Random Surf Report – Afternoon waves

Well it looks like the worst part of the storm has moved through the area and winds, at least in a few of the more Southerly Counties (LA down through San Diego) are dropping, turning more SE’erly, and generally cleaning up…though San Diego and the South Bay have been pretty clean most of the day...(We are going to need to send mother nature a nice note about keeping the winds pretty SE for this storm). Check out the latest wind update from about 1pm…if anything the local winds have improved.



The W swell is also starting to show…with a few solid looking sets hitting up around Ventura/LA…and an increase (but not quite as dramatic) building in San Diego and Orange County. I do expect this W swell to fill in more over the next several hours and likely peak tonight (and overnight into Thursday).



At this point it looks like the Ventura and other well exposed NW facing spots are seeing consistent shoulder-head high surf with some overhead sets mixing in.

Further South…the W facing breaks in the South Bay and San Diego seem to be more in the chest-shoulder high range but with a few bigger shoulder-head high sets showing at times. Like I said…I do expect to see bigger, more consistently overhead surf at the standouts in those areas by later this afternoon…hopefully the winds will hold.

I had a couple of you guys ask about water quality…and while I am not a doctor or a microbiologist…I have seen some pretty nasty crap pushed out of rivers/storm-drains over the course of my 20+ years of surfing…and as I am getting older I am a little more cautious when it comes to getting exposed to run-off and pollution.

Here is the official party line from the Orange County Ocean Water Protection group…you can find the live Orange County water quality updates at www.ocbeachinfo.com (I’ll find the ones for the other counties in a bit…unless you guys have them to post in the comments section already).

IN OTHER BEACH AREAS, THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH STAFF ADVISE SWIMMERS THAT LEVELS OF BACTERIA CAN RISE SIGNIFICANTLY IN OCEAN AND BAY WATERS ADJACENT TO STORM DRAINS, CREEKS AND RIVERS DURING AND AFTER RAINSTORMS. THE ELEVATED LEVELS OF BACTERIA MAY CONTINUE FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST 3 DAYS DEPENDING UPON THE INTENSITY OF THE RAIN AND THE VOLUME OF THE RUNOFF. SWIMMERS SHOULD AVOID COASTAL WATERS IMPACTED BY DISCHARGING STORM DRAINS, CREEKS AND RIVERS, AND BEACH USERS SHOULD AVOID CONTACT WITH ANY RUNOFF ON THE BEACH DURING DRY OR WET WEATHER CONDITIONS.

Personally…and find myself doing it all the time…I think you need to weigh the risks of surfing in potentially polluted water against what sort of surf you will be paddling out for. Is it so “good” that you are willing to risk your short and potentially long-term health? For me the answer is usually no…but I know that there have been a few days when it has been soooo good that I couldn’t resist.

At the end of the day…the powers that monitor the water quality say that we should stay out of the water for at least 3 days after heavy rains, particularly in areas with river/creeks/storm-drains.

Random Swell Update: New swell mix showing this morning

Some of the S facing spots are seeing some playful waves this morning...the mix of S-SW swell (180-200) and some tropical SSW swell (180-190) from TS Enrique is blending together pretty well. It was also nice of Mother Nature to chill out the winds this morning.

Check out the CDIP and the S-facing buoys...




Anyway looks like a lot of waist-chest peaks at the s-facing spots now that the tide is filling in. A few of the best S facing spots, mostly through Orange County, are already seeing some inconsistent shoulder high sets. I don’t think it is going to get a ton bigger...but the Southern Hemi swell will add some more energy as we move throughout the day.

If you get a chance you might to get out and ride a few before the tide gets too high.

Random Monday Morning Surf Report – Clean but a little smaller

Today is looking surfable…a surf day if you will…but nothing special overall.

Our SW swell (185-205) has trailed off from the weekend while NW windswell has built slightly at a few of the better exposed areas.



On average most spots are running in the knee-waist high range this morning with the lower tide. The increasing tide is going to slow down shape for most of these spots over the next couple of hours.

