Surf for Monday – fading but still fun

Monday looks like it will be a surf day…again we will have to work around the tides but the high-tide peak is starting to push back further in the morning than we saw over the weekend.

Our WNW-NW swell (280-300) will be starting to wind down on Monday while some weak S-SSW swell continues to push a few So. Hemi lines around in the background. Look for another fairly slow start in the morning thanks to the building high tide peak…and then some better shape through the afternoon as the tide drains out.



Wave heights are going to continue to be a bit funky around the tidal peak…some spots will flatten out into shorebreak or just sort of mushy barely breaking lines and it will see both smaller and less consistent. Once the tide drops (or if you find a break that can handle the extra water)…then expect the WNW-NW facing breaks to average around waist-chest high with some rare shoulder high waves (as the tide finally bottoms out). The standout NW spots will be more consistent in the chest-shoulder high range and I expect a few of the better exposed spots down in San Diego to have some head high (and possibly a little bigger) sets showing on those low tides.

Winds look pretty light on Monday…light and variable to light offshore for the morning, then light onshore W winds around 10-knots for the afternoon, and then light and variable winds again for the evening. It will be sort of cool day overall and we can expect some building cloud cover to increase as well.



The tides are really playing a big role in the quality of surf that we are seeing…so you need to be a bit pickier about when/where you are surfing…it will also pay to keep in mind that this is more of a WNW-NW swell and swell-shadowing is more pronounced in a few areas. Overall I still think that we will be able to find some fun ones on Monday, it will just be on the other side of the tide peak for many areas. You might also want to switch up your board choice and stick with gear that can push you through flatter/slower surf as the swell backs down…just a thought.

Make sure to check the regional forecasts to see how the swell mix affects the different stretches of coastline.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

02/01/2010 Monday
04:13AM LST 0.8 L
10:05AM LST 5.7 H
04:48PM LST -0.8 L
11:05PM LST 5.0 H

Transworld SURF Forecast Update

Here is the latest forecast up over on the Transworld SURF website…there is still a lot of swell forming up in the NPAC…and the South Pacific is starting to get a little frisky too. Check it out when you get a chance…

http://surf.transworld.net/1000095424/features/west-coast-and-hawaii-weekend-surf-forecast-4/

Waves for the Weekend – New WNW-NW swell and more high tide

New WNW-NW swell arrives tonight and it looks like both Saturday and Sunday will be surf days. The tide is still super high in the morning...so make sure to factor that into your surf plans.

Swellwise we are going to have a new WNW-NW swell (280-300) peak over the weekend…really peaking late Saturday afternoon/evening…but pushing solid surf into exposed spots on both days. There is some S-SSW energy that is will still sort of sneak in through the background but it is pretty small and the S-facing spots shouldn’t expect much from it.



Saturday wave heights are going to be a bit funky in the morning as the high tide peaks again…it will bury the surf, or turn it into punchy shorebreak at most spots. There are, however, a handful of WNW-NW facing breaks that can handle the extra-water…and so we can expect some chest-head high surf for most of those breaks through the morning…a few of the top spots, particularly up through Ventura (since the swell will be showing earlier there than spots further south), will have overhead+ sets showing at times.

As the tide drops and the WNW-NW swell fills in a bit more expect the average WNW-NW facing spots to build into the shoulder-head high range. Standout NW facing spots, in Ventura, the South Bay, and Southern San Diego, can expect shoulder-overhead surf pretty consistently with some sets going 2-3’ feet overhead at times.

Saturday’s winds look a little more onshore…not super bad but more than the last couple of days. Look for light and variable to variable onshore bump for most spots in the morning and then WNW-NW winds around 10-15 knots for the afternoon.



