Heat Timing and Wave Counts

At our Surfing England contests, heats are designed to keep things fair, flexible, and fun in the water.

International Surfing Association rules states contest heats can run a minimum of 15 minutes, maximum 45 minutes.

At Surfing England, as standard, heats run for 20 minutes, giving surfers a solid window to find waves and build a score. If conditions are tricky, or we’re trying to give more surfers an opportunity to compete, heats may be shortened to 15 minutes.

When it comes to finals, we like to give a little extra time if we can. If conditions and scheduling allow, finals are often extended—usually up to 25 minutes—so surfers can really showcase their best surfing when it matters most.

Each surfer can catch up to 15 waves, with their best 2 waves counting toward their total score.

If the waves go quiet…

Sometimes the ocean needs a moment to play along. If no surfers have caught a wave after 10 minutes in a heat of 30 minutes or less (including finals), the Head Judge can step in and decide what’s best for the heat. That might mean:

• Keeping things going as they are
• Restarting the heat if it makes sense
• Or postponing and re-running it if conditions just aren’t playing ball

Everything is managed with one goal in mind: keeping the competition fair, safe, and giving surfers the best possible chance to perform.