Hell if I know! It's damn subjective. Particularly if you get a great ride, or if you're just really loving life that day (and more power to you)! And as King of Kooks noted, our beloved beach break changes by the minute.
But objectively, we can break it down...
Good things:
Groundswell. Defined lines.
Long interval.
Consistent sets.
Good bars.
Steep 'n fast
No wind or offshore.
Clean, peeling waves.
Barrels.
Bad things:
No swell.
Sloppy, close interval windswell.
Inconsistant.
Crap bars
Sectiony/closeouts... roping dumpers. Or fat poopers.
Onshore winds.
Can we agree on that?
So... here's my attempt (notice the less awesome it gets, the more variables and causes for subjectivity):
Great surfing: all the good things.
Good surfing: well defined, peeling waves for sure. Groundswell or peaky windswell. Wind might be iffy, but not affecting the waves. Some sectiony waves, but more peelers.
Fair surfing: More sectiony waves that peelers, wind might be getting more on it, inconsistant.
Poor: all the bad things, or just hella onshore!
Then there's the Summer Excuse. It's real, for sure- a "fair" day in Summer sure can seem pretty damn "good". Hey, I hear ya. Maybe we need a special Summer rating- Summertimegood?
I dunno. I think in general some people posting these reports are super-positive, stoked, and- maybe sometimes- fairly new to surfing, and less critical? I so respect (and envy) you all that go for it, get great rides, and come out jazzed, but is it possible to count the objective elements when you choose your rating? The sometimes detailed descriptions that follow rock- the truly subjective part- and often are the truly valuable part of the report, IMO.
PS- I know the vid isn't OB, but it sure is "Great Surfing"