Sunday will see pretty much the same thing as Saturday…the swell is about the same size and we have another lame morning high tide….about the only difference will be a shorter swell-period, which will shift the swells focal points away from breaks that like the longer-period energy. For example…Santa Barbara’s surf will fill in a bit more and we will see the swell show more evenly at spots throughout the South Bay and Southern San Diego…at the same time Ventura and North OC will lose a little size. Not a huge change, but enough that you will want to keep it in mind as we move through the weekend.



Sunday’s winds look better…light offshore on tap for most areas through the morning and then sort of variable to variable onshore flow around 10-12 knots for the afternoon.



Overall it looks like we could have fun this weekend…water quality still won’t be great but we have had a couple of dry days to help slow down the runoff and hopefully let some of the poop dilute a bit. I wish the tide wasn’t so freaking high but I haven’t quite figured out to blow up the moon yet.

Make sure to check the regional forecasts to see how the swell mix affects the different stretches of coastline.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…have a great weekend…

01/30/2010 Saturday
02:30AM LST 1.2 L
08:31AM LST 6.6 H
03:35PM LST -1.5 L
09:48PM LST 4.6 H

01/31/2010 Sunday
03:20AM LST 0.9 L
09:18AM LST 6.2 H
04:12PM LST -1.2 L
10:25PM LST 4.8 H

Friday’s Tideburgers – Leftovers with a side of extra-swampy

Conditions will be nice, and there will be some fading WNW-NW swell in the water, but the 6.6’ high tide is going to keep the morning from being very surfable.

Fortunately the tide does eventually drop, so if we can wait it out, and the wind doesn’t trip us up, we should have some playful waves on tap for around lunchtime. In the water we will have a mix of fading WNW-NW swell (280-300) and some weak S-SSW swell (180-210). There will also be some new WNW-NW swell (again 280-300) that will be showing along the outer buoys, and even pushing into Ventura (and Santa Barbara a little bit) by the afternoon. I don’t expect a ton of new waves on Friday but if you live further north it might be worth keeping an eye on things late in the day and see if you can spot some of the new energy.



Once the tide gets a little more manageable look for the average spots to see surf in the knee-waist high range with some chest high sets. Standout WNW-NW spots, mostly in Ventura, the South Bay, and South San Diego, will be in the chest-shoulder high range.

Winds look good…mostly light and variable to slightly offshore in the morning…and then a sort of swirly variable texture brewing up in the afternoon, nothing go much over 10-knots. Winds look light enough that we could have a late afternoon clean up, not super glassy, but light enough to smooth things out a bit.



The big tide swings haven’t been doing us any favors the last couple of days and don’t expect it to help us out as the swell drops off tomorrow. I would definitely stick with spots that can handle the extra water…and bring a board that will be able to push through the flat mushy parts. Personally I am planning on waiting out the tide and see if the wind will hold off long enough to get a few once things speed up a bit.

Make sure to check the regional forecasts to see how the swell mix affects the different stretches of coastline.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

01/29/2010 Friday
01:40AM LST 1.4 L
07:44AM LST 6.6 H
02:58PM LST -1.7 L
09:13PM LST 4.2 H

Southern California Long-range Surf Forecast – 1/28/2010

Forecast Overview

Look for mostly rideable leftovers on Friday (after the FAT morning tide drops off). New WNW-NW swell fills in through Friday afternoon and peaks with overhead surf at the top spots over the weekend. More WNW-NW swell heading for next week and better morning tides as well...stupid tides.

Short Range (next 4 days)

Friday
Expect a sloooooooow morning…that stupid morning high tide will continue to steamroll most of our surf. Buried somewhere under the tide we will have a mix of leftover WNW-NW swell (280-300) and some smaller S-SSW swell (180-200). Once we have the extra water drain out…most spots will have knee-waist high waves with some chest high sets. The standout NW breaks and the good combo spots will have some shoulder high sets. A new WNW-NW swell (280-300) starts to move in with long-period energy throughout the 2nd half of the day…possibly getting some new waves into Ventura (and Santa Barbara but not as much thanks to the longer-periods)…I wouldn’t be surprised to see some head high and overhead sets coming through in those areas before sundown. Winds/Weather: Look for light and variable morning winds, even a little offshore at some of the better positioned breaks. Expect W-NW winds 10-15 knots coming onshore through mid-afternoon.



