Fetch

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under Fetch (disambiguation) .

A long fetch creates an energetic wave.

The length of the approach path of a wind over a water surface is referred to as fetch (also cowl length or effective path ) .

If the approach path of the wind leads over water (lake or sea), the wind generates a correspondingly higher and longer water wave with a larger effective path . That is why the waves are usually higher on the windward side of an island than on the lee side .

The height of the wave generated by the wind depends on the fetch, wind strength and duration of the wind.

See also

• Wave height
• Swell
• Wind congestion (hydrology)