arfar

A nautical term for a ship pitching — the bow rising and falling in heavy seas, as distinct from rolling side to side (balancear/escorar). Specialized maritime vocabulary, not used outside that context.

• El barco arfaba con violencia en medio de la tormenta. — The ship was pitching violently in the middle of the storm.
• La proa arfa cada vez que rompe una ola grande. — The bow pitches every time a big wave breaks.
• Con ese oleaje, hasta los marineros con experiencia notaban cómo arfaba la nave. — With that swell, even experienced sailors could feel how the vessel was pitching.

There's no meaningful everyday mistake here — arfar is specialized maritime vocabulary describing a specific kind of ship motion, essentially unknown outside sailing contexts.

Often confused with balancear.