Saturday
The new WNW-NW swell (280-300) will peak while the S-SSW swell fades, there will be a lot more rideable waves…but we still have to get through another fat 6.6’ high morning tide (peaks around 8:30am) to see the biggest and most consistent surf. Once the tide has balanced out we can expect the average WNW facing spots and better combo breaks to see some chest-head high surf. Standout WNW-NW spots in Ventura, the South Bay, and Southern San Diego, will have shoulder-overhead surf with some sets going a couple of feet overhead, and probably a few bigger waves mixing it up now and then. Winds/Weather: Winds look light on Saturday but they have a little more onshore flavor to them. Look for mostly light and variable to lightly onshore textured in the AM…and then more WNW-NW 10-15+ knots by the afternoon.



Sunday
The WNW-NW swell (280-300) will hold plenty of energy into Sunday but the S-SSW pulse will be on its last legs. Again that stupid tide will screw up the morning conditions/shape, but there will be some spots that can muscle through the 6’+ high…not many, but a few. By the time the tide drops we will be back into chest-head high surf at most WNW facing spots. Standout NW breaks…again in the usual good winter areas…will have consistent shoulder-head high+ surf with sets still going a couple of feet overhead at the best breaks. Winds/Weather: Winds improve again as the little front that passed over on Saturday moves out. Look for light offshore flow for most areas with some moderate offshore flow for the areas with passes and canyons. Winds go onshore out of the WNW around 10 knots for the afternoon but will slow down again near sundown.



Monday
The mix of WNW-NW swell drops off on Monday but we will still have rideable surf at most spots…there is even another little shot of S-SSW swell that fills in through the background. More tide problems early…but the peak of the high is around 10am…so there might be a little more of an early morning window for the dawn-patrol guys. Look for more chest-shoulder high surf at the average WNW spots. Standout breaks see some head high sets…maybe a few bigger sets showing at the best spots that like the shorter periods in the tail end of the swell.



Long-Range

North Pacific
This has definitely been a good winter so far (well other than having Mother Nature try to wash away Socal)…and this weekend will continue the streak of swell action. New WNW-NW swell (280-300) moves in later on Friday and peaks with overhead+ surf at the standout breaks over the weekend…check out the wavewatchIII model for this storm as it sets up the swell.



The storm isn’t crazy huge but it has had a good track across the mid-latitudes, and the fetch has been pretty steady with 35-40+ knots of wind…even some gusts around 50-knots, which helps put a little more pep into the swell. Overall this looks like another pretty fun looking swell…the angle is a little steeper than the last couple of swells we had so if you are looking for bigger waves you are going to want to stick to the NW facing standouts.

Further Out the storm track stays pretty active in the forecast run…we actually have a new storm that is already forming to the north of Hawaii and it is forecast to push toward the West Coast setting up another round of WNW-NW swell that starts arriving late on Tuesday (Feb 2) and peaks more through Wednesday/Thursday (Feb 3-4). This one looks good for more chest-head high surf at most spots…and a little overhead at the standouts.



Even Further out the weather/wind models are calling for another storm to form up just off the California coast…possibly sending in another stormy W-WNW swell for Friday/Saturday Feb 5-6th. This one is a long ways from forming but it will be worth keeping an eye on.

South Pacific
Still some minor activity down in the South Pacific…just some weak pulses of S-SSW swell that arrive on Monday Feb 1 and then sort of waffle on and off as following pulses try to sneak in after it. Overall none of it looks much bigger than knee-waist high at the top breaks…hopefully there will be enough energy to cross up the WNW-NW energy at the good combo spots.



