Waves for the weekend – Some Surf, Some Wind, Some June Gloom

There will be surf this weekend…but it is going to have a number of issues with the winds and the tide that it is going to have to work through. That being said if you make good spot choices (and don’t try and surf during the high tide) you should be able to find a few playful waves in all of our regions.

In the water we are going to have a mix of holding SW swell (195-210), some new local windswell, and a steep NW swell (290+). Basically a smorgasbord of swell. None of it is particularly powerful or worth driving for but if you have a spot that can pick up one of more of those swells then you should be in OK shape.

On Saturday morning the average spots are going to see waist-chest high surf…with a couple of bigger ones at the best high tide spots in Orange County and San Diego. Winds will be light/variable for LA and Santa Barbara…while OC and SD see some S winds around 5-8 knots in the morning.

Winds will increase out of the WNW 10-20 knots by the afternoon…so it will end up being a race between the dropping tide and the increasing wind. If we can get a little pocket between the two that will probably be your best bet for surf…the SD/OC standouts will have a few shoulder high+ sets showing as the tide drops as well.

Sunday will be a bit cleaner…with lighter winds in the morning. The S swell will be a little smaller, the NW swell will be a bit bigger, and windswell will come up a couple of notches as well…but in general the sizes will be about the same.

The best surf on Sunday will probably be during the dawn patrol…the high tide is a little later in the day so we should have better shape early and the winds will be lighter in the AM as well. Personally I will probably try and roll out of bed around sun-up and give the local beach breaks a check before the tide gets too high.

When you pick your spots this weekend definitely plan around the tide and the winds…and realize that you may have to sacrifice size for shape in a lot of cases.

Weekend’s Surf – It looks fun…but watch the wind

We will have fun surf on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

The mornings will be the best in terms of winds and shape but the protected areas will stay surfable through the afternoons of both days.

We have a good sized S-SW swell in the water that will continue to hold strong as we move into the weekend. There will also be a good dose of WNW windswell mixing in with the stronger southern hemi swell. Most breaks will see some energy from one swell or the other and will be running in the chest-shoulder high+ range. The standout S facing breaks and great combo spots will have shoulder-overhead surf with some inconsistent bigger sets mixing in on Saturday. Sunday will be smaller as the mix of swells start to slowly drop off.

Winds will be the issue this weekend…strong winds in the outer waters have been keeping the winds along our beaches sort of unstable…they haven’t really blown anything out for the dawn patrol but it hasn’t be completely clean either. It is sort of like having morning sickness for most of the day.

Today’s Winds




Anyway the next couple of days will be similar to what we have been having…expect a mix of variable onshore winds in the morning (NW in Ventura and Santa Barbara, and S-SW winds in LA, OC, and San Diego). Afternoons will be a bit breezier with winds hitting up around the 10-15 knot range.

You are going to have a lot of options for surf…some will be cleaner than others…some will be bigger than others…it will sort of be a compromise game between the conditions and the size of the surf you want. You will definitely see the biggest surf in the San Diego and Orange County areas…with some cleaner, but smaller pockets, of surf showing through parts of Ventura and North LA County. Personally I think that you will get the best shape at a point or a reef…particularly if it has a little protection (like a high cliff, or lots of kelp outside the lineup, or is just pointed the right way). I will definitely be out hunting for a spot over the weekend…

P.S. for those of you on my email list...thanks for your patience...you guys get blasted when I post a new break map series.