Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Surf for Thursday – Nothing to get fired up about

Thursday will have a few rideable waves but a combination of spotty winds, building tides, and fluky/inconsistent swell will keep the fun factor pretty low.

Swellwise we are going to see a mix of NW windswell, some inconsistent/fading SW swell (190-220), and some tropical SE swell (155-170) from TS Blas. Like I said yesterday this mix of swells don’t blend together all that well…so we don’t get the boost in size like we would from swells that have a little more compatible swell directions.



Most breaks will continue to hold around the knee high range on Thursday with some inconsistent waist high sets showing on the lower tides. The better exposed average SW or SE facing spots will have some slightly bigger sets sneaking through at times. The standout spots, basically the excellent combo spots and maybe a few of the really good SE/SW facing spots, will have more consistent waist high surf with a few chest high sets showing on the really, really, really, really good sandbars. If you can’t take the hint…it will need to be a really good SE/SW exposed spot to get the bigger waves.

The winds will be a bit squirrelly as well…there is a weak trough of low-pressure holding in the upper levels that is enhancing the onshore flow. The eddyish circulation is supposed to continue on Thursday…blowing southerly winds through San Diego/OC with some swirly flow through LA and some W-NW winds through Santa Barbara and Ventura. Winds should be on the lighter side, around 5-6 knots for the morning. Expect moderate onshore winds in the 10-15 knot range out of the W-WNW by the afternoon.



Not much to get excited about…though there is always a chance that the tropical swell will get a boost tomorrow (reflecting how TS Blas moved into a more open portion of the tropical swell window). With the wind being funky and the other swells being on the marginal side…I wouldn’t commit much energy to the surf. I would stick to checking the cameras and wind observations in the morning and if you don’t see anything that floats your boat then going back to bed and surfing your pillow for a little while longer.

Here are the tides…

06/24/2010 Thursday
03:11AM LDT -0.9 L
09:36AM LDT 3.6 H
02:06PM LDT 2.2 L
08:18PM LDT 6.1 H (swampthing!)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

living in newport in the summer time one hardly seems to notice these ''wave droughts''

Anonymous said...

question: how in the f--- does anyone become pro in socal when you get to surf quality waves maybe (maybe) about once a freakin week!

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:05 - It is a well documented fact that the best pro surfers come from regions with frequent, short period waves.

Long before Slater, Jordy, Dane, et al charged epic waves with impeccable style, they surfed endless hours in knee-waste high junk.

Think any major sport - 95% of their time is spent doing drills. Actually playing is a small fraction of what they do.

Pro surfing is a similar animal. You need to be engaged in the act of paddling, turning, punting, etc for hours on end.

The more waves there are (ie short period wave after wave), regardless of conditions, the more practice you can put in per hour of surfing.

It's only after you develop a rep that you can show up at a place like Trestles, Malibu and/or Rincon and rule the take-off zone while perfecting and honing your style.

Now, for the rest of us, Apr-Jun is just plain depressing. That's why it's important to have other interests, like taking off for the desert.

SC Fool said...

Wow, Anonymous#3. That was a great answer. I would have said something like,"who cares. Pro surfing is lame. Contest are for kooks. Go to school. Get a real job." Your answer is better.

Anonymous said...

@SC Fool - So you think contests are lame? Sure, 99% of them are, but top level Primes & WCT events are real eye openers.

Until you see top level pros surfing live, you'll never really know what incredible, truly hot surfing actually looks like. (Videos don't come close.)

That's why the HB open is so cool. For guys who live around here, like me, Adam & others, you're able to check heat sheets and make specific arrangements to watch the action.

Long before the crowds show up and the wind picks up later in the morning, there's a core group of people waiting to see a few select surfers.

Seeing these guys surf up & personal allows one to dispel whatever hype might be driving a current star.

Long before Simpson, Gudaskas & Yeomans were bombing on the WCT, (don't get me wrong, these guys are friendly and of course incredibly hot), I knew their reflex/muscle quickness simply wasn't as quick/sharp as some others like Dusty Payne, Julian Wilson, etc.

Unless you're a complete & utter kook, every surfer thinks they have some level of skills. Watching top flight pros drives home the point that they're as different from you & I as Kobe Bryant is.

IOW, they are genetic freaks with incredible speed, finesse & balance.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous#3 that was really cool and right on, just look how many pros come from florida, waist-chest high sectiony waves can make you great and actually learn to surf, anybody can stand up and go straight on a perfect 6 ft point break