Further out I am starting to see some better signs of life in the SPAC storm-track in the long-range forecast. The most notable is a strong tropical/sub-tropical system that makes a fast jump into the colder latitudes just south of Tahiti in about 5 days…this is the sort of mixing that helps spark up bigger storms…and even though the best part of this storm is forecast to move away from up it looks like it might set up a better SSW swell for around the 10-11th of Feb…stay tuned.

Next Long-range forecast will be posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010.

Adam Wright
Surf Forecaster
http://www.socalsurf.com/

The Volcom Pipeline Pro is pumping

They have the contest streaming live this afternoon and it is pretty much going off...check out the screenshot.

http://www.volcompipelinepro.com/live/

It is a good way to chew up your company’s bandwidth this afternoon.

Thursday’s Surf – Playful and slightly less brown

Thursday, even though the surf will be smaller, will be a surf day…once the stupid morning tide drops a bit.

We are going to see a mix of fading WNW-NW swell (280-300) and some building S-SSW swell (180-210). The S-SSW’er isn’t going to be huge…but it will have enough to combo up with the WNW-NW’er at the well exposed beach breaks setting up a few playful peaks as everything mixes together.



Sizewise for the purely WNW-NW spots it is going to feel a lot smaller on Thursday…the combo spots are going to be smaller as well but won’t drop off quite as fast. Look for average WNW facing breaks and the ok combo spots to see surf in the waist-chest high range with some less consistent shoulder high sets. Top WNW breaks and the excellent combo breaks will be more in the chest-shoulder high range…with a few head high peaks coming through at the best breaks. Shape will be a little slow in the morning thanks to the high tide but it will improve as the tide backs down.

Winds look good…mostly light and variable to slightly offshore in the morning…and then a sort of swirly variable texture brewing up in the afternoon, nothing go much over 10-knots. Winds look light enough that we could have a late afternoon clean up, not super glassy, but light enough to smooth things out a bit.



I think that tomorrow will be kind of fun after the tide drops…I think that the swell mix, even though it is losing size, will still be able to put fun waves into both the winter spots and the combo breaks. Water quality is still a bit iffy…it just stopped raining earlier this morning and that last little burst just jumped on the back of the big nasty swill that got pumped out last week. I would still try to avoid rivers, storm-drains, harbors…basically anything that water flows out of...but at least we will have had a day or so for the crap to dilute a bit.

Make sure to check the regional forecasts to see how the swell mix affects the different stretches of coastline.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

01/28/2010 Thursday
12:49AM LST 1.8 L
06:57AM LST 6.4 H
02:21PM LST -1.5 L
08:39PM LST 3.9 H

Transworld SURF Forecast – Plenty more swell out there

Here is my latest forecast for Transworld SURF...lots of storm activity still brewing up in the long-range, and even the Southern Hemi is waking up a little.

Hey make sure to check out the “posted” by-line! (That was all you guys…thanks!)

http://surf.transworld.net/1000094886/features/west-coast-and-hawaii-surf-forecast-2/

Waves for Wednesday – Slow drop…but still a few fun ones

Wednesday will have some rideable waves but the race between the dropping high tide and the building onshore wind may keep most spots from getting very good.

WNW-NW swell (280-300) will be slowly fading through the day on Wednesday…dropping pretty quickly for spots up through Ventura and Santa Barbara while lingering a little longer down toward San Diego. There will be a slight bump up in S-SSW swell (180-210) that fills in throughout the day…but overall expect most of our waves coming out of the WNW.



Average W-WNW facing spots will be in the chest-shoulder high range with some rare head high sets at spots that like the higher tides. The standout WNW-NW breaks, mostly through the South Bay, South San Diego, and parts of Ventura, will have more consistent shoulder-head high set waves with a few overhead waves still mixing in. Thanks to the morning high tide the shape will be a bit soft and the bigger sets a bit less consistent…there should be some improvement as the tide drops through midmorning.

