A managing partner with First Flight Solutions in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, Doug Starcke is also the co-owner of South Swell Surf Shop in Emerald Isle. A surfing enthusiast since childhood, Doug Starcke takes advantage of every opportunity to get in the water.

1. SURFING 101: HOW TO
IDENTIFY GOOD
CONDITIONS
Doug Starcke

2. Introduction
 A managing partner with First Flight Solutions in
Emerald Isle, North Carolina, Doug Starcke is also the
co-owner of South Swell Surf Shop in Emerald Isle. A
surfing enthusiast since childhood, Doug Starcke
takes advantage of every opportunity to get in the
water.
For newcomers to surfing, identifying quality
conditions can be one of the most difficult things to
learn. Surf conditions are heavily influenced by the
wind, which can blow offshore (toward the ocean) or
onshore (toward the land). Offshore winds give waves
time to form and break cleanly and evenly, ideal for
surfing. Onshore winds, on the other hand, cause
waves to break abruptly with no clean shape.

3. Surfing 101
 Accordingly, surfers should always be on the
lookout for offshore winds.
Waves can break on a variety of surfaces, each of
which gives rise to different wave characteristics.
A beachbreak occurs when waves break gently on
a sandy seabed, producing ideal learning
conditions for beginners. A reefbreak occurs when
waves break over a rocky seabed of coral reef,
causing powerful waves with a hollow shape.
Shorebreaks occur very close to the shore, while
pointbreaks hit a point of land extending out from
the coastline.