Waves for Wednesday – A few fun ones…before the tide drowns it

Wednesday is looking rideable for most areas and even sort of a Surf Day at the top WNW-NW spots. It won’t be great by any stretch of the imagination…but it won’t be totally flat and the winds look pretty good so at least that is something.

In the water we will have a mix of overlapping WNW swells…a blend of short and long-period energy coming in from around the (285-300) degree range. Small SW swells continue to sneak in through the background. Unfortunately the swell mix doesn’t have a lot of oomph to it and the tide still stays pretty high through most of the day…so plan on sticking to your small wave boards.



Wave heights at the average spots will hold in the ankle-waist high range with a few inconsistent chest high sets showing on the better parts of the tide swing. Top NW facing breaks will be in the waist-chest high range with a few chest high+ sets at times. Shape will continue to be pretty soft, but if you have the right equipment and some shallow sand it is manageable.

Weather will be good again…light offshore to light and variable winds through the morning. Mild-moderate WNW flow around 10-12 knots picks up through late afternoon but won’t totally blow things apart.



Like I said…nothing exciting…just a small, soft WNW mix lapping in under light winds. Bring gear that can handle the mushburgers (and a good attitude) and you will probably have some occasional fun.

Regional Forecasts are back up again…(now with more awesomeness!) 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…

01/06/2010 Wednesday
01:33AM LST 4.8 H
08:01AM LST 1.5 L
01:22PM LST 3.6 H
07:38PM LST 0.9 L

Monday’s Surf – Clean but fading

Monday will be a surf day but expect smaller, less consistent surf that we saw on Sunday.

Our swell(s) are a mix of overlapping WNW energy (280-300 with most of the juice in the 290-300 range) and some smaller S-SW pulses.



Most spots will hold in the knee-waist high range with some chest high sets through the morning session but I expect the combo of fading swell and building tide to really steamroll things through midday. The top NW facing breaks, mostly in Southern Ventura, the South Bay, and Southern San Diego, will have some waist-shoulder high surf…and maybe even a few bigger waves down in the SD area through the early morning.

Winds look good. NE-E winds around 10-15 knots for the morning, putting it directly offshore for many breaks. Light and variable to mild onshore flow out of the WNW-NW around 10-12 knots for the afternoon.



The tides have swung around pretty fast from last week and we are starting to see a mild low-tide (around 1.5-feet) hitting right before dawn…the high tide is still a bit of a swamper but at least it is giving the dawn patrol session a lot more breathing room. With the swell mix mostly on the way down and the swell direction shifting a bit more NW’erly you might need to be a bit more selective when you pick your spot…if you are looking for size and consistency the more NW exposure it has the better. Personally I am going to try and get on it early and grab a few before the tide shuts it down…hopefully I can find a sandbar that can hold a little extra water.

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…

01/04/2010 Monday
05:21AM LST 1.6 L
11:06AM LST 5.3 H
06:06PM LST -0.5 L

Monday’s Surf – Clean and slowly fading

Monday looks like a surf day…but you will need to stick to the top NW exposed spots if you are looking for bigger size and more consistency.

In the water we are going to see a mix of backing off WNW-NW swell (280-300) and some trace SW energy (210-220). A lot of the North Pacific energy is starting to turn pretty steep in swell direction…which reflects how the storm moved through our swell window (eventually hitting further North along the West Coast…and into Canada)…so most of swell is now coming in around 290-300 but with the majority of the energy at 295+.

I know “great lots of numbers…just what I need on a weekend”…basically it comes down to this...with the angle getting steeper (and the swell periods shortening up) less spots are going to be able to pick up the NW swell, which means that wave heights are going to drop pretty fast if your spot/region has less exposure to that swell angle. NW spots will still have some playful sizes but expect them to be on the way down as well.



For our surf tomorrow…most of the average WNW-NW breaks and the better combo spots are going to be in the waist-chest high range. The standout NW facing breaks, in Ventura, the South Bay, and in particular San Diego, will be more in the chest-shoulder high range with some head high sets still pushing through on the higher tides.

Winds look good…light/moderate NE winds for SB and Ventura…and light offshore for everywhere else. Winds stay light through the middle of the day and then come onshore out of the NW around 10-13 knots.