The forecast models are backing off the winds for Wednesday morning…so, if this latest cold front moves around like it is supposed to, we will likely see some clean conditions for the morning. Look for light and variable winds early on...then sort of moderate onshore bump picking up through midmorning and into the afternoon, eventually topping out 10-15 knots out of the NW.



It is nice to see the onshore bump that was forecast for Wednesday slipping out of the wind model…it lets us get a little more of this WNW swell before it backs down too far. Even though the winds look lighter I am not expecting “great” surf on Wednesday...it will probably just be one of those serviceable swells, rideable but not super exciting. Thanks to that stupid morning high tide you are going to want to stick with spots that can handle the extra water…either that or wait and roll the dice that the tide drops faster than the wind can come onshore.


I think these are loaded...

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

01/27/2010 Wednesday
06:07AM LST 6.0 H
01:42PM LST -1.2 L
08:07PM LST 3.6 H

Tuesday’s Surf – Is it a little damp in here?

Tuesday will be rideable in a few areas…but thanks to rain and wind not every spot will be all that surfable.

Tuesday the swell will be on the way back up but it looks like some stormy conditions come along with it. Not a great surf day overall but the winds are OK in a few areas so it might be worth a check if you don’t mind surfing in the rain. WNW-NW swell (280-300) will actually start moving in late Monday night and will eventually peak Tuesday afternoon. There will be some S windswell and touch of weak S-SSW swell holding in the background.



Look for the average W facing spots to push back into the chest-head high+ range while the standout WNW-NW facing breaks see more consistent shoulder-overhead surf and a few sets going a couple of feet+ overhead on the lower tides. High tide that hits early morning won’t help out shape…but it drops off pretty fast and if you can wait till midmorning that might be the best call.

Another cold front will push over the area throughout the day on Tuesday…it doesn’t slam through like the last few did…it sort of touches the coast and then pushes up through Central California rather than rolling right on through. This will still be enough to send in some rain…and S-SE winds for the morning (even a few areas of ESW winds at times)…look for the morning to be around 10-15 knots with some stronger gusts the closer you get to point conception. Winds turn more S-SSW by the afternoon…more rain on tap then too.



So like I said…sort of stormy but sort of surfable for a few spots as well. The S winds, particularly since they have some SE in them at times, don’t blow out every spot in Socal…so if you have to surf, and you don’t mind a little extra water in the air, stick to spots that are exposed to the new WNW-NW swell and are protected from the S winds. The high tide will make things a little extra squishy through the early morning so try and stick with spots that can handle the higher tide…or wait out the morning for a little bit as it drops.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

01/26/2010 Tuesday
05:14AM LST 5.6 H
01:03PM LST -0.7 L
07:36PM LST 3.3 H
11:53PM LST 2.2 L

Southern California Long-range Surf Forecast – 1/25/2010

Forecast Overview

New WNW-NW swell moves in on Tuesday and brings a little more rain and S-SE winds to Socal. The weather moves out on Wednesday (though the winds shift a little more onshore) and the WNW-NW swell holds. Expect fading WNW-NW energy to mix with more S-SSW swell by Thursday and into early Friday. Another overhead WNW-NW swell moves in late Friday and peaks over the weekend.

Short Range (next 4 days)

Tuesday
New WNW-NW swell (275-300) moves in on Tuesday and mixes with some building S-SW windswell and a some background S-SSW energy (180-210). Most W facing breaks, and the average combo spots, will be in the chest-shoulder high range with some head high sets mixing in at times. The standout WNW-NW facing breaks, as well as the excellent W-NW combo breaks, will see consistent shoulder-overhead surf with sets going a couple of feet+ overhead. Shape will be a little soft in the morning thanks to an early high tide…but look for more size and consistency as the tide backs down. Winds/Weather: S-SE winds 10-15+ knots on tap for the morning…increasing clouds and a chance of rain by the middle of the day. S-SSW winds 10-20 knots are expected by the afternoon.



