Wave Terminology

Here is some helpful terminology that you should get to know. This will help you understand things way better when reading stuff online or just talking to your friends at backline

1. THE LIP - the breaking part of the wave that throws from top to bottom.  The steepness of the wave decides the lip's shape.  A steep wave will throw out causing a tube, a flat, rolling wave will cause the lip to crumble rather than throw out.
2. WHITEWATER - the already broken part of the wave that churns and foams.
3. THE FACE - the walling, unbroken part of the wave.
4. SHOULDER - the part just outside the breaking section of the wave's face.
5. FLATS - the flat water in front of the breaking wave.
6. TROUGH - the bottom of the wave, where the lip meets the wave face.
7. TUBE - the hollow hole between the throwing lip and the wave's wall.
Some Other Wave Terminology
SPIT - when a powerful tubing wave shoots blocked air throught the tube opening a light spray will shoot out, this is the spit.
SHOCKWAVE - where the lip of a tube hits the face of the wave in the trough, a whitewater explosion occurs at the point of contact.  The whitewater inside the tube is the shockwave.
FOAMBALL - whitewater continually sucked up and over inside a tube creates a revolving mass of foam that can be ridden.  This is the foamball.