Thursday’s Surf – S-swell fades even more

Thursday looks rideable with semi-manageable morning conditions…but there will still be enough wind to add some bump.

Swellwise we are going to see a mix of fading S-swell (175-190) and some weak background WNW windswell. The S swell will be losing size and shortening up its swell period as we move throughout the day…expect smaller and less consistent surf on tap by the afternoon.



The average S facing spots and a few of the better combo spots will have waist-chest high surf…with a few inconsistent chest-shoulder high sets still showing through the morning. The standout S facing breaks, mostly through OC and the other few top exposed breaks out there, will see waist-shoulder high surf with a few rare shoulder-head high faces still slipping through during the morning. With the swell dropping expect some longer waits between sets…as well as less size…as we move throughout the day.

Winds…not looking great…but not looking that bad through the morning either. Forecasts are calling for light/variable to light/west for the dawn patrol with most areas seeing winds below the 3-5 knot range. The more exposed areas will see some texture/bump…but if there is anything to block or knock down the texture then the conditions should be fairly manageable. Expect for building W winds to push in by midday and eventually topping out around 10-15 knots by late in the afternoon.







The fading S swell will still have enough life to push a few waves into the exposed spots on Thursday. It won’t be super punchy thanks to the drop in swell period along with the building morning tides…but with the right equipment, there should be something we can work with. At a minimum I think it will be worth giving the morning surf a quick check, either on the cameras or a fast drive-by if you live close. Now that the swell has dropped some it looks like the beach breaks won’t be as sectiony…so we might get a chance to spread out a little more...but still count on the points/reefs having the best shape.

Here are the tides…cross your fingers that the wind can keep mellow for the morning.

07/08/2010 Thursday
02:06AM LDT -0.1 L
08:35AM LDT 3.2 H
12:39PM LDT 2.4 L
07:03PM LDT 6.0 H (swampy!)