Wednesday
The mix of WNW-NW swell (275-300) and the background southerly energy will hold…still a little soft during the morning…but steady at the exposed areas. Look for more chest-head high surf at the average W facing breaks and some overhead+ sets showing at the standout WNW-NW facing spots. Shape will be suspect due to onshore winds…but a few areas look like they will be light enough to have some fun. Winds/Weather: Light W winds around 10-12 knots on tap for the morning. W-WNW winds 10-15+ knots move in through the afternoon but may lighten up a touch near the end of the day.



Thursday
Looks like a good surf day…the WNW-NW swell (280-300) will be backing off but still holding enough energy to keep rideable waves at the exposed spots. S swell (180-200) will get a new push of energy, enough to make a noticeable difference in size at the S-facing spots. Look for the average spots to hold around chest-shoulder high. Standout WNW/S swell combo spots will be in the chest-head high range with a few overhead sets mixing in on the lower tides. Winds/Weather: Light and variable to light offshore winds on tap for the morning and mostly dry clean conditions for all areas. Look for variable onshore flow around 10-12 knots by the afternoon.



Friday
Starts off with mostly leftovers from the WNW and slowly fading S swell (180-200). Most breaks will back into the waist-chest high range with some shoulder high+ sets showing at the better combo spots. By the afternoon a new WNW-NW swell (280-300) begins arriving with some long-period energy (around the 18-20 second range)…it won’t show a ton of new surf before sundown but it will help to increase size and consistency up around Ventura (and the spots in Santa Barbara that like longer-periods…not that there are many of them). At this point it looks like the peak of this new WNW-NW swell will arrive on Saturday.



Long-Range

North Pacific

Still plenty of activity showing in the North Pacific…though compared to that last week it seems like the ocean is on “mute” or something. The current set up in the NPAC is actually a bit similar to what we had last week but with a lot less intensity. There is still a complex low-pressure holding position in the far north portion of the Gulf of Alaska…and there are still storms moving through the mid-latitudes on the complex-low merry-go-round. These mid-latitude systems are the ones setting up our various swells this week. Check out the Visible Satellite image from NOAA/GOES…



The storm that set up the swell for Tuesday is just moving through the waters off the West Coast and will pass part of its front over the region before heading off to the NE. There is a second embedded front close on its heels but it will just help to reinforce the first WNW-NW swell into Wednesday. Further off to the West you can see a much more intense low-pressure forming to the N of Hawaii. This one is forecast to pull into a better position in our swell window over the next 48 hours…



…setting up a decent WNW-NW swell (280-300) that arrives later on Friday…



…that eventually peaks on Saturday with surf in the shoulder-head high+ range at the average W facing breaks and sets going a couple to a few feet overhead at the top spots. This swell will be a lot cleaner than the ones we saw this last weekend (and the one coming in on Tuesday) since the storm sits a little further off the coast and lets the swell groom out some of the shorter-period fluff.

Further out the charts continue to be pretty active…the extreme long-range GFS charts have a couple more storms forming in about 5-6 days that, if they pull together, will have another round or two of WNW-NW swell heading our way for the first couple days of February.

South Pacific
Finally starting to see a little sign of life down in the SPAC…there has been a moderate/mild storm hanging down off Antarctica due south of Socal over the last couple of days. It hasn’t done anything super impressive, winds have held around 30-35 knots, but it has held semi-stationary with just a touch of S-to-N movement that pushed the winds in our direction. We can expect a small pulse of S swell (180-190) starting to show on Tuesday (Jan 26) and then a slightly stronger pulse of S energy (175-190) pushing in around Wednesday (Jan 27).



Don’t expect much more than chest high+ from these guys…but since the WNW swell will be more manageable around that time…we might see a few fun combo peaks starting to slip through.

Next Long-range forecast will be posted on Thursday, January 28th, 2010.