The top S-SW facing spots are seeing waist-chest high sets with an occasional shoulder high section sneaking through. The bigger waves are pretty inconsistent but look fun when they show.

Winds are mostly light and variable to even light offshore right now. Look for moderate NW winds to develop by the afternoon and come onshore around 10-15 knots at the more exposed breaks.

This morning the beach breaks are looking a little more crossed up than they had been…but I would still look for the points/reefs to hold better shape, particular as the tide starts to fill in a bit more.

Here are the tides…

04:51AM LDT -0.7 L
11:23AM LDT 3.4 H
03:39PM LDT 2.4 L
09:48PM LDT 5.7 H

Random Surf Report - Saturday Morning - Stay in bed

Just giving the cameras/buoys/wind-stations a quick check this morning.

Not only is the surf small but we also have some light WNW winds creeping through the region. Check it out.



So we have micro surf with an onshore crumble. It sounds like a good day to go back and surf my pillow for a while followed by my lucky charms and Saturday morning cartoons.

Random SoCal Surf Report – manageable winds

Looks like the eddy spun up a bit this morning and it is holding off the stronger W winds in the outer waters.



Spots up in Ventura/Santa Barbara are seeing some onshore texture but the more protected spots are not all that tweaked. (the high tide and the shorter-period swell isn’t helping though).

North LA is pretty clean but again the high tide is shutting down a few of the better points. The South Bay is pretty clean too…just a tiny bit of onshore texture so far this morning.

OC is only ok…South OC is better than the North. The North is looking crumbly/funky thanks to the wind turning just a bit too far S-SSW as it swirls through the San Pedro Channel.

San Diego, particularly North/Central San Diego, is looking the cleanest this morning. Winds are light SE-ESE and the ocean surface is pretty smooth. Waves are running in the chest-high+ range even with the tide…and there are a few bigger shoulder-head high sets that are inconsistently popping through. Probably not worth driving (unless you have a lot of time to kill) but if you are in close range it should be worth a look for the next couple of hours. It is going to be a race between the dropping tide and the incoming wind…lets hope the tide wins.

Have a good one...hope you can get a few on the Munday.

Random Morning Surf Report – stupid storm

Sooo that lovely storm that was supposed to move in and blow out our conditions is taking its sweet time actually arriving in SoCal.



In fact, at this point, the storm is actually moving further out to sea and south of us, which is pretty weird…since storms generally don’t ever do that.

Conditions are still pretty clean at this point and it looks like they could stay marginally surfable for the next few hours since the storm is still about 200-300 miles off the coast (and sort of listing about like a drunken sailor).

Since the wind is down we have a shot at some WNW/SW swell combo (as well as building windswell). Look for most spots to be in the waist-chest high range on sets with some of the standouts (Ventura, parts of the South Bay, South OC, and San Diego) to have some shoulder high+ sets. There should have been a touch more size form the windswell but looks like that energy is going to lay low for a while.

The forecasts still have the potential for rain and increasing onshore winds but the % chance is dropping as the storm trails southward, which while bad for my forecast this morning, is good since conditions look like they will be a bit cleaner for the weekend. Ah good times…stupid storm.

Hope you get a chance to get some...I am throwing the board in the truck right now.

Random surf report - Orange County Eddy

For the most part the eddy winds backed down this morning but it hasn’t cleaned up everywhere. The S- to SSE wind seems particularly stubborn through Orange County, north Orange County most of all. The region isn’t totally blown out but it isn’t very clean.

Check out the wind analysis from this morning.



Santa Barbara down through the South Bay are pretty clean with winds going slightly offshore. San Diego has some SE flow but the higher cliffs around most of the beaches is knocking down too much of that bump so it is still pretty clean too. About the only place to avoid is the open spots in OC…there are still a few south wind protected nuggets that you can enjoy but you will need to hunt around for them.

Have a good day!

Thursday’s Surf – Random morning surf report

So since I was trapped on a plane again on Wednesday I missed the forecast…but I did get a lot of text messages from my friends telling me that the surf was finally good on Wednesday (well not “good” but better than the mess we had over the last few days). So I was properly tortured.