If you have a good NW spot close by (and by good I mean exposed to short-medium period NW energy around 295 degrees)…that is going to be the best call by far. If you don’t have a NW facing spot then you are going to want to check the other “winter” spots close by…but don’t expect a ton of size or consistency as the swell fades. I don’t think it will be worth driving too far for this swell, but I would tack on another 10 minutes if a good spot is close.


Here are the tides… (I am skipping the regional forecasts for the evening…they will be updated again Monday evening).

11/23/2009 Mon
03:11AM LST 3.6 H
07:19AM LST 3.3 L
12:28PM LST 4.0 H
08:29PM LST 0.9 L

Surf for Thursday – Slow start, but new SSW’er starts filling in

Thursday will be a surf day...but don’t expect big waves early in the morning.

Swellwise we can expect a mix of leftover SW swells and local NW-WNW windswell in the morning. There will be some long-period energy from the new Southern Hemi swell showing in the background but the forerunners won’t add a ton of size to the dawn patrol. In fact tomorrow morning will look a lot like this...



The SSW swell (180-200) will build and fill in throughout the day and will have some overhead sets showing at top S-facing spots by sundown.

Wave heights for the morning will average around waist-chest high. The standout S facing spots will have some shoulder high sets, particularly as the morning low tide starts to fill in and new energy builds in through the background.

By the afternoon/evening we can expect waist-shoulder high+ for most S exposed spots. Standout S facing breaks, like those in Orange County, North LA, and Northern San Diego, will be consistently in the shoulder-head high range with overhead sets mixing in at times.



As you can see the winds look pretty good through the morning, mostly light and variable, with a few really clean areas (like the South Bay, North LA, and Southern Ventura). San Diego and OC may have a little southerly flow...but I am expecting mostly clean conditions in those areas as well. Look for moderate WNW winds around 10-14 knots by the afternoon, but with semi-surfable shape in areas with high cliffs, structures, or kelp (something to knock down the wind.)

I think that tomorrow morning is going to start off a bit slow, even drained out and small in a few of the more protected areas. I would probably try and get a later start to your surf, let the tide come up, and the SSW swell to start building. I think that all types of spots, beach breaks, points, reefs, will all be about the same in the morning...but as the swell and the tide push in...the points and reefs will be the call (as they will likely be throughout the SSW swell as it peaks).

It is summer, so expect crowds, particularly since this swell has been in the forecast for a while now and is getting pretty hyped up. I saw an article in the LA Times today, which is never a good sign for the crowds. Cross your fingers that you might be able to find a few uncrowded corners out there over the next couple of days.

Here are the tides for Thursday...

05:04AM LDT -1.3 L
11:21AM LDT 4.6 H
04:44PM LDT 1.3 L
10:41PM LDT 6.3 H

Thursday’s Flatness – the micro surf continues

Thursday won’t be a surf day.

Lack of swell and higher morning tides is going to keep the surf pretty darn small tomorrow.

Expect lots of ankle high waves with some rare knee high+ sets at the standout combo breaks, mostly through San Diego (because it is more exposed to the steeper, but still small, NW windswell).

There will be a bit of new S-SW swell starting to slowly filter in waaaaay late in the day…but between the building wind bump and general afternoon funk…I don’t think we are going to see much on the beach.

Friday and Saturday look a little bit better as a small, but bigger than we have now, S-SSW swell starts to arrive. Looks like at least some waist-chest high sets (and maybe a little bigger) as we head into the holiday weekend. Man I don’t think I could have taken a completely flat 3-day weekend.



Here are the tides…oh wait it is going to be flat…nevermind I will make sure to put them in tomorrows forecast…stupid ocean.

In the meantime what do you guys think about a Point Break 2 being made…I have to admit the premise sounds awesome. (and by awesome I mean spectacularly bad)

Plot: When Billy Dalton, military special ops and star surfer, is disqualified from the pro-surfing tour, he takes off for the coast of Bali looking for the perfect wave. While there he's recruited by a private security force who are trying to find a gang known as The Bush Administration, surfing outlaws and modern day pirates who work like "The Ex-Presidents," a bank robbing crew from Malibu twenty years ago.

Walshe-Howling will play the bad guy, a sea-pirate named Dali. He and his team wear masks of The Bush Administration (George Bush, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, etc) as they rob boats. Dali's sister, Teela, ends up falling in love with Dalton, an undercover Fed working in Dali's gang, which complicates matters.

