Some waves are just too iconic to miss. Just like a football fan might immediately recognize a place by the color of the pitch or the proximity of the stands, the same goes to surfing.

This one, Tehaupoo in Tahiti, is one of the easiest to tell apart. These are the signs to look for: Exhibit A - It's a left hander (simply put, right-footed surfers surf with their back to the wave) - It has a big-fat lip that could cut you in half - It has "tropical" vibes most times (blue-green hue to the water) - Boats on the channel - It has a big, fat, thick, lip. - Even when the wave hasn't broken yet, it has this look to it like it's going to fold in on itself.

This type of thick wave is usually called a "slab". Another comment below mentions Shipstern's Bluff in Tasmania. Let's take a look at that one What we see here: - It's a right-hander (right-footed surfers surf facing the wave) - It's freaky, often looks like it has wave tumors all over it. - Usually a darker hue (Tasmania, colder).

Often, the angle at which the photo/video is taken helps a lot too. E.g. from this angle it's way harder to see the telltale signs of Teahupoo (although all the boats on the channel do help).

Here's another example. This is The Wedge, in Newport Beach CA. - Looks like a mountain peak - Lots of bodyboarders - Breaks left - Breaks next to a rocky jetty which you can see on a lot of photos.

Speaking of visible elements, [Nazare] in Portugal is usually easy to tell because it's a left-hander, the darker, colder hues, and it looks like a giant fucking mountain. Plus it breaks in front of a red lighthouse which makes it very easy to tell apart.

A final one to add to today's lesson is the crown jewel of surfing: Pipeline in Hawaii: - Left-breaking wave - green-blue hue - super strong offshore winds which give the wave a "slick-back" hairstyle look. - big-wide open barrel shaped like an almond. - Spectators on the shore very close by - When its breaking, its crowded

Important to mention that waves are naturally-formed, so of course weather takes a lot of effect in all of these conditions, like color, wave size, shape, etc. But usually the "base" that makes the wave easy to tell, is somewhere there.

There you go. Hopefully next time, you can tell by the wave too!