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"REQUIRED" READING FOR NEAR SHORE OPERATIONS AND OPERATORS

Since October 2000 there have been several NOAA boat accidents which have occurred in or near high energy surf zones. One of these accidents resulted in a fatality. Although the error chain and causes of these accidents vary, there is a very pressing need to ensure that any boat operator who is required by a NOAA mission to operate in or near (within one mile) a high or potentially high energy surf zone is made aware of, and gains proficiency in, the behavior and hazards of operating a boat in or around waves and beaches. While it is impractical to require that all surf zone boat operators have surfing experience, the need to have or attempt to approach the depth of surf understanding possessed by surfers is critical to abating the inherent risk of surf zone operations (e.g., breaker formation, shoulders, wave periods, rip currents, timing of wave sets, refraction and reflection, long shore currents, sand bar migration, and a whole host of other wave and beach behaviors).

So surfing or other wave riding experience is important, but how can the non-surfing boat operators in NOAA gain enough knowledge to help them read ocean waves in order to reduce the risks of a near shore surf zone operation? Luckily there is a book (actually there are many books, but one particular book is recommended), no longer in print, which is an excellent resource and covers the areas of concern in great depth and in plain language with out becoming overly technical. The book is called "Waves and Beaches: The Dynamics of the Ocean Surface" by Willard Bascom. A quick search on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com) will yield a small selection of books ranging in price from $20 to $50 depending on condition. " Waves and Beaches" may also be available at field activity or local libraries.

Although this book will not turn amatuer boat operators and non-wave riders in to professional surfers or wave dynamics experts overnight, it is a good first step toward reducing risk to personnel, property, and the environment by gaining basic proficiency in "reading" the ocean and judging surf conditions for near shore operations and beach landings.

Specific Publication Information:

Title: "Waves and Beaches: The Dynamics of the Ocean Surface"
Author: Willard Bascom
Paperback: 366 pages
Publisher: Doubleday; ASIN: 0385148445; (January 1980)