Thursday’s Surf – Fading but fun combo swell

Thursday will be another fun surf day…wave heights will be backing off slightly but we should still see plenty of waves at the well exposed breaks.

We will have a mix of WNW swell, SW swell, and a little local windswell. Most spots will hold in the waist-chest high range while the standouts, mostly in San Diego, see some shoulder high+ sets through the morning.

Winds look good again…but we may have some fog and fog-texture through the morning, so watch out for morning sickness at the more open breaks.

Personally I think that beach breaks will be the call on Thursday. There is enough swell in the water to break up the shape, you can spread out and find your own peak, and the tide may not be as big of an issue if you can find a good sandbar. Expect the biggest surf at the San Diego combo breaks…but you will find fun waves through most of OC, The South Bay, and Ventura. Northern LA and Santa Barbara will have a few rideable breaks but will be smaller overall.

Surfing on Thursday (Wednesday's forecast tips)

So…if you read my forecast over on Wavewatch.com you know that the forecast for Thursday looks a lot like Wednesday’s forecast.

I think the mix of swells (SW, steep NW, and local windswell) will continue to keep things playful. Really it is the combo of SW and windswell that is doing most of the wave-making…the NW’er is just too steeply angled to send in much energy…so I would concentrate on spots, particularly beach breaks, that have better exposure to the SW swell. Conditions look good, so expect a clean morning, but plan on brining a board that can handle smaller, inconsistent surf.