Wave
The steepest, most powerful section of the wave next to the white water, where the push is strongest and where riders want to stay.
The pocket is the curved, steepest part of the wave located just in front of the breaking white water. It is the power zone and the most critical place to be: this is where the wave's energy concentrates and where the push that holds a rope-free rider is greatest. Riders constantly adjust fore and aft to stay in the pocket.
Drift too far forward and you fall off the front into the flats; drift too far back and you sink into the white wash. Boat setup that lengthens the pocket gives riders a longer, more forgiving zone to work in.