short choppy waves created by the wind on top of the swell. The swell is the regular up and down waves that come through in sets at regular intervals. These are the waves that create the surf at the beach and send you up and down when at sea.

Does that make sense???? I'm not sure.

Cheers,

[netic]

Hey Mate,

I may be an idiot but i never take notice of the Seas prediction, I only look at the swell, Swell Direction and the wind, normally that will help me ascertain if conditions are good

Edited December 29, 2006 by netic

[Dorado 2]

Same here, when out on the water the swell and wind is what I go by and judge how far out on the day I will go. I find it preferable of the wind is blowing in the same direction for a couple of days that way the swell and the wind are coming from the same direction and not having the washing machine effect

Cheers

[Guest DV8]

Big swell doesn't matter as long as the tops are not being blown off them. I have been sailing in 3-4 m of swell and it was real smooth. Its the short sharp chop that makes for a very uncomfortable days fishing.

[Robbielites]

Here is a link to MHL glossary, It may help.

http://mhl.nsw.gov.au/www/wave_glossary.htmlx

Cheers.

Robbie.

[Guest Reel Addiction (Sea Jay)]

Thanks for all the reply's guys appriciate it, i now understand the difference

Cheers

Iain