Source - http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=12347

Friday's Surf - Clean and Rideable but a little soft

Friday is looking surfable but like the last couple of days it will be on the soft side with the tide in the morning.

We are going to have a mix of mostly S-SW energy (180-205) from a couple of smaller overlapping swells. There will only be some small background swell out of the WNW but overall it will be smaller than what we have seen over the last couple of days.


a little bleak out there right now...

Wave heights will be in the knee-waist high range for spots that can handle the high tide in the morning (the ones that can't are going to be pretty small). The better S facing breaks and decent combo spots will be closer to waist high+ with sets...and the top S facing breaks and top combo spots through OC and San Diego will have a few chest-chest high+ sets. Expect to be waiting a while between the bigger waves though.

Winds are forecast to be similar to Thursday...mostly light to moderately offshore through the morning along with cold crisp morning air temps. NW winds come onshore around 10-14 knots through the afternoon.

Like I said above the conditions, and the fact that it won't be totally flat, keeps it in the surfable range tomorrow...it won't be super exciting but it will be better than say being tied to a computer and forced to work on TPS reports or something. I would plan on staying local, pick a spot that can handle the tide, and if you can aim for midmorning so that there will be a little less water and you don't freeze your nads off in the dawn patrol.



Here are the tides

05:14AM LST 4.2' High
11:06AM LST 2.4' Low
04:18PM LST 3.9' High
11:00PM LST 0.9' Low

Waves for the Weekend - Mostly Rideable and with a little more SW swell on Sunday

Looked like there were still plenty of fun waves on Friday...I got a lovely case of the sewer ear so I stayed out of the water to try and dry it out (it might be time to drill out the old ear canals soon) ...but I went down and wandered the beach aimlessly at lunch and saw some decent sets coming through. (And naturally a couple of buddies had to tell me how fun it was both in the morning and during lunch...which is always the case when you can't surf...the jerkys). Anyway...


you know Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole in your head

Saturday and Sunday are going to be surf days...not super big or even that consistent but it should be fun if you time the tides/conditions right.

We are going to have a mix of fading SSW swell and local windswell on Saturday. Most spots will be in the waist-high range while the standout S facing breaks in Orange County and San Diego see some chest high (maybe chest high+) waves on the best sets.

Sunday we will start off with more of the same but by the 2nd half of the day we will have a new SW swell (210-220) start to move in from the Southern Hemisphere. Most spots will stay in the same waist-waist high+ range. The standout SW facing spots in South Orange County and San Diego will have some more chest-shoulder high sets arriving as we head into the afternoon. (Look for this new SW'er to peak on Monday).

Winds look mostly light and variable for both Saturday and Sunday morning. Onshore winds out of the W-WNW build in to about 10-12+ knots through the afternoons.

Like I said above...I think it will be fun...nothing outstanding but playful, rideable, and clean. I think that the points/reefs/beach-breaks will all be about the same shapewise...there will be longer rides at the points/reefs...but more hollow and speedier sections at the beach breaks...sort of a trade off. I would still probably try and get on it during the morning since the tides will be a bit lower, just starting the tide push, and the winds will be nice and light. It is sunny and a weekend so expect a crowd...that way if you find an empty peak you can be pleasantly surprised.

Tides for the weekend

Saturday
12:38AM LDT 3.6 H
05:02AM LDT 2.4 L
11:26AM LDT 6.1 H
07:17PM LDT -0.3 L

Sunday
02:11AM LDT 3.3 H
05:50AM LDT 2.8 L
12:23PM LDT 5.7 H
08:35PM LDT -0.1 L

Wednesday's Waves - A little smaller but still fun. Now with extra chicken!

Wednesday will be a surf day...our waves will be fading but conditions and weather will continue to be pretty darn good.

Our mix of SSW swell, remnants of our tropical S swell, and the backing down WNW energy will all fade out a little more as we move into Wednesday.

Average spots will drop down into the waist high range...with some rare chest high sets.

Top breaks, mostly the S-facing standouts will be in the shoulder high range...(maybe even some plus sets through the morning but then tapering off to the chest-shoulder high range by the afternoon. )

Conditions will continue to be very nice...light and variable to light-offshore winds and sunny skies through the morning. Onshore winds come up around 10-12 knots at the more exposed areas.

Here is the COAMPS wind model for the morning...looks nice and offshore for many areas...nothing super strong but definitely clean.



