Surfing Dictionary M-O

N
Nautical Mile
Same as knot. The marine term for a mile, which equals approximately 1.2 statute miles on land. Wind speed and other velocities are always termed as knots when used in marine and aerial environments.

Neoprene
"Discovered" by Jack O'Neill in the '40s in the aisle carpeting of a DC-3. Wetsuit neoprene is ultra stretchy rubber made from melted-down petroleum chips which are blown into a mold-not unlike a waffle iron-that ends up 3 or 4 inches thick, which is then cut down to size and formed by a fitted jersey (see jersey). It is closed cell, meaning it's made up of hundreds of tiny cells that don't allow water to flow from cell to cell, which is why it works so damn well-one damaged cell doesn't affect the whole suit.

Nose
The first 12 inches of a surfboard.

Noseguard
Trade name, becoming generic, for a silicon tip designed to be glued to the nose of a surfboard, theoretically blunting the destructive effect of its collision with the human body or another board.

NPAC
Abbreviated for North Pacific.

Nylon
Smooth material, usually used as a liner/jersey, and to keep the neoprene from expanding and falling apart.

O
Offshore
Winds that blow toward the ocean from the land, usually creating clean and groomed conditions. Offshore winds often hold up the waves so they break in shallower water than normal and become much more hollow.

Off-the-lip
An advanced move when a surfer turns the surfboard up to meet the lip of the wave as it is coming down. Similar to "hitting the lip".

Olo
A type of surfboard, sixteen to eighteen feet in length and made of Koa or wiliwili wood, used by Hawaiian royalty to surf prior to their overthrow in the late 19th century; the basis for the design of Tom Blake's hollowboard (see hollowboard).

Onshore
Winds that blow from the ocean toward the shore. Onshore winds over 8 knots create bumps and chop on the water, making for ugly surfing conditions.

Out-the-Back
see Outside.

Outline
The defining shape of a surfboard from nose to tail as seen from the deck or bottom. Outline is the first step in a designer's work, and can be gauged accurately by measuring width from rail to rail at various points along the board. Also known as the template, or template curve.

Outside
The area outside of the lineup or break line where surfers in the lineup initially observe sets of waves as they approach. Often a term used to warn other surfers in the lineup that a new set of waves is approaching. "Outside!" Same as "out-the-back" (often used by Australian surfers.)

Over the falls
The worst kind of wipeout. A surfer is sucked back over the top of the wave as it breaks, and free-falls down with the lip-the most powerful part of the wave. This type of wipeout can cause bad injuries because the surfer will likely hit the reef or ocean floor.

Overall Height and Period
The significant wave height and dominant wave period that is traditionally reported from the offshore buoys. Significant wave height is the average height of the highest one-third of the waves. When both swell and wind wave energies are present, it will equal the square root of the sum of the squares of the swell energy and wind wave energy. Dominant wave period is the period with maximum energy, which may be swell or wind wave energy. Example: A buoy reporting 15 feet at 10 seconds could be monitoring a multitude of different swells to equal 15 feet, but the dominant swell at that location has a swell period of 10 seconds. That does not mean there is a 15-foot swell with a swell period of 10 seconds, although it could. Best bet would be to use Surfline's LOLA buoy information to decipher exactly the size and energy of each swell.

Overhead
Wave heights that are great than the height of the surfer on the wave. Often used as a measurement scale of waves such as 2 feet overhead, three feet overhead, double overhead, triple overhead. Etc.

Maui Wowi® has partnered with the leading importer of Hawaiian coffee to develop an exclusive blend of island coffee beans to give our products their distinct island flavor.

Click Here to learn more about our Gourmet Island Coffees (Kona, Maui, Molokai, and Kauai).

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

M
Macking
When waves are really big and firing with massive size. The waves don't have to be good, just big. Also, when the swell is peaking. (After Mack trucks.)

MEKP
Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, a noxious toxic chemical used in small quantities as a catalyst or "hardener" for polyester resin.

Mercator
A type of chart that shows a flat surface to the Earth, which is actually a curved surface. A straight line on the curved surface of the Earth actually shows up as a curved Great Circle line on a Mercator chart.

Meter
The metric equivalent of 3.28 feet.

Meters per second
A scientific measurement for speed, which equals about one half of a knot. Example: 10 meters per second would equal about 5 knots.

Midpoint
The point on a surfboard exactly halfway between the nose and tail; not necessarily the wide point (see wide point).

Millibars (mb)
Units of atmospheric pressure equal to one thousandth of a bar. Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1,013 millibars. Strong high-pressure systems can be around 1040 millibars while deep low-pressure systems can drop to around 930 millibars.

Millimeters (mm)
Refers to thickness of neoprene. Wetsuits are rarely all one thickness, usually using a thicker rubber in the torso for warmth and a thinner rubber in the arms and legs for flexibility. While thickness can range from 0.5mm to 5mm, typical suits are 3/2mm for cool to cold water and 4/3 for cold water.

Mini-back zip
Small zipper, often flanked by a layer of rubber behind it to prevent seepage, which was developed as a compromise between ease of entry of zippered suits and flexibility and warmth of zipperless suits.

Minigun
A design credited to Dick Brewer of Hawaii around 1968, which among other things featured the first hints of the modern outline in a pulled-in tail and pin-nose.

Molding/Molded Boards
generic term for a type of surfboard manufacturing in which a hard plastic molded shell is injected with expanding foam; currently practiced by Europe-based BiC Surfboards.

Monochromatic waves
Waves generated in a laboratory wave pool for scientific study where each wave has the same length and period.

Mushy
A surf condition in which waves are crumbly and soft without any steepness or much energy. Gutless and weak.