# Hawaiian scale

> Measuring waves from the back rather than the face, so Hawaiian sizes sound about half as big as they look.

**What "hawaiian scale" means in surfing:** Measuring waves from the back rather than the face, so Hawaiian sizes sound about half as big as they look.

**Example:** "It's six foot Hawaiian, so double overhead on the face."

**Also said:** Hawaiian

**Category:** Conditions

## Related words

- [Head high](https://surfslang.com/head-high): Waves with a face as tall as the surfer riding them, around 1.8 metres or 6 feet.
- [Overhead](https://surfslang.com/overhead): Waves taller than the surfer riding them.
- [Double overhead](https://surfslang.com/double-overhead): Waves with a face about twice the height of the surfer, roughly 3.5 metres or 12 feet.

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Source: [Hawaiian scale](https://surfslang.com/hawaiian-scale) on Surfslang.com, the surf slang glossary. Full glossary: https://surfslang.com/llms.txt