Waves for Wednesday – Building S swell and some funky winds

Wednesday will be surfable…but it also looks like some stronger eddy winds will be picking up…so you might have to hunt a little further than usual to find something without bump/crumble to it.

In the water we are going to have a mix of building S-SSW swell (180-200) and some increasing local WNW-NW windswell. The S swell is going to start to peak late in the day (probably after sundown) but it will continue through Thursday and into Friday before really starting to drop off all that much.



During the morning…look for most of the average spots to hold around waist high with some bigger sets at the average breaks that toss in some southerly exposure. The best S facing breaks, mostly in Orange County, will have chest-shoulder high surf showing during the morning, but I won’t be surprised to see some bigger sets showing as the morning tide drops off. By the afternoon/evening it looks like the best S facing spots will be more consistently around shoulder-head high and will see some overhead sets mixing in. Keep in mind that spots which can really focus this sort of swell direction may have some bigger waves as the main part of the swell starts to arrive.

NW winds are supposed to crank it up overnight, spinning up the coastal eddy for us on Wednesday. Look for the eddy to be centered around Catalina which means NW winds for Santa Barbara, some variable flow for Ventura…and S to SSW winds for LA on down through San Diego. The eddy looks fairly light in the morning, around 5-8 knots, but it will have enough to crumble up the surf at the exposed spots. W winds 10-15 knots will push through during the afternoon.



I am not expecting a ton of new size showing for tomorrow morning…(the new swell will just be starting)…but there is a little SSW already in the water…so it will be surfable, and if the stupid eddy doesn’t totally screw us windwise there could be a few playful peaks at the top spots. I am expecting the exposed S facing spots to see an increase in size and consistency throughout the day and a few bigger sets arriving by sundown. Like I mentioned above…OC and a few areas in SD will be the most exposed to this swell, so look for the biggest surf there…most spots further north are going to get some funky shadowing from our nearshore islands and will be smaller and less consistent…just something to keep in mind.

Here are the tides…happy Cinco (remember don’t drink the worm and drive anywhere)



05/05/2010 Wednesday
02:13AM LDT 3.8 H
10:12AM LDT 0.6 L
05:32PM LDT 3.6 H
10:45PM LDT 2.7 L

Friday’s Surf – Rinse and Repeat

Friday is looking rideable but won’t be a great surf day.

We are going to see a mix of SW swell (200-220) with one swell fading and another similar sized swell filling in. NW windswell will be on the rise throughout the day but it looks like the wind is going to come along with it.

Wave heights will hold around knee-waist high at the average spots. The standout SW facing breaks, like those in San Diego and South OC, will have some inconsistent chest and shoulder sets. A few of the better windswell breaks will be around chest-high+ as well but the shape won’t be all that fun.

Winds are looking ok...mostly variable with a touch of onshore texture for the morning. W winds around 10-15 knots for the afternoon. A chance at some eddy in the morning...but not super strong.

Overall it is going to be pretty similar to the last couple of days...with a low-drained out tide in the morning and better shape as it fills in around midmorning. As always it will be race with the wind and the tide...to see if shape can improve before the bump gets it.

Here are the tides...

02:20AM LDT 4.7 H
10:11AM LDT -0.3 L
05:16PM LDT 3.7 H
10:23PM LDT 2.4 L

Surf for Monday – Me likey S swell!

The S swell (180-190) that peaked over the weekend will continue to hold solid into Monday and mix with a little NW windswell at a few of the better exposed spots. We are going to be losing just a little size and consistency tomorrow but overall there should still be plenty of waves at the exposed spots.


It is like S-swell porn!

Wave heights will continue to hold in the shoulder-head high range at most S-facing spots. The top S spots, mostly in Orange County and North San Diego, will have overhead sets with a few overhead+ sets mixing in.

There is supposed to be a light eddy tomorrow morning with some southerly flow at the more exposed breaks. Right now the forecasts are calling for winds to stay below 8-10 knots for the morning…so there may be some texture but it likely won’t be blown out. Considering how the wind has laid down this evening I think most spots will be pretty rideable tomorrow.

Since there is so much S energy in the water it has stirred up quite a current at the S facing beach breaks…if you plan on surfing in one of those areas expect to be paddling quite a bit. I think that the points/reefs will actually be a better call at this stage of the swell…they will hold wave shape better and set up some longer rides. I would probably only surf the beach breaks if you can’t handle the crowd any more and you just need some space…hopefully the crowd will have backed down from the weekend now that we have had a couple of days of waves (finally).



Here are the tides…

12:25AM LDT 4.6 H
08:15AM LDT 0.7 L
02:46PM LDT 2.5 H
05:57PM LDT 2.3 L