Windy Mess for Tuesday – peaking WNW energy and onshore winds

Tuesday is not looking like much of a surf day.

We will have a mix of building WNW-NW wind/stormswell and some medium period WNW energy (275-300 all mixed together) along with a touch of SSW swell from the Southern Hemi.



Surfwise the average spots are going to see some sloppy waist-shoulder sets, while the average WNW facing spots see more consistent chest-head high surf. The standout NW breaks, the spots will excellent exposure to the swell mix, will be consistently shoulder-overhead on sets with some bigger waves sneaking through at times. Unfortunately the most exposed spots will also be the most exposed to the onshore wind so shape looks pretty ugly for most of the area.

Winds will be out of the WNW-NW around 10-15 knots for the morning with gusts hitting around 15-20 at the average spots. The really windy areas will have 15-20 knots winds in the morning with gusts topping out around 25-knot+ at times. Winds will stay around the same speed most of the day.



Personally I think Tuesday is going to be a good day to stay in bed…onshore winds, cold air temps, and sloppy surf just doesn’t motivate me very well. I do however think that we might want to give the cams and wind stations a quick check in the morning, sometimes these fronts don’t push through the way the models expect and there is a small window of surf time early in the day. Also the NW wind direction doesn’t blow everything completely out…there are a few small pockets in Santa Barbara and North LA that don’t get super junky…the only drawback with those spots is they also don’t pull in much NW swell, particularly when the periods are short, so you might see cleaner shape but much smaller surf. I always think it is prudent to give the surf a check anytime there is swell in the water, despite what the winds say they are going to do.

Here are the tides…lets cross our fingers that the winds come through lighter and cleaner than the forecast says.

12/22/2009 Tuesday
01:22AM LST 3.7 H
06:23AM LST 2.7 L
11:38AM LST 3.9 H
07:03PM LST 0.8 L

Surf for Friday – Friday Funtime

Friday will be a surf day.

Sorry the forecast is lagging. I played a little hooky today and went looking for some surf a little further afield than I usually go…it is definitely nice to surf a point break (or 3) when I am usually locked into the local beach break. Unfortunately I paid for my session by being stuck in traffic hell on the freeway ride home. I will share a few of the photos I snapped in a bit. Anyway, back to Friday.

Friday our mix of WNW energy (275-300 but mostly 285-300) will continue through the day…holding similar or slightly smaller surf at the exposed breaks. Small SSW swell (190-210) will hold in the background. Check this out…this is the “nowcast” from CDIP…so it is showing the current swell mix that we are seeing here on Thursday night.



And this is the same chart but showing the Peak Direction…it is kind of a cool way to look at the swell, though it is telling us a lot of what we already saw in the swell-height image. Looking at this you can see where the W-WNW swell is having some shadowing/energy issues, which is causing the SSW swell to be more dominant. Keep in mind that this is the “peak” direction…not the only swell direction in the mix, so just because the are showing more southerly directions in those areas doesn’t mean that you should ignore the W-WNW swell in the water.



Just thought I would share…got to love the big brains over at CDIP. Here is the forecast for tomorrow morning.



Surfwise the average W-WNW facing spots as well as the OK combo spots will continue to hold in the chest high range with some shoulder high sets pushing through on the manageable parts of the tide swing. The top WNW-NW facing spots will have consistent shoulder-head high surf with some overhead and overhead+ sets still showing inconsistently at times.

Winds will be good on Friday…mostly variable to NE in the morning (so light to light/moderate offshore for many spots and freaking chilly early in the AM). Look for variable onshore winds around midday and watch for another shot at cleaning up conditions as the sun sets in the evening.



Expect for the tide being a bit high I think the surf looks fun tomorrow. Points and Reefs are definitely going to have the best shape…but now that the SSW swell has strengthened a touch it may get a little more peaky at a few of the combo beach breaks, so don’t rule those areas completely out (I would check the points/reefs first though). The high tide peak is getting a little further back from the dawn patrol hours, but it is still sort of awkward…I think your best bet will be to pick spots that can handle more water so you can surf longer…well that or wait till the tide drops in the afternoon and risk the wind picking up too much.

Here are the tides…one more day till Christmas vacation!

12/18/2009 Friday
03:05AM LST 2.4 L
09:10AM LST 5.7 H
04:45PM LST -0.5 L
11:19PM LST 3.6 H

Friday's Surf - A good argument for a 3 day weekend

Friday will be a surf day.

The new WNW swell (285-300) started filling in on Thursday...it was showing best up around Ventura but there were some new sets starting to sneak into the better NW facing spots throughout SoCal before sundown. This new WNW'er will continue to build overnight and will be peaking on Friday. There will also be a touch of background S-SW energy out there as well so the summer spots, while they will be much smaller, will still have a few waves as well.

Check out the CDIP model. This is showing the energy this afternoon...



Look for most spots with some exposure to the WNW swell to see surf in the chest-shoulder high range. The average combo spots will be about the same size as well. The top winter NW facing spots, mostly in San Diego and Southern Ventura, will have surf in the