Happy New Years Eve! Hope you guys have a good party lined up tonight…anyway on to the surf.
The surf looks only OK on Tuesday…nothing to get super excited about. We will have a mix of NW and SW swells in the water both of which are fading very slowly. Most spots throughout SoCal will be in the knee-waist high+ range while the better NW facing breaks, mostly in Ventura and San Diego, will have some chest-shoulder high sets.
Winds look good through the morning…mostly light to moderate offshore. Winds go slightly ESE-SE by the evening but stay on the light side.
I think you should probably give yourself a slow start on Tuesday…the surf isn’t going to be spectacular, there will be crowds because it is a holiday, and it will be pretty chilly early in the morning. Personally I think the better winter beach breaks, mid-morning, will be the best call…you can find a less crowded sandbar, maybe break out the longboard if the tide is too high.
Later this week looks really stormy…lots of new W-WNW storm swell but a lot of junky S-SW winds and rain as well. I am expecting overhead surf by Friday/Saturday but with poor conditions. There may be a few protected spots but water quality is definitely going to be an issue again. More details on the weekend as we move closer.
Have a great 2008 everyone!
Because you should be able to understand your Surf Forecast... Free, Simple, easy-to-use surf forecasts, HI-DEF Surf Cameras, Unique Surf News, and a host of advanced forecasting tools (for people who love the details)...all powered by Solspot.com and professional Surf Forecaster Adam Wright
3 comments:
Hello and thanks for keeping this blog. I subscribe to it and enjoy reading it everyday.
I'm relatively new to SoCal and I don't know what are the "good winter spots" you mention? I'm around Venice beach, so would you say that Sunset and Topanga would be good winter spots?
Also, I notice you often suggest to check the cams. I assume you are talking about sites like Surfline? Or are there other good cams?
Thanks and happy new year!
Alex
Alex,
Hey thanks for the feedback on the blog!
As for your questions...
The best winter spots in your area would really be in the South Bay.
Venice gets a little bit of the NW swell but as the swell angle starts to go over 290-degrees then it starts to get shadowed. Sunset and Topanga both will pick up some energy if the swell is very large and has some "west" in the swell direction.
El Porto is generally the biggest and can get pretty heavy on the bigger swells. You can also check out PV (Palos Verdes) if you are looking for more of a reef break...but those spots are more fickle and the locals are not always the nicest guys in the world.
As for the "cam check" yeah I am talking about the other surf sites. Surfline has a ton of cams, pretty much everywhere, but you have to pay and sit through ads to get the stream.
Wavewatch.com, whom I actually write the more technical surf forecast for, has several free cameras. Personally I think the wavewatch cam streams are better that surflines...plus you can control the camera if you are willing to wait a minute or two. (You can find the link to the wavewatch cams on my link section.
There are other cam sites out there too...just hunt around on google and you will find some.
While I don't think the cams are a replacement for actually driving down and checking the beach in person I do think they can save some time (and gas money) when the surf is either really good or really bad. So on the days where conditions could tip either way...and sometimes will vary from spot to spot...it can save you a little frustration.
Hope this helps...
Have a great 2008!
Adam
Thanks Adam, I actually used to check Wavewatch all the time before I found out about your site. Your personal touch here is more helpful to read I find.
I'm actually trying to become a better surfer by understanding how to factor in all the conditions that can make the surf better. So far the swell and the ocean floor (sand, reef,..) are the two factors I understand well, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around winds, tides, etc... So thanks again and all the best in the New Year
Alex
Post a Comment