Monday’s Surf – Looking fun for the start of the week.

Monday will be a surf day.

Actually we had some decent surf windows over the weekend. Winds from the storm were a bit fluky (it was a pretty weak-ass cold front)…and if you were in the right spot the swell combo was pretty good. Winds and conditions actually improve on Monday as the swell mix holds so it is looking like an even better day.

We are going to have a nice combo of swells, SSW from the Southern Hemi, Tropical S from Marie, WNW swell from the NPAC, and local windswell. Almost all breaks are going to be in the chest-head high range (unless it is really sheltered).

Top breaks, all of the good combo spots, the S facing standouts, and the best WNW standouts as well, will be in the chest-head high range fairly consistently with overhead sets mixing in and some occasional overhead+ sets sneaking through on the tide push.

Conditions look good…light and variable winds through the morning and then moderate onshore flow around 10-12 knots by the afternoon.

I do think that it will be worth driving to get surf tomorrow but with the combo swell it should be pretty good all over so I don’t think you are going to have to drive very far. Try to pick spots that have decent exposure to the swell mix and can use it whip up some decent shape. Check out the CDIP model for some guidance on where it will be the biggest. (*cough* San Diego *cough*).

Tides for Monday

01:38PM 4.2' High
10:58PM 1.1 Low

Surf on Wednesday – F_@k wallstreet I am going surfing

Wednesday is looking like another surf day…we will have a little more swell and I think that the exposed combo beach breaks should be pretty through the morning.

We are going to have a mix of SSW swells on Wednesday…one fading and a new more southerly one filling in…both of which will be mixing with some increasing NW windswell.

Average spots with S exposure will be in the waist-chest high range…with a few shoulder high sets sneaking through on the lower tides.

The top spots, meaning the well exposed S-facing breaks…mostly in OC and SD, will be chest-shoulder high on most of the waves. The bigger sets should be topping out around head high or so.

Winds are expected to be light in the morning…mostly light and variable but we may see some S-SW texture for the SD and OC areas (sort of depends on how much the eddy sets up tonight). Afternoon winds pick up out of the W around 10-15 knots.

I think with the windswell helping to combo up the SSW swell that the beach breaks will be a decent call tomorrow morning, particularly if the winds stay light. The points and reefs will still be fun as well but they may not connect as far as they would on a pure S-SW swell. Midmorning will probably be the most fun…but you are going to want to get on it before the 5.8’ high tide swamps things out around 10:45am.

Here are the tides for Wednesday

04:32AM 1.0' Low
10:37AM 5.8' High
05:22PM 0.3' Low
11:20PM 4.3' High

Waves for the Weekend – More fun surf and warmer water

Now before you get all worked up about warm water…warm is a relative term. It is no longer ice-cream-headache cold but you are still going to be wearing a wetsuit… Well unless you are covered with a ridiculous amount of man-hair (you know who you are)…then you might be able to trunk it for a few minutes before hypothermia sets in.

Ok on to the surf.

The weekend is looking pretty fun.

We are going to have a mix of the S-SW and WNW swell for both Saturday and Sunday. (with the WNW’er being a bit stronger on Sunday). Wave heights for both days will be in the waist-chest high+ range at the average spots while the standout areas…the good combo break spots…see some shoulder-head high surf.

It will be pretty similar to what we had all week…so if you found a few good waves at your favorite spots over the last few days then you will probably find similar waves there over the weekend too.

Definitely expect the biggest surf to show around San Diego and through select areas in OC, Ventura, and the South Bay. So if you are looking for bigger waves you are going to want to focus on these areas.

Winds should be nice as well…mostly light in the mornings with some moderate onshore texture developing through the afternoons.

Tides will be an issue…same as they have been all week…so expect soft, even smaller, shape as the tide peaks midmorning. The dawn patrol on Sunday may be a bit better than Saturday just because the tide peak is a little later in the day. You will be rolling the dice if you try and wait out the tide…the winds have been getting to it before the shape improves all that much.

Have fun out there…I’ll probably see you in the water.

Monday’s Surf: Starting the week off right!

Monday is looking like a surf day…maybe even a good surf day at the combo spots.

In the water we will have a mix of WNW and SW swell that started to hit on Sunday. This will hold through the day on Monday before starting to trail off.

Surfwise we can expect waves in the waist-shoulder high range at most exposed breaks, Santa Barbara spots will be a little smaller because of shadowing but they should still have a few fun waves. Standout areas like San Diego, parts of Southern Ventura, the South Bay, and areas in OC, will have shoulder-head high sets…maybe even a few overhead waves on the better tides.

