Surfing Dictionary G-H

H
Hang Ten
A longboarding maneuver where the surfer hangs ten toes of both feet over the tip or front of the surfboard. (Hanging five is also possible.)

Hard core
Extremely dedicated surfing or committed to the surfing lifestyle.

Height vs. Period
A selection tab on Surfline's LOLA swell model, which offers a look at the amount of energy or wave height within each swell period band. Very effective to see how much longer period energy is in a swell, and also good to spot early long swell period forerunner energy which precedes a swell.

Hindcast
The process of using past wind and wave information to re-forecast the wave characteristics for a past scenario. This is opposed to using the actual real time information to forecast wave heights and arrival time for a current or future forecast. Hindcasting is a great way to "reverse engineer" forecasting procedures when the end outcome of a swell is already known. This was the process Sean Collins of Surfline used to learn how to forecast in the 70's before more pertinent real time information became available in the 80's and 90's.

Hit the lip
An advanced move in which a surfer turns the surfboard up to strike the falling lip of the wave, and allows the board to be swung back down with the impact. Generally seen as an aggressive, powerful move requiring excellent timing.

Hollow
A wave state in which a tube or barrel forms underneath the lip or crest of the wave. When you get tubed on a hollow wave, you ride in the barrel.

Hollowboard
A type of surfboard invented by Tom Blake of the USA in 1932, which used redwood sheets to create a long, narrow board much lighter in weight relative to the solid redwood boards of the time.

Hood
Generally made of super soft neoprene, as it needs to fit snugly; can cover up to just under the nose in ultra coldwater suits. Hoods can come attached to the suit (some companies feature snap on/off detachable hoods), attached to some kind of nylon or polypropelene rashguard, or on their own.

Hot Curl
A surfboard type designed in the 1950s by Californian Dale Velzy.

Hotcoat
A coat of resin applied during the laminating process, just after the initial coat of resin and glass. So named because the resin and catalyst are mixed to force a fast gelling. The resin, also known as sanding resin, is also blended with wax substances to complete the hardening on the hotcoat's surface, thus permitting sandpaper work. The hotcoat seals the glass-resin layer, fills any bumps or holes, and is later sanded back to the original surfboard shape.

Hotdogging
Older term generally defined as surfing for flash rather than function, occurring in small conditions, with little regard for making the wave. Presently called getting rad, ripping or blowin' up, etc. For the most part, a state of mind is characterized by youth, as older surfers tend to grow increasingly conservative and set in their ways. Surfing A-Z

Hull
A bottom shape reminiscent of a boat, in which the bottom swells out to the stringer from the rails. Common in longboards designed before 1967, and in some longboards today.

Hurricane (Typhoon,Cyclone)
A tropical storm in which the maximum sustained surface winds are 64 knots (74 mph) or more. These tropical cyclones are called "hurricanes" when located in the Northern Hemisphere and east of the International Dateline of 180 degrees Longitude to the Greenwich Meridian of 0 degrees Longitude. Everywhere else they are generally called typhoons or cyclones.

Hurricane Season
When the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) moves to a point of 5 degrees or more North or South of the Equator, and other conditions favor the development of tropical disturbances. The hurricane season in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico runs from June 1 to November 30. The hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific runs from May 15 to November 30. The hurricane season in the Central Pacific runs from June 1 to November 30.

Hurricane Warning
A warning issued by the National Hurricane Center that sustained winds 64 knots (74 mph) or higher in a hurricane are expected within a specific area in 24 hours or less.

Hurricane Watch
An announcement issued by the National Hurricane Center for specific areas that hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.