Thursday’s Surf – New WNW/SW swell and more rain out the back

Thursday is looking pretty surfable but there may be a few areas, namely Santa Barbara and Ventura, that will have some wind issues in the morning.

New mix of WNW-NW swell (280-300) and new SW swell (190-215) began moving in some new, long-period energy on Wednesday…adding touch more size in the afternoon but will be mostly filling in more after dark. Check out the buoys from this afternoon (Oceanside Buoy for the SW swell mix and the Harvest Buoy for the WNW-NW energy)….



The new swell mix will peak on Thursday…showing biggest at spots with good WNW-NW exposure…but setting some fun waves at the good combo spots as well. Looks like high tide will keep things soft through the morning but if winds can hold off shape and consistency will improve through midday.



Sizewise we can expect the average WNW facing spots and the good combo breaks to be in the chest-head high range on Thursday…maybe a little smaller/less-consistent through the morning. The better WNW-NW facing breaks and excellent combo spots, mostly in Ventura, the South Bay, and South San Diego, will have shoulder-overhead surf with sets going a couple of feet overhead at times.

A new cold-front is forecast to move through the region late tonight and then move out on Thursday…driving some early NW-N winds in a few areas. Right now it looks like Santa Barbara and Ventura will have some N-NW winds around 10-15 knots for the morning…possibly stronger as you get out towards Point Conception. LA, OC, and San Diego will see more light/variable winds early in the morning, maybe a chance of some pockets of onshore texture here and there…but the onshore winds are expected to push in pretty fast, likely chunking things up around midday. More rain is forecast to move in on Friday and over the weekend…hopefully we will get a chance to enjoy the swell mix before it arrives.



So we have new swell, even some combo swell, showing on Thursday…but the weather is trying to work us over. Once again we are going to be sort of caught between a high morning tide with cleaner conditions and the lower tides with building onshore winds. Personally I think that there will be enough new swell at the standout breaks that it should be able to work even with the higher tide, particularly at spots that can handle a little extra water. I am thinking about getting on it early, rolling the dice with the tide, and trying to beat the wind…I hope this works out but I am not holding my breath either.

Make sure to check out the regional forecasts for the details for each county.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

02/25/2010 Thursday
05:56AM LST 5.8 H
01:17PM LST -1.1 L
07:37PM LST 3.9 H

Surf Photos – Saturday Morning Dawn Patrol

Took a drive through North OC this morning to check the surf and brought along the camera (and a co-pilot). Here are a few shots from Saturday morning (Jan 9, 2010). It was a little walled, a little inconsistent, but there were a couple corners sneaking through now and then.






My co-pilot this morning...








Maybe he should have bought him dinner first?

Surf for Tuesday – Still a little soft…but with some new WNW energy

Tuesday looks surfable...nothing huge…but rideable at the right spots along with clean conditions.

We will see a new mix of W-WNW swell (275-295) moving in on Tuesday. The swell will build slowly throughout the day as it mixes with some weak background S-SW energy.



Most spots will start off slow in the knee to occasionally waist high range. Better WNW facing breaks will be more in the knee-chest high range. Standout NW spots, mostly through Ventura in the morning…but filling in further south throughout the day, will have some waist-chest high surf with some inconsistent shoulder high sets on the lower tides. The midday tide will be a bit funky but conditions should be good enough to let us work around it.

Winds look good, mostly light and variable to a mild/moderate offshore flow. Look for stiffer offshore winds through the usual wind prone areas of LA/Ven/SB…and lighter winds in SD and OC. Onshore flow around 8-10+ knots for the afternoon.



I am not super amped to jump out in the dawn patrol…unless you live up north there won’t be a ton of new swell showing yet…and even though the tide is low the water is still cold enough to make your ‘nads or tatas fall right off. On that note anyone get the new heated vest from Quik? How well does it work? I would probably try to keep an eye on conditions and see if we might be able to squeeze some sort late-day session from tomorrow…and then try and hit it early on Wednesday as the swell fills in a bit more. Anyway that is just my two cents…clean conditions, and a decent morning low tide, will make it worth at least a quick camera check in the AM.