Weather looks nice as well. Looks like offshore winds will develop tonight…and may even get a little gusty near passes and canyons. Most areas should have offshore shape through the dawn patrol. Those winds lighten up and stay light most of the afternoon…so there may be hope for an after work/school surf.

Your best bet is to take a quick look at the cams in the morning. Weather has been a little unstable and those winds may come in a touch northerly in the morning (which is a little junky for some spots). If it looks clean or offshore then get down to a good combo break…best shape will be at those spots that can pull in the mix of swells. I think beach breaks will be plenty fun thanks to the combo, the nice morning winds, and not having too-much swell in the water.

Waves for Friday: More Combo swell

Friday will definitely be a surf day…the good combo spots will be fun, peaky, and likely overhead+ on the sets.

So if you saw the random morning update then you know that the W swell portion of the combo swell was lagging this morning. The good news is that the swell has arrived and it should stay pretty healthy as we move into Friday.

Check out the Buoys...

In the water we will have a mix of WNW swell (275-295) and S-SW swell (190-210). Most spots will stay consistently in the chest-shoulder high+ range while the best combo spots, mostly in San Diego and Orange County, see overhead+ sets.

Winds are supposed to be light in the morning, particularly through the dawn patrol. Expect light/variable in most areas and light SE winds through LA, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. W-WNW winds around 10-15 knots will develop through the afternoon.

Personally I will be heading out the door as soon as I get my morning stuff done. Maybe a quick camera check for the tide/wind shape before I leave but not more than a couple of minutes. I still think that the reefs and beach breaks will be the most fun…points will be good too but these swells get so hollow on the good sandbars that I will be checking those areas first.

San Diego and OC will be the biggest and most consistent but expect plenty of fun waves through Ventura and La…with smaller but likely cleaner shape through the Santa Barbara spots.

Hope you score some tomorrow…I’ll see you in the water!

Wednesday’s Surf: Start of the fun combo swell mix

Wednesday is looking like a fun surf day.

Weather should be nice, there will still be plenty of surf out there, and a new SW swell starts to blend into our swell mix and should start to help to improve surf shape.

In the water we will have the fading W swell, some local windswell, and this new building SW swell (200-220), which will be a little inconsistent at first but it should fill in more by the afternoon.

Wave heights will be in the chest-shoulder high range at most spots through SoCal. Standout breaks in Ventura, San Diego, and the best areas of the LA South Bay, will have some shoulder-overhead surf…maybe even a few bigger waves still showing through the morning.

Winds will be light and variable through the morning before turning more NW and building to around 10-knots in the afternoon.

Like I said above it looks like a fun surf day. I think the best shape will continue to show at the W-facing points and reefs, particularly through the morning when we are seeing predominately W swell. Beach breaks will be a bit more surfable than the last couple of days but the sandbars got really tweaked by this big swell so expect to have to hunt around to find a decent area at the more exposed beaches, like HB, for example.

Shape everywhere should improve as the SW’er starts filling in…exposed beach breaks will start to see more peaky shape…and if the winds stay light, could be fun by the afternoon.


Further Out

Thursday and Friday are looking even more fun than Wednesday.

We will have a stronger mix of both the peaking SW and a new W swell. Many spots will build back into the shoulder-head high+ range while the standout combo spots see some overhead+ sets. Hopefully these swells will play well together and set up some decent shape for all of the exposed areas.

I will have more details on Thursday/Friday tomorrow…but I would start thinking about excuses for ditching school, work, and/or significant others later this week.

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.

Waves for Wednesday – More Combo Swell fun

Wednesday will be another fun surf day.

We will have a new WNW-NW swell (lets call it 285-300) and some smaller but holding SW swell in the background.

The surf will be very like Tuesday with a touch more size. Average breaks will hold in the waist-chest high range while the good standout combo breaks see some shoulder-head high sets. Best spots in San Diego will have some head high and overhead sets at times.

Conditions will be clean with light offshore winds in the morning. There will be some onshore flow later in the afternoon but it should stay rideable for most of the day.

I think that most local beach breaks are going to be fun…NW facing points and reefs should be pretty good too. The low tide comes through around mid-morning so the surf should be fun for the dawn patrol. If you have time to surf I think you can skip the cam check in the morning and just head down to the beach…make sure you pick a spot with decent exposure to the swell mix if you are looking for bigger waves. Like I said above San Diego will likely be the biggest and most consistent region.