Surf for Tuesday – small but playful combo

Tuesday is looking like a surf day.

We are going to have a mix of fading NW swell (290-300), steady but inconsistent SSW-SW swell (190-220), and some local NW windswell. It won’t be spectacular or anything...just sort of playful, with an occasional punchy peak showing at the combo spots.



Wave heights are going to average around waist-chest high at most spots...with slightly more consistent sets at the spots with more NW exposure. The standout breaks, mostly the NW standouts and the best combo spots, will be around chest-shoulder high on sets...but there may be a couple of bigger waves mixing in during the lower tides. Look for the biggest surf through San Diego, Southern Ventura, parts of the South Bay, and the better NW/SW combo areas in OC.

Winds look a little better than the last couple of mornings...mostly light and variable early, with a couple of weak onshore pockets at the most exposed areas. W winds pick up through the afternoon but don’t get much over 10-12 knots till later in the afternoon. Look for cloudy skies early...maybe even some patchy fog here and there. Sunnier skies burn through by the afternoon.



I think it is going to be playful all over tomorrow (except for the really shadowed areas...like most of Santa Barbara)...not great or even that consistent...just sort of fun. The mix of swells, the still warm water, and the not completely horrible morning tides all make a good argument to get a few waves. I don’t think it is worth driving a ton, mostly because the swell will be pretty similar throughout SoCal...but it will be worth driving a couple of extra minutes to a “standout” break if you live close.

Here are the tides...

01:34AM LDT -0.5 L
07:56AM LDT 4.4 H
01:18PM LDT 1.8 L
07:12PM LDT 6.0 H