# Dawn patrol

> A surf at first light, before work or before the wind comes up.

**What "dawn patrol" means in surfing:** A surf at first light, before work or before the wind comes up. Dawn patrol often gets the cleanest, least crowded waves of the day.

**Example:** "Dawn patrol tomorrow? Wind's offshore till eight."

**Category:** Conditions

## Related words

- [Glassy](https://surfslang.com/glassy): There's no wind and the ocean's surface is smooth like glass.
- [Mission](https://surfslang.com/mission): A trip, often long or difficult, to chase waves somewhere you don't normally surf.

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Source: [Dawn patrol](https://surfslang.com/dawn-patrol) on Surfslang.com, the surf slang glossary. Full glossary: https://surfslang.com/llms.txt