Surfers don't label the parts of a wave the same way your science teacher does, so don't listen for wave parts like "amplitude" and "fetch" in a casual discussion about your buddy's last wave (although such wave part terms become important as talk turns to swells and forecasting).
The crown jewel in terms of wave parts is the tube/ barrel. Pulling in under the falling lip and getting a long tube is one the most classic and satisfying moves in surfing.
Surfers try to stay in the pit (close to the breaking whitewater) where the face is the steepest for the greatest speed potential, but sometimes a surfer will glide out onto the shoulder (the least steep part of a wave and farthest from the pit) where he/she can carve into a roundhouse cutback.
