Atlantic Ocean
North Atlantic OceanLevel 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
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
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.