Anyway, I was looking at the cams and the beach this morning and it looks like we have some fun, if a bit high-tide swampy, surf out there this morning.

Our swell is a mix of new WNW energy, some background SW swell, and a touch of leftover windswell. We also have a new storm that is holding off the coast about 800 miles that will be slowly leaking in some W-WNW swell throughout the day and should start to peak later tonight and into Friday.

On average the WNW breaks and the good combo spots are seeing chest-shoulder high surf. It is soft thanks to the tide but clean in the SD, OC, and LA areas, and a little funky up around Ventura/SB (the winds are little more side shore lumpy for the few spots I could see around there).

I think that as the tide drops (and if the winds hold together) we should start to see some bigger head high and head high+ sets at the standout NW facing spots by the afternoon.

Here are the tides…I will be back to the normal update schedule by this afternoon

05:14AM LST 4.5 H
12:59PM LST -0.1 L
07:45PM LST 3.3 H

Random Friday Morning Surf Report - WNW swell is showing nicely

Hey Guys...I just got out of the water and I thought I would throw up a a quick report. The WNW'er is showing pretty good...I was out in North HB for the dawn patrol and there was some definite size.

Most waves were running around shoulder-head high+ but a few of the (less consistent) bigger sets were overhead to a couple of feet overhead. Shape was good, peaky with hollow shoulders and some zippy sections as the waves lined up on the inside bar.

The swell is a bit fickle from a swell direction standpoint...between where I was this morning and the pier the size dropped about 2-3' feet off the sets...it was still fun by the pier but a bit smaller. Check out the CDIP from this morning and you can see how the swell is wrapping through the Nearshore islands.



Most of the energy is heading to SD, in particular south San Diego, but there is plenty of swell hitting Southern Ventura, the South Bay, North OC, and the rest of San Diego as well. (The green and yellow colors are your friends).

Anyway I hope you are out getting some this morning (and not reading this on the computer)...if you are stuck in an office somewhere try and sneak out. The surf may slow down a touch as the tide fills in but it is sunny, winds are light, and we have a fun winter swell in the water. Definitely a good reason to go home, uh...sick.

Random Surf Report - A couple of Halloween nuggets

The wind can't really make up its mind this morning, neither can the weather...but both are leaning in our favor right now. About the only thing that is still a bit weak-sauce is the giant high tide that we are slowly trying to creep past.

I just took a tour of the beach breaks up here in North OC and there were a few fun, but soft looking bowls coming through. Winds had gone from light, to onshore, and were now offshore, but looking outside as I type this it looks like they are have slipped back to light/variable. Really what I am saying is f#$k the weather...it is just messing with us.

Here is the latest shot from the COAMPS forecast.



Surfwise the little SW swell has filled in a touch more and it looks like some increasing WNW energy is also starting to creep up on the buoys...so it is starting to get a bit more surfable.

Most waves were in the waist to chest high range but occasionally I would see a shoulder high set...it was soft but I did see a couple of guys shwacking it when it set up right.

I don't know how long this little window will last but if you are close the beach it might be worth a quick surf check...particularly if the wind holds off enough to let the tide drop a little bit.

Anyways I might go and dress up like a surfer for a couple of hours if everything holds together.

Monday morning surf report – not much out there.

There are a few rideable waves scattered around SoCal this morning but nothing that is looking particularly interesting.

We have a mix of small S-SW energy and some background WNW energy as well.

Most spots are running around knee-waist high with some of the better combo breaks seeing some inconsistent chest high+ sets.

Right now it looks biggest at the combo beach breaks of San Diego and Orange County…with a couple of bigger waves sneaking into Southern Ventura and the North half of the South Bay.

Like I said nothing looks great…most spots are seeing some onshore texture and the surf is on the slow side…but occasionally a small peak pops up and you can string together a couple of turns.

Also…I just wanted to thank all of you for the emails and comments with the words of encouragement for my wife and I. My son Robbie was born on Saturday around noon. (He is a big boy already about 8lbs 10oz). Both he and his mother are doing great. Thanks again!

