Friday's Surf - isn't it supposed to get big in the winter?

Obviously that is a rhetorical question...the answer is a "hell yes". It is supposed to be big, consistent, cold and gnarly. Instead we have this...



I know, I know....it isn't "really" totally flat...there were a couple of people riding waves out there on Thursday but the window for playful shape was pretty small...(and I didn't see anybody over 170lbs having that much fun).

It seems that we have the near trifecta of suckiness going on...small/weak swell, insane tide swings swamping or draining out what little surf we have, and as we head into the weekend the weather goes to poop too (without generating that much more surf).

Anyway on to Friday...Friday is going to have a lot of the same problems that Thursday had, but with a little more swell starting to filter in from both the WNW and the SW. Unfortunately neither of the small pulses is going to have enough juice to break through the morning tide...and they are going to get worked as the tide drops in the afternoon.

If you happen to luck into the magic window between high/low tides look for surf in the waist high range for most exposed breaks. Top spots, mostly the better combo breaks, will have some chest high sets.

Winds look good for the morning, mostly light and variable to moderately offshore for LA/VEN areas. Look for variable winds through the afternoon and then winds shift to the S-SW and start to push in more cloud cover by the evening (and overnight into Saturday)

Really I wouldn't go to the beach expecting much on Friday...that way if you find a couple of playful sets you can be pleasantly surprised. Beach breaks will likely have the best shape...and your best bet is going to be your small wave gear (probably a longboard will be the best call). Once the tide starts to drop it should be a pretty forgiving day for beginners...small enough to be fun if you are just learning and close enough to the shore that you won't have to paddle too far. Don't spend a lot of time driving around tomorrow...it isn't going to be any better around the corner.

Let's hope the real surf gets going again soon...here are the tides.

01:29AM LST 2.0 L
07:44AM LST 7.0 H (Come on, you have got to be kidding me! A 9-foot tide swing!)
03:17PM LST -1.7 L
09:44PM LST 3.7 H