Thursday’s Surf – S-SW swell mixing with local windswell

I am going to call Thursday surfable and potentially even fun if conditions cooperate…but there is still some eddy showing on the weather charts so don’t be surprised by some onshore texture in a few of the more wind sensitive beaches.

The S-SW swell (190-210) will continue to hold on Thursday, though the swell period continues to back off. NW windswell will hold in the background and should have enough energy to cross up the Southern Hemi at the combo spots.



Most spots will be in waist-chest high range with some chest high+ sets showing at the better SW facing breaks and good combo spots. The standout S-SW facing spots and excellent combo breaks will be in the chest-shoulder high range with a couple of bigger sets sneaking through now and then.

Winds are still being a bit of a pain…there is high-pressure building aloft but the surface winds are still showing some eddy circulation…so actual morning conditions are going to depend on how these two features mix together. Right now it looks like winds will be mostly clean in the morning…light SE-ESE for Ventura down through LA and light S-SE for Orange County down through San Diego...with all of the areas seeing winds under 5-6 knots. Again we might see these winds come out on either side of the 5 knots, it just depends on how much the surface winds are influenced by the building ridge of high-pressure. The afternoon does look a bit bumpier…W-SW winds around 10-15 knots for the more exposed areas.

COAMPS


NOAA/NWS




Overall it looks like we will have some playful surf tomorrow…and if the wind cooperates, staying below 5 knots or coming out of good direction, then it will be pretty fun. I am planning checking the winds early…I think the cleanest conditions will show through the morning till about midmorning (7-10am). If you live more than 15-20 minutes from the beach you might want to give the cams and wind-obs a check before committing too much time. If you just have to go, no matter what, your best bet would be to stick with spots with some wind protection…something like a structure, kelp, or high-cliffs…that can help block out the bump if the winds switch around too early.

Here are the tides…

06/03/2010 Thursday
01:15AM LDT 3.9 H
08:52AM LDT 0.7 L
04:00PM LDT 3.7 H
09:35PM LDT 2.6 L

Thursday’s Surf – Surf in the morning…gusty winds possible by the afternoon

Thursday looks like it will be rideable…but questionable morning winds and a bit of a fat mid-morning high tide will keep it from being all that good. Overall I don’t think it will be a real “surf” day…but you will be able to find a couple of playful corners at the protected spots.

Swellwise we are going to see a mix of holding/peaking S-SSW swell (180-210) and some steady NW windswell. Neither swell is all that strong…so don’t expect them to be able to push through the tide all that well…you will probably want to hit up spots that can handle the extra water.



The average S facing spots and good combo breaks will be in the waist-chest high range with some rare bigger sets showing at times. The standout S facing breaks and excellent combo spots will be in the chest-shoulder high range with a few head high waves sneaking through on the lower tides. Expect some inconsistency on the sets…but since the new S-SSW swell will have a little more energy showing it should be a little more active than what we saw on Wednesday.

The wind forecast for Thursday is looking better than it did earlier this week but it still has a bit of onshore funk showing in the model. The morning looks ok…sort of S-SW’erly but below 5 knots for most areas (just a touch more SW flow LA and OC). Basically I would plan on a little texture crumble to it for the morning and then if we get lucky the winds may come in more light/variable, particularly at spots that have a little protection from the wind. The models agree that onshore picks up around lunch…coming in around 12-15 knots from the W-NW for the afternoon.







The springy conditions continue on Thursday…which means that we see sort of marginal winds with some little pockets of cleanliness spinning up from time to time. It never gets for-sure clean or totally trashed (at least until the afternoon) so you have to stay flexible, watch the wind, and hopefully get lucky when you have some time to surf. I wouldn’t drive too far for this sort of surf…but if you live close, have some time in the morning to kill, and don’t mind a little texture…you should throw your board in the car.

Here are the tides…

05/27/2010 Thursday
03:56AM LDT -1.2 L
10:15AM LDT 3.6 H
03:00PM LDT 1.9 L
09:09PM LDT 6.1 H

Waves for Wednesday – Goodbye wind

Wednesday will be a surf day.

There won’t be a ton of swell in the water…just some leftover S-SW swell (180-210) and some decent but fading local windswell.



Most spots will be in the waist-high range with some chest-shoulder high sets for the NW standouts (mostly in South San Diego) will see some head high sets at the breaks that focus/like NW windswell. S facing breaks will be smaller…mostly knee-waist high with a few chest high sets sneaking through inconsistently through the lower tides.

Winds clean up a lot on Wednesday…light and variable to light offshore as the last winds off this funky front (that hit Monday/Tuesday) finally push on to annoy someone else. Look for W winds around 10-15 knots will spin back up in the afternoon.



While we won’t have a ton of swell in the water, the combo of cleaner conditions and semi-decent morning tides will at least help most breaks to stay rideable, while the standout breaks do a little bit better. I would probably stick to the smaller wave gear, particularly at breaks that aren’t that well exposed to either of the swells. Best call will probably be the beach breaks throughout SD and OC…but only marginally better since there should be plenty of small but rideable waves throughout Socal.

Here are the tides…

05/12/2010 Wednesday
03:12AM LDT -0.4 L
09:20AM LDT 3.6 H
02:26PM LDT 1.5 L
08:33PM LDT 5.7 H