This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
bajón en área cardíaca
afilada proa
Apr 9, 2013 08:30
11 yrs ago
Spanish term

una baja (in this context)

Spanish to English Other Sports / Fitness / Recreation Surfing
Hi everyone,

This appears in a text I'm translating about surf breaks in the Basque Country:

Vantrax

Esta rompiente está muy lejos de la costa. Está muy alejada para acercarse remando y por ello lo más adecuado es ir en bote. La ola rompe sobre ***una baja*** que hay en mar abierto y, por tanto, puede ser peligroso, puesto que la ola se levanta de repente.

All suggestions are welcome.

Kind regards,

Jack
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 shoal/bank/shallow
5 outside reef
References
Glossary of surfing terms

Discussion

José J. Martínez Apr 9, 2013:
True, it is called Bajo with an O.
Charles Davis Apr 9, 2013:
One of the definitions of "baja" in the DRAE is "10. f. ant. bajo (‖ elevación del fondo en los mares, ríos y lagos).", corresponding to definition 26 of "bajo": 26. m. En los mares, ríos y lagos navegables, elevación del fondo que impide flotar a las embarcaciones." It's a feature, which could be a reef or a sand bar, which abruptly raises the sea bed and therefore reduces the depth, which is exactly what causes the wave to break.

Proposed translations

+3
36 mins
Selected

shoal/bank/shallow

This sounds like a local term for bajo/bajío/laja. From the description it is certainly some kind of shoal. A bank is usually of sand or mud and a shoal of rock. A shallow is what you'd expect, water that is not so deep as in the channel or in the surroundings.
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : You beat me to it, Peter! I was about to post "shoal". I'm sure this is it, but it could be either a bar or a reef; you find references to "bajas de piedra". "Shoal" seems the best general term.
6 mins
agree Lisa McCarthy : I've also seen sandbank used: http://www.mauiinfosource.com/Maui Watersports Guide/Surfing... Lingo/maui_surfing_guide_surfing_lingo_dictionary.htm
32 mins
agree odiochain : My preference would also be for "shoal" although "bank" or "shallow" would also be fine. I would avoid surfing specific terms like "outside reef" unless you are writing for a specialist audience.
2 hrs
agree Andres Fekete
3 hrs
disagree Sophie Cherel : if you write 'shoal' no surfer will know what you're talking about, and it seems that if you're writing about surf breaks in the Basque country, then your specific readership has to be surfers.
1 day 2 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you sir! Thanks also to Sophies Words."
1 hr

outside reef

you can also put 'shallow reef', but 'outside reef' is the surfer term for this - where waves break far out, coming from deep water and suddenly hitting a shallow part of the sea-bed, and breaking (usually pretty violently).
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

15 mins
Reference:

Glossary of surfing terms

You may already have come across this, but just in case you haven't it could prove useful.
Reference:

http://www.surfing-waves.com/surf_talk.htm

Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search