Adam Wright
Surf Forecaster

Monday’s Surf – Some playful leftovers

Monday will be a surf day…it won’t be as big as the weekend but it will have clean conditions and slowly improving water quality.

On Monday we are going to see a mix of fading W-WNW energy (275-300) from the swell that held over the weekend. It won’t fade completely away but expect a pretty significant drop compared to the last couple of days.



Average W facing breaks are going to back down to the chest-shoulder high range with a few rare bigger sets still mixing in on the lower tides. Standout WNW-NW facing breaks will see surf in the shoulder-head high range with a few of the top breaks seeing some overhead+ set. There is another push of WNW-NW swell that starts to show late on Monday but it doesn’t look like much energy will sneak in before the sun sets.

Winds look good for the morning with mostly light and variable to light offshore flow setting up for the first part of the day. It does look a little sloppy by the afternoon though…W winds around 10-15 knots will develop and we may even see some 20-knot gusts through parts of LA and Ventura.



Overall…not a super great surf day…but still plenty rideable at the right spots. The water quality continues to be an issue…it was still looking like a big ol’ pot of brown nastiness when I took the boys on the morning surf check…it will have had a couple of dry days under its belt so the risk might not be soooo bad, but if you can’t afford to get sick you might want to avoid it still. The tide is starting to get a bit high in the morning as well…so you will probably have more luck at spots that can handle a little extra water.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast


Here are the tides…

01/25/2010 Monday
04:15AM LST 5.1 H
12:20PM LST -0.1 L
07:03PM LST 2.9 H
10:44PM LST 2.4 L

Also here is a link to the Down The Line – Talk Radio show…I am doing a weekly forecast update during the beginning of the show…so you can hear me be a goofball on the radio now too…

http://www.xtrasports1360.com/podcast/downtheline.xml

Waves for the Weekend – Split decision

Saturday doesn’t look like much of a surf day (but there may be a little window in the morning)…Sunday on the other hand could be fun…that is if you don’t mind surfing with a bunch of extra brown-trout in the line-up.

(I know I have been harping on water quality…but it is really nasty out there…check out these shots of the main OC river mouths http://beach.freedomblogging.com/2010/01/22/beaches-get-trashed-after-storm/20617/ Make sure to read the first comment on this post...it is outstanding)

So the storm will finally start to break down and start moving out of the area late tonight. Unfortunately this is a pretty large storm (in every way) and it will take a while to clear out completely, which means that we aren’t going to see a significant improvement for Saturday morning. With storms like these we generally get S winds as the storm arrives and then NW winds that follow behind the front...those NW winds are what we have in the forecast for Saturday.

We will continue to see a pretty solid chunk of W-WNW swell on Saturday…the energy that hit on Friday will hold overnight and start to slowly fade as we move throughout the day.



Sizewise I am still expecting most areas to see consistent head high and overhead surf. The top WNW-NW facing spots, particularly in San Diego, the South Bay, and parts of Ventura, will have some consistent overhead to well overhead surf…with a chance of bigger waves mixing it up at times.

The overall pattern for Saturday is calling for NW winds around 10-15 knots to be on tap across Socal starting mid-morning, and likely hold through the afternoon as well. There is one thing a little interesting on the COAMPS model though…it is showing mostly NW flow for the morning but if you look right at the coastline it has the winds staying pretty light. Not sure how much I would count on the model (the computer might just have gas or something)…but you might want to give conditions a quick check in the morning to see how things shake out overnight.



Sunday the W-WNW swell will drop and the winds/weather will improve.



Expect the average W facing beaches to drop down to shoulder-head high sizes with a few overhead sets still mixing in. Standout WNW-NW facing spots see some head high and overhead surf pretty consistently…with a few sets still going a couple feet overhead on the better tides.

Winds look a lot better…mostly light and variable to light offshore for the morning and then staying light through the afternoon. Partly cloudy skies and warmer air temps will be on tap as well.