Regional Forecasts are back up again…I am changing around the format a little bit…but hopefully it will give you a little more insight (and help you find a few more waves). Give ‘em a check when you get a chance.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast

Ventura County Surf Forecast

Los Angeles County Surf Forecast

Orange County Surf Forecast

San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

01/05/2010 Tuesday
12:40AM LST 4.6 H
06:34AM LST 1.6 L
12:06PM LST 4.4 H
06:50PM LST 0.2 L

Waves for the weekend – New WNW swell lining up for Sunday/Monday

We are going to have a surf weekend. New WNW-NW swell will be arriving over the next couple of days and winds and weather are expected to really clean up as well. About the only issue will be water-quality…thanks to the rain that pushed through earlier in the week…but by the time the swell starts to hit we will be a couple of days past the heaviest rains so hopefully there won’t be that much poo.

Swellwise we are going to see a couple of new swells from the North Pacific and a little bit of background SSW energy (so little that it will mostly get lost in the bigger NPAC swells). The first swell won’t really be that big…and it is coming in from a steeper angle which limits what areas can pick it up.

The first NW’er (290-300+) arrives late Friday night and peaks through the day on Saturday. On Saturday most spots will be in the waist high+ range. Standout NW facing spots in San Diego and Ventura will pick up more energy and will be in the chest-shoulder high range with a couple of shoulder high+ sets on the lower tides.

Sunday we will get a much stronger and slightly more westerly WNW swell (285-300+). This one will arrive with longer swell periods (it will start filling in with 20+ second periods but the peak of the swell will still be around 16-17 seconds and will arrive later Sunday afternoon and into Monday). Since this swell is bigger and coming in from a better angle most exposed spots will see more size. Look for average W facing breaks to build into the chest-shoulder high+ range by Sunday afternoon. Standout NW facing spots, particularly in San Diego (as well as Ventura and the South Bay), will have surf in the shoulder-overhead range with some sets going a couple of feet overhead on the lower tides.

Check out the CDIP forecast model (this is the weird sideways one).



If you look a little closer at the Dec 1st section of the model…you can see how that new WNW’er will wrap into each area. (Since the map is set for Dec 1st at 1am it actually means Sunday night…not Monday night).



Even with the new energy and the longer periods the larger surf from this swell is still going to really be focused in select areas. There will be waves at most exposed spots but if you are looking for larger waves try and aim for spots in the circled areas.

Wind and weather are looking better for the weekend (and Monday) as well. Saturday may have some morning fog but this burns off and we see sunny skies and mild weather through the rest of the weekend. Winds will be light and variable to light offshore through the mornings and NW winds will hold around 10-knots for the afternoons.

It really looks like Sunday afternoon and Monday will be the peak of the new swell that hits over the weekend (too bad it couldn’t have hit more on our Vacation)…so if you are looking for larger surf you are going to want to try and surf during that time frame. There will be plenty of playful sized surf for the rest of the weekend…nothing spectacular but enough that we can have some fun, especially as the weather starts to improve. That new WNW’er that will hit on Sunday does look good enough to do some driving if you need overhead waves…I wouldn’t spend hours on the road or anything but it will be worth heading down the road a little further to find a spot with good NW exposure.

Here are the tides…have a great weekend! (hope you aren't forced into too much shopping)

Saturday
02:34AM LST 2.6 L
08:48AM LST 5.7 H
04:32PM LST -0.3 L
11:11PM LST 3.4 H

Sunday
03:05AM LST 2.7 L
09:20AM LST 5.5 H
05:11PM LST -0.1 L

Waves for the weekend - Lets do some surfboard riding

We are going to have some surf this weekend and both Saturday and Sunday look like surf days. About the only downer will be some patchy fog that could make visibility a problem at times.

Swellwise we are going to see a new WNW swell (280-300) move in this evening, peak early on Saturday, and hold into Sunday before slowly fading out. We will also have a small but slowly increasing SW swell (190-210) that begins to fill in a touch on Saturday but eventually peaks on Sunday.