Random afternoon update - Fun swell mix

During lunch I had a chance to catch a few waves at one of the fun S swell spots, a local beach break here in North OC. We actually ended up paddling out around 11am or so and it seemed like the swell mix, the weather, and the tides all seemed to come together just right.

The wind is starting to get to it now but there were definitely some fun peaky waves rolling through. It was mostly S lines but with enough punchy windswell pushing through that it was breaking it up...and setting up a few ripable rights. Sizewise it was hovering around chest-shoulder high on most of the sets...but occasionally there were some head high (almost overhead) peaks that would roll through. It was pretty damn fun thanks to the big sandbar.

It looks like OC and North San Diego are the best call right now...they are just getting the lions-share of the swell energy...North LA is seeing a few fun waves at the point breaks as well.

Expect it to be pretty bumpy if you paddle out in the next few hours but keep an eye on it later this evening...there is a good sized marine layer (semi-fog bank) holding off the coast...it may move in and damp down the winds as we head towards sundown.

Monday Morning Surf Report – Tide drained but rideable

Monday looks surfable if you bring the right equipment (and aren’t expecting a lot).

We have a mix of S-SW energy and some local windswell. Most spots are running about knee-waist high with some rare chest high sets as the tide starts to push in.
Standout S-SW facing spots mostly through, Orange County and Northern San Diego, are seeing knee-chest high surf with some inconsistent shoulder high sets at the standout breaks.

It is a bit walled, close to shore, and the makeable sections/corners are pretty short…but it is clean, mostly uncrowded, and the sun is out burning off the overcast. It is probably a decent beginners day…or just a way to blow off some steam before heading into the office.

Random Thursday Morning Surf Report

I have been looking at the cameras, the buoys, and even made a run down to the beach (HB/Newport) to check it in person...and it doesn't look like much of that tropical swell is showing this morning.

Most of North OC, and really most of SoCal, is still in the knee-high+ range with some rare waist high sets. Conditions are clean but there isn't a lot to ride.

Now that I am back online the buoys are starting to shift around to show some of the tropical SE swell...so watch for that to fill in more as we move throughout the day.

Random Monday Morning Surf Report – Looking fun out there

Just did a quick surf check this morning and it looks pretty fun out there…and by “out there” I mean at almost all of the SW facing spots in SoCal.

The new SW swell is already showing some decent size and it will continue to build through the day (and other similar-larger size chunk of SW swell arrives over the next couple of days).

Winds are light and variable…most spots are clean (with a few pockets of southerly texture at the more exposed ones).

The points and reefs are seeing the best shape…particularly those in South OC, North San Diego, and if you like a smaller wave…in North LA County.

Wave Heights are generally in the chest-high+ range while the standout areas are seeing shoulder-high to overhead sets. It is a bit inconsistent (probably thanks to the morning tide drain)…but look for the consistency and the tide to build as we move throughout the day. If you can try and paddle out around 9am when the tide will start to switch around.

Surf For Memorial Day Weekend - UPDATE - clean up!

Good news...looks like that storm that was supposed to plague us through the weekend has moved on faster than it was forecast.

We are seeing much cleaner conditions this morning (compared to the last couple of days). It is actually almost glassy or even a little offshore for most areas (Santa Barbara down through San Diego).

The surf isn't looking huge...we are still working off a mix of leftover S swell and some WNW windswell. Since the windswell is dropping fast we are seeing most of our size go along with it. Right now most spots are seeing waist high waves. Standout breaks are seeing some chest high sets with maybe a rare plus set sneaking through at times.

I think water quality is a bit questionable...we got drilled with rain in a few areas and we hadn't seen much runoff for a while (which isn't a good combo for nice clean water). So you might want to take that into account before paddling out.

For the extended forecast it looks like Memorial Day will be cleaner...they are still expecting some unstability in the weather but winds are looking light. Expect similar sized surf to Sunday with a touch more SW swell at exposed areas.