The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) tells us that "kook" is an informal North American noun referring to "a mad or eccentric person." Several sources indicate that the now popular term was first used between the 1950s and 1960s.Īccording to language researchers and scholars, the word "kook" became a popular expression following the US TV series "77 Sunset Strip," in which a very eccentric character - Gerald Lloyd Kookson III (Edd Byrnes) - is nicknamed "Kookie." Interestingly, and according to scientists, newly-hatched cuckoo chicks start to mimic the cries their foster parents young make from the moment they hatch to get more food.Īnother thesis is that the word "kook" is an adaption of the Hawaiian expression kūkae, meaning "feces," and referring to local or foreign surfers lacking wave riding skills. The scientists of the history of words believe that the noun "kook" possibly derives from the cuckoo, the medium-sized bird that can be found on all continents. However, the roots of the words are not exactly clear, precise, and unanimous, with etymologists and surf historians presenting diverging viewpoints. It's relatively easy to spot a wannabe surfer pretending to look and act like a pro and getting in the way of other wave riders. It defines a newbie that tries to mimic the surfer's lifestyle and skills in the water. More To Read.Kook is a very popular expression in the surfing world. They often bend in specific directions based on the bathymetry of the ocean floor. Therefore, we refer to long-period swells as ground swells because they are feeling the “ground” of the ocean floor sooner. Whereas a 20-second swell will feel the bottom at more than 1000 feet. A 10-second period swell will only begin to feel the ocean floor at around 256 feet. The longer that period gets, the faster and more powerful the waves become and the farther below the ocean’s surface they extend. Ground swells typically have periods ranging from 11 seconds to 25+ seconds. They begin to exhibit the “blue corduroy” lines that we are used to seeing marching into the North Shore during winter. As the period of these swells increases into the double digits, the swells become extremely powerful. Ground swells on the other hand, are generated by big storms and are able to travel long distances. Typically, they don’t tend to be super great swells. They can still be valuable for surfers, if they impact a surfable coastline. These swells are referred to as wind swells and tend to be weak and disorganized. These swells usually fade out after traveling short distances. The period on these swells might get up to around 10 seconds if they travel far enough, but not much higher. Swells that are generated by light to moderate local winds don’t tend to get very big and therefore decay quickly. As swells travel and join, the period increases, but the height of the swell decreases or decays. Not all swells have the energy to travel long distances. The farther a swell travels and the longer the period is, the faster and more powerful the swell becomes and the farther below the surface the waves extends. After traveling hundreds of miles, that period may have risen to eight or nine seconds because numerous waves have joined together. For example, a swell that has only traveled a few feet from its point of origin might only have one or twosecond periods between waves. These gaps are measured in seconds and referred to as period. As the waves join, gaps are created between them. They are all moving at slightly different speeds and as waves catch up with each other they join to create more powerful waves. The farther these waves travel, the more organized they become. Waves are generated by wind blowing ( wind swell) over the surface of the water and when they are first generated, they tend to be somewhat weak and disorganized. Looks like we only have a bit of wind swell in the water,” or “Wow, that ground swell has really filled in.” But what exactly does this mean? You often hear people at the beach referring to wind swell and ground swell and saying things like “Hmm, the waves are a bit bumpy and weak. What is a wind swell? And what is a ground swell? I often have people in the shop asking me to explain some of the more fundamental surf lingo. Surfers have our their lingo and it can be pretty confusing for non-surfers or even the most experienced wave riders. SURF TERMS THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW OR UNDERSTAND
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