Offshore vs Onshore Wind: The Single Biggest Factor in Wave Quality
You can have perfect swell and still get terrible surf if the wind is wrong. Wind direction is often the make-or-break variable that separates a great session from a wasted drive.
Offshore wind blows from the land toward the ocean — away from the beach. It holds the lip of the wave up, creates that classic glassy face, and lets the wave wall before it breaks. This is what you see in surf photography: crystal walls, spray blowing back from the crest.
Onshore wind blows from the ocean toward the land — into the breaking wave. It knocks down the face before you can ride it, creates surface chop, and generally turns waves into a messy closeout.
Side-shore wind runs parallel to the beach. It's acceptable — better than onshore, but without the grooming effect of offshore.
The wind direction that counts as "offshore" depends entirely on which direction your beach faces. Surfing Well shows wind direction as a compass bearing so you can judge this yourself for any spot.