Sunday is definitely looking the best day for surf this weekend…it won’t have the size Saturday has but conditions look a lot better. I would still be a little cautious about water quality, most of the health agencies recommend avoiding ocean contact for at least 72 hours after the rain as stopped…so if you get sick easy you might want to hold off a couple more days.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast


Here are the tides…have a good weekend!

01/23/2010 Saturday
02:05AM LST 4.4 H
10:13AM LST 1.2 L
04:13PM LST 2.3 H
07:30PM LST 2.1 L

01/24/2010 Sunday
03:09AM LST 4.7 H
11:28AM LST 0.7 L
06:17PM LST 2.6 H
09:08PM LST 2.4 L

Surf Photos - A few nuggets hiding in the storm

With all of the various weather/cold-fronts moving through Socal over the last few days the winds have occasionally cut a few spots a little slack (actually it has helped a few spots to look pretty damn good). Check out these shots from Jeff over at Liquid Playground…(he took them on both 1/19 and 1/21)…he has a few other sick photos on his site, make sure to take a look when you get a chance.

http://liquidplayground.blogspot.com/

Transworld SURF - the new forecast is posted

Hey guys...my forecast is up over on Transworld SURF if you want to give it a check.

They also have a couple good shots of all the stormy (and sometimes clean) surf that has been pushing in the last few days.

(BTW...even though this last forecast was posted by Justin...the gang at TWS have built me an account, so future forecasts will actually look like I posted them...And yes that is a giant boot kicking California in the junk.)


http://surf.transworld.net/1000094615/features/west-coast-and-hawaii-weekend-surf-forecast-3/

Big Friday – Enough already…

Lots of swell showing on Friday…but semi-stormy conditions and marginal winds will keep most spots from having a surf day.

The peak of the W-WNW swell (260-300) will hit on Friday…and really it will just be too much size for most beaches. Sure there will be some protected spots that will work on Friday…but the funky winds (not to mention funky water quality) may not keep the surf window at those spots open for all that long.



Pretty much all W-WNW facing breaks throughout Socal will be running in the overhead to well-overhead range on Friday. The better winter spots will be running well-overhead with some double overhead+ sets mixing in. The standout WNW facing spots of San Diego and the South Bay will go double-triple-overhead and see some occasional bigger sets. Ventura will be big…but may not see as many big-ass sets like the other areas…it looks like some of the swell has almost a WSW direction to it, which lets the Channel Islands shadow the region just a bit.

Current weather forecasts are calling for yet another cold-front to push through early on Friday…setting up S-SW winds around 15-25 knots with some squally conditions, more rain, thunderstorms, waterspouts…generally the same mess that we have seen for the past few days. A lot depends on how fast the front moves through…but there may be a chance for S-SE winds in the morning for a few areas, which means that a handful of breaks could see offshore/side-offshore conditions. This doesn’t seem as likely as the last couple of days, but it is still a possibility. Check out a couple of the wind models (GFS and the COAMPS)…both are showing SW winds…but the NWS is calling for weaker winds.





There will be plenty of juice on tap for Friday…but overall I am not expecting much in the way of quality surf since most spots don’t like the S-SW winds, and really there is just too much swell energy being thrown around. That being said…you may want to keep an eye on things tomorrow…much like the last couple of days, there may be a few nuggets out there, particularly if the winds cooperate by coming in a little more SE’erly than the current forecast shows. Personally, even as stir crazy as I am getting, I am probably going to avoid the poo-water for a couple more days…anyway let me know if you head out (or send some pictures if you get some).

Make sure to read the regional forecasts for more details on how the storm will affect each county.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…as always stay safe you guys.

01/22/2010 Friday
01:12AM LST 4.3 H
08:27AM LST 1.7 L
01:25PM LST 2.5 H
06:44PM LST 1.7 L