Thursday’s Surf – looks a little fugly

Thursday isn’t looking like much of a surf day.

The S-SW winds got on things pretty early on Wednesday, there were a few spots that were OK around the dawn patrol but the onshore bump seemed to spread around pretty fast. Thursday isn’t going to be much different. There will be some semi-rideable swell in the water but local winds aren’t going to help us out much.

We are going to have a mix of small SW swell (190-220) and local NW windswell. Most spots will hold around waist high with some waist-chest high sets. Standout NW facing spots and the better exposed combo breaks will have some chest high+ sets.

Winds are forecast to be onshore through the day…either out of the S-SW or W…it looks like the eddy spins up in the morning so we should have some S-SW flow around 5-8 knots. This eventually switches more SW-W and build in around 10-14 knots. Overall it won’t be completely blown out…but it won’t ever really get all that clean at most spots either. If the winds can stay more southerly there are a few spots in all of our areas that will be cleaner, which at least gives us a little hope at surfing without too much bump.

I wouldn’t waste a lot of time trying to find surf tomorrow. If you live close to an area that likes south wind it might be worth a check (at minimum a cam check) early in the day. Other areas will be bumpy so don’t expect a ton of fun out of them even in the morning.

Generally I am a little skeptical of what I see on the internet (there is a lot of crazy crap out there)…but April fools day is particularly annoying because people make some pretty damn good fakes. That being said…some guys are pretty funny…I think this has to be one of my favorites.



http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/squeez-bacon.html

Make sure to watch the video.



Now your breadmeat shines with deliciousness. Most yes!

Waves for the Weekend – Small swell combo

It looks like we are going to have a couple of surf days this weekend…again it won’t be great but the conditions will be nice and there will be a few playful waves the water.

We are going to have a mix of SW swell (190-210) that moves in and peaks late Saturday and into Sunday and some local NW windswell. We are also going to see some new WNW swell (290-300+) that moves in on Sunday, peaks Sunday evening and holds into Monday. Even though this sounds like a lot of activity none of the swells are particularly big so wave heights will remain in small, slightly inconsistent, playful ranges.

On average we can expect waist-chest high range at spots with sort of moderate exposure to the swell mix. Summer spots will be more consistent Saturday/Sunday while the NW facing breaks will be a little bigger Sunday/Monday. The top breaks, mostly the excellent combo breaks, will have some chest to almost shoulder high sets on the lower tides.


The picture that never changes.

Winds and weather look like your typical spring patterns…a little cloudy with light/variable winds through the mornings with clearning skies and building NW winds (10-15 knots) pushing through the afternoon. Hopefully the winds will stay slow enough in the outer waters that we avoid getting much of an eddy over the next few days.

Like I said there will be some playful surf this weekend…it won’t be firing or anything…but if you have the time it will be worth it to carve out a little session in the morning before the tide comes up. I wouldn’t drive very far to get waves if you can help it…if you find a little peak close to home you should get on it. Smaller wave gear will continue to be the most fun.

Here are the tides…have a great weekend!

Saturday
05:04AM LDT -0.4 L
11:05AM LDT 3.8 H
04:37PM LDT 1.1 L
10:46PM LDT 5.6 H

Sunday
05:52AM LDT -0.4 L
11:57AM LDT 3.4 H
05:05PM LDT 1.5 L
11:22PM LDT 5.5 H

Tuesday’s Surf – Small with a touch of new SW swell

Tuesday is not going to be much of a surf day.

We will have mostly smaller swells in the water, there is a high tide that rolls through during the cleanest conditions in the morning, and the winds are expected to come onshore in the afternoon.

Swellwise we will have a mix of SW swells and some dropping local windswell. Our surf will be in the waist-high range for many areas while the standout combo spots, mostly in San Diego, will have some chest high+ sets as the tide drops.

There is a nearly 5’ high tide that hits right near 7am so expect the morning to be pretty swampy…probably even close to unsurfable at most spots. There may be a few waves breaking on the really good reefs and sandbars but expect those to be on the soft side too.

Winds will be light and variable onshore in the morning (but mostly below 5-8 knots). Afternoon winds build out of the west around 10+ knots.

I am going to be taking it easy in the morning…maybe walk the horse-dog or something…because it is going to be pretty bogged down by that high tide during the dawn patrol. For the rest of the day…I am going to keep my fingers crossed that our new SW swell builds in fast, the winds stay light, and the tide drop helps out the shape (I am not asking for much)…but if all those things pull together I think we might be able to grab a couple of fun ones a little before lunchtime.

Tuesday’s Surf – Looks more playful

Tuesday will be smaller overall but shape should begin to improve at the good combo spots as a small SW swell starts to slip in.

Our weekend WNW swell will be winding down but we start to see a small SW swell (190-210) move into the background. Most spots will drop into the waist-chest high+ range while the standout combo areas see shoulder high sets. Best surf will likely be in the San Diego area, particularly north county breaks. A few spots in the other areas…North OC, Southern Ventura, and the South Bay will have some playful waves as well.

Winds and weather will be nice. Expect sunny skies and light offshore winds in the morning.

I am going to probably wait till lunch to catch a few waves…I am sort of sick of the cold mornings…but I think it will be fun as long as the winds hold. The points and reefs will still likely have the best shape but with this small SW’er sneaking in we could see a few more corners at the beach breaks.

Thursday’s Surf – Finally a few rideable waves

Surf comes up a little on Thursday. We have a mix of new WNW swell and some new SW swell. As I have said in the forecasts before, neither of them are looking particularly strong but the combo of swells, clean conditions, and total lack of surf over the last couple of days could make them seem fun.

Most breaks will see surf in the knee-waist high range. Standout spots will be in the waist-chest high+ range. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few shoulder high sets but I think they are going to be pretty rate.

The tide is going to be an issue…there is a 5’+ high tide that rolls through right in mid-morning (around 10-11am)…so expect shape to be on the slow side. You are going to want to look at breaks that can handle a higher tide. Fortunately winds are going to be light for most of the day, which could give us a chance to get a few waves on the lower tide in the afternoon.

Personally I am going to check the cams in the morning because I am little worried that there won’t be enough swell showing for the dawn patrol to push through the fat high tide. I will probably make sure to look right at sunrise…then head out if I see some waves showing. If for some reason it doesn’t pull together for the dawn patrol I will be checking it again at lunch.