Matt Barr of Looking Sideways X Surf-Forecast
Podcaster Matt Barr shares his journey as an ‘enthusiastic intermediate’ surfer in Brighton, UK, using the Surf-Forecast app—especially its Energy Rating—to gauge wave power. He also reflects on the communal, ritualistic side of surfing in tough conditions.
The podcaster Matt Barr talks through his surfing life as an enthusiastic intermediate.
On Being An Enthusiastic Intermediate
Coming from Manchester, surfing was the third boardsport I got into after skating and snowboarding. I started surfing about 20 years ago, and like most who come to surfing late, I loved it, but I would describe myself as an enthusiastic intermediate. And I don’t think that will ever change.
Surf-Forecast Helps Find Order In The Chaos
The surf-forecast app gives me a good handle on the three main parameters - wave size, wind, and tide. At home in Brighton, It’s usually best to surf just as the storm wind dies off and it cleans up, but before the waves disappear. The tides, which swing between six metres, are pivotal. I keep an eye on the period, but it’s less important - anything over 6 seconds is big news here. And the 12-day forecasts are a game changer. It's wild it only costs 16 quid a year.
On The Brighton Surf Forecast Matrix
Brighton is weirdly technical in terms of forecasting the windows of rideable waves. We get a handful of solid period groundswells each winter. The rest of the time it is southwesterly windswells with a terrible period combined with an extremely tight tide window. And in the winter, when there are “better” waves, there are not a lot of daylight hours. It's a matrix where surfing windows can open and shut hour-to-hour.
Surfing As An Act Of Faith
Because the conditions are so bang-average, I think I enjoy the ritual surfing at home more than anything else. It’s about getting in the sea, but it’s almost an act of faith, given it's always a roll of the dice. But it’s that commitment and getting together with your mates that is as important as the riding of waves.
Thank F&*k For The Energy Rating
I rely on the Energy Rating to collate all those parameters into a single meaningful number that I can get my head around. It’s really useful at home because we are often surfing windswells which lack power. A sudden, rare bump in the energy is a great predictor. You might want to ride a different board, cause when you are out there, you can feel the extra oomph in the waves.
Go Compare
The energy rating is also a great tool to compare different when you travel. On my recent trip to Sri Lanka, the energy rating was really consistent, and double what we are used to at home. That meant I could try a few different boards and experiment a little. But mainly it just begs the question; why the fuck am I living and surfing on the English Channel?
Matt Barr started off as a snowboard journalist, editing Whitelines Magazine from a series of French Alps shared houses in his 20s. Post Whitelines, he co-founded and is now the CEO of the media agency All Conditions Media. In 2015, he launched Looking Sideways, a podcast and substack that examines the creative life through the lens of surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding and other related endeavours. This year he dropped The Announcement, a three-part podcast documentary series about Yvon Chouinard’s September 2022 decision to relinquish control of Patagonia and make ‘Earth’ the company’s only shareholder.