Wave height for the average exposed areas will be in the waist-chest high range with some chest-shoulder high sets at times.

Standout breaks, mostly the top WNW facing spots in Ventura and San Diego as well as a few good combo breaks, will have surf in the shoulder-head high range with some overhead sets mixing in.

Weather/Wind looks good for both mornings (well except for the fog). We will have light and variable to light offshore winds for both mornings (more offshore on Saturday) and just variable winds below 12 knots for the afternoons. Sunday afternoon/evening we may see winds start to switch around to the S-SE.

Check out the COAMPS Forecast on Saturday Morning



And Sunday Morning



There are going to be plenty of waves this weekend but you are definitely going to have to stick to the top WNW facing breaks in V-town and San Diego if you are looking for consistently larger surf. Really though I think that we are going to be able to have some fun at most spots, particularly breaks that can pull in the swell combo, which is good for me since I am sort of locked into the local beach breaks for the weekend. I would probably try and hit it in the mornings if you want clean conditions but it should stay fairly surfable through the afternoons as well.

Here are the tides

Saturday
05:28AM LST 5.3' H
12:13PM LST 0.9' L
05:54PM LST 3.8' H
11:37PM LST 1.2' L

Sunday
05:59AM LST 5.6' H
12:58PM LST 0.4' L
06:52PM LST 3.7' H

Have a good one...hope you score a few!

WNW Swell Alert: North Pacific gets off another shot of WNW swell before the summer!

We have a decent sized WNW swell (290-300+) heading into Northern and Central California later this week. Looks like weather will be good too. I would start working on your "sick" excuses for ditching work.

The North Pacific storm track just won't quit this year...every time it looks like it is about to kick the seasonal bucket it spins off another storm. This latest system formed to the northeast of the Hawaiian Islands and is setting up fetch for Northern and Central California as it moves into the Gulf of Alaska.

While it is weak compared to "normal winter" reckoning it is still is very healthy considering that it is May. You can see on the QuikSCAT image below that it is showing winds in the 35-45 knot range right in the key areas of fetch.



Here are the details on this swell...

Northern California
Look for the WNW swell from this storm to arrive throughout the day on Friday and then peak overnight into Saturday. Wave heights will be consistently in the head high to overhead+ range while the standout NW facing spots see well-overhead sets.

As a huge bonus winds and weather are going to cut us a break as well...the springtime gale that we have had for what seems like forever is finally going to back off right as this swell hits. Friday and Saturday will have clean morning conditions and only moderate onshore flow below 15 knots in the afternoons.

Southern California
This swell isn't aimed very well for SoCal...we will see some energy but the brunt of the WNW energy (290-300) will be blocked by Point Conception.

Look for this new WNW-NW to arrive through the day on Saturday, peak late in the afternoon and hold into Sunday. Like I said above SoCal will be much smaller...mostly knee-chest high at the exposed breaks, but we may see a touch of S-SW swell in the water as well which would allow a few peaky sets to sneak through at the combo breaks.

Make sure to keep an eye on the offshore 49059 NOAA buoy...we should start to see some new energy showing around midday/evening on Thursday.

Surf on Wednesday – New WNW swell…but make sure to read the small print

Wednesday will be a surf day…(wait for it)…for select areas.

In the water we will have a new WNW swell (290-300) and some small SW energy. The WNW swell will be a little too steep to make it into most breaks…a lot of the energy is actually about the 295 range so it will skip over a lot of Southern California.

The average spots, that have little exposure to the WNW’er will be around knee-waist high off the mix of small SW swell and leftover windswell.

The better NW facing spots in Ventura, the LA South Bay, and most of San Diego will be bigger with waves more consistently in the waist-shoulder high range. Standout spots, in southern Ventura, and South San Diego (and northern Baja) will have some head high almost overhead sets mixing in on the better tides.

Weather and winds will be nice…mostly light and variable to light offshore for most of SoCal in the morning. Onshore winds out of the NW build in around 10-12 knots through the afternoon.

Check out this CDIP swell map…(psst I made some really subtle notes on it…you will have to look close)



Listen if you are looking for bigger, (shoulder-head high+), surf your best bet is to head down to San Diego, particularly spots from La Jolla southward. Northern Baja would be a good bet as well.

Unfortunately most of us can’t take the day off and just drive around like some sort of nomadic surf herder…so if you have to stay close, and don’t live in SD, then expect the surf to be smaller and a bit softer…probably even better for a fish, (or a longboard at a purely summer spot). Personally, because I have been chained to this computer (I ordered a hacksaw on craigslist!), I will probably just keep an eye on the local beach breaks…if they start looking fun on the surf-cams I will probably motivate and go catch a few.

Wednesday’s Waves – Overhead swells…Get on it!

Wednesday there is going to be plenty of surf…maybe even a little too much for some areas. There should be decent shape at spots that can handle the swell mix.

In the water we have a mix of new SW swell (185-210) and new WNW swell (280-300)…both of which are already showing some solid energy on the buoys. These swells will start to hit their peaks overnight and hold energy into Wednesday…the WNW’er will actually hold into the weekend as more reinforcing swells move in behind it.

Wave heights will be consistently in the shoulder-head high range for the average exposed spots. Top SW and WNW breaks will see overhead+ sets. Standout spots, particularly the combo breaks, have to potential to go a couple of feet+ overhead on the bigger waves.

Winds should be good as well, at least through the morning. Expect variable to NW flow around 3-5 knots in the morning and then onshore NW winds around 10-15 knots by mid-afternoon.

You are basically going to be able to surf any where you want tomorrow. There will be enough swell in the water that almost every spot, except the most protected, will have some sort of surf coming through. Your best bet is going to be a spot that can handle a little juice…some of the beach breaks may have a little too much water moving around...so you might think about the better points and reefs. Because these swells have some longer-period energy there may be some deceptive lulls between sets…make sure to watch the beach for a while before paddling out.

Random Side Note: I surfed HB at lunch here on Tuesday and it was freaking good…some easy 4-6’ sets with some nice a-framed shape and open shoulders…if the wind had been offshore it would have been unreal.

Thursday’s Surf – New WNW swell

Thursday looks plenty surfable. We will have a decent combo of fading WNW energy and a new WNW swell (290-300) in the water. Winds are expected to be light and variable through the morning and then stay on the light side in the afternoon.

I am expecting most W facing beaches to see surf in the chest-shoulder high+ range while the best exposed breaks of San Diego, Ventura, and the LA South Bay, see consistent head high surf and some overhead sets mixing in at times. This swell will be showing fairly strong for the Ventura and LA areas through the morning, (Santa Barbara sees some of it but stays a bit shadowed due to the swell angle). OC and San Diego will pick up more in the afternoon. All areas will see this swell hold waves into Friday.

I would definitely take a look at the cams in the morning…or if you are close enough drive down to the beach and look at it in person. The swell period is pretty long as the swell starts so expect to wait around between the bigger sets…also expect to see quite a difference in size when you look at breaks that are not well exposed to the swell.

Don’t worry if you can’t surf on Thursday… there will be a bigger and better-aimed WNW swell (280-300) arriving over the weekend.

Surfing on Thursday - New WNW swell

We start to get a little more size to the surf on Thursday as the new WNW-NW swell arrives and a small SW swell moves into the background. After looking at the buoys this afternoon it looks like a lot of the WNW-NW energy will get blocked by Point Conception but we should have some fun surf (particularly by the afternoon) at the best NW facing spots.

All areas will have knee-waist high waves with some chest high sets. Standout winter spots (in San Diego and Ventura) will see some chest-shoulder high surf through the morning and then start seeing some head high sets on the lower tide later in the afternoon.

Tides will still be a bit of a problem…the high peaks through mid-morning…so you are going to want to find an exposed spot that likes a little more water. Weather looks good though…winds will stay light to light offshore in the morning with some light onshores in the afternoon.

This doesn’t look like a swell that will be worth driving very far for…but it will definitely be bigger than the last couple of days. I would give the cams a quick check in the morning before heading out.