Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

North Atlantic Ocean
LAST UPDATED 19/11/2007
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More information on Atlantic Ocean from the Encyclopedia!

Level of surfing

Advanced

Quality of surf

Excellent

Area

76762000

Coastline

111,866 km

Climate

Tropical to Polar

Hazards

Very Isolated, Cyclones, Extreme Heat, Extreme Cold, Severe Storms

Best Months

January - December

Time Zone

ROMEO (UTC-5) to ALPHA (UTC+1)

Special Requirements

introduction

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CIA: North and South Atlantic Ocean; 3 November 2004

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres (41.1 million square miles), it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface. Only the Pacific Ocean is larger, covering about twice the area of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Atlantic is divided into two nominal sections: the part north of the equator is called the North Atlantic; the part south of the equator, the South Atlantic. The ocean's name is derived from Atlas, one of the Titans of Greek mythology.

The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways.

surfing

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NOAA: Bathymetry of The Atlantic Ocean; 2007

Just a little smaller than the Pacific, the Atlantic is the second largest of the planets oceans. atlantic swells are generally considered less reliable than their Pacific cousins due mainly to the distrubution of significant land masses on both the western and eatern sides. The lack of any huge disttances really limits the ability of a lot of swell systems to gain the fetch required to deliver regular quality ground swell.

The hurricane season in the north atlantic can be a very interested time for surf generation right down to Brazil whilst the southern coast of Africa manages to capture many of the SW systems emerging from the Antartic in the winter months. There are many offshore reefs scattered throughout this ocean that do not come under the flag of any nation, very remote and very rare but an exceptional reward for the hardiest explorers.

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