I would probably stick with the combo beach breaks tomorrow...or maybe a point/reef with some good S exposure (but if you have to surf a point/reef try and stick with them in the OC/SD areas rather than spots further north...they are going to be a bit sheltered from the swell mix). It will be cleanest in the morning and to about lunchtime then it will get progressively choppier as we head into the afternoon. It won't be as big as the last couple of days so you might try and bust out some of the mid-size wave gear as well.

Here are the Tides for Wednesday.

07:12AM 3.8' High
11:51AM 3.2' Low
05:07PM 4.3' High

On a different note I don’t know how many of you check out my good buddy Charlie Fox's video forecast on wavewatch.com but this Monday's update was classic...listen for the rooster in the background. You have to give Charlie props...he handles it like a pro (I think you see him start to crack a smile a couple of times).

Check it out...hopefully it will stay up for a couple of days...

http://www.wavewatch.com/Video-Forecasts.php

Awesome...if I were Charlie I would probably be eating that chicken in the next forecast.

Wednesday's Waves - Small and Clean

Wednesday is looking pretty weak...overall I don't think it is going to be much of a surf day.

Our SSW swell will have mostly faded out while WNW energy (mostly local windswell) will remain on the small side. Add in that we still have some pretty fat (no ph in this one) tides and I think that we have a recipe for small gutless surf.

Average spots will be in the knee high range with some rare waist high sets. Expect almost all of the surf to mush/shorebreak out as the tide fills in midmorning.

The top S-SW facing spots will see mostly knee-waist high waves on inconsistent sets through the morning. A few of the best breaks may have some chest high waves sneaking through at times. The building tide-swamp will kill off any sort of fun at these spots too.

Winds look good for the morning...mostly light and variable to light offshore. Winds pick up out of the W-NW around 10-15 knots (surprise!) by the afternoon.

Personally I am not going to spend a lot of time thinking about surfing on Wednesday...I may load up the longboard or my small wave fishy board and swing by the beach in the morning but I think it is going to be hard sell to get myself to paddle out. If you aren't close to the water I wouldn't spend any significant time/money/gas trying to check it...maybe just a camera check on the lower tides in the morning and then get back to surfing your pillow.

Tides for Wednesday

04:15AM 1.5' Low
10:20AM 5.7' High
05:20PM 0.3' Low
11:22PM 3.9' High

Friday's Surf - I think we should take the day off

Friday will be a surf day.

Look for some fun but generally small surf on Friday. We will have a mix of S swell, some local WNW energy, and some slightly longer-period NW energy.

Most spots will continue to see rideable knee-waist high surf. Standout S facing spots...mostly through Orange County and parts of San Diego (definitely not Bend Oregon) will have some chest high sets.

Winds will be light offshore to light and variable in the morning. Look for onshore flow around 10-15 knots out of the W during the afternoon.

It supposed to be nice and hot tomorrow so I think we should boycott work, break out the fish boards, and go surf. Try and ease into it tomorrow if you can...the dawn patrol may be a bit swampy. The tide will be a little high in the morning but we should see shape improve as it starts to drop during midmorning. Personally I wouldn't waste a lot of time driving around looking for waves tomorrow...if you find a playful wave close to home I would jump on it.

Friday’s Surf – On the small side

Friday isn’t going to be much of a surf day. It will be clean and small as we pick up a mostly leftover mix of swell.

In the water we are going to have combo of quickly fading NW windswell and some background longer-period WNW/SW swell.

Expect most breaks to be around knee high with some waist high sets. The best exposed areas in San Diego, parts of OC, and the LA South Bay will see some chest high sets.

Winds and weather look ok as well…mostly light and variable winds in the morning and light onshore out of the W around 10 knots for the afternoon.

There will be a draining tide in the morning, heading to a -.3 low around 9am, that may cause some issues with our surf shape. Look for a lot of small but dumpy and shallow windswell lines at exposed areas…with just a touch of cross-up from the SW.

I think your best bet for surf will actually be after the tide bottoms out. If you can hold off, try and head out around 9am…the tide push should add a bit of size and consistency to the surf.

Just a note on the weekend… there is not much going on out there right now so it looks like we will have a slow weekend…small but playful. Thought you might like to know that we are all going to need to dust off the longboards…or the sand castle making toys. Things will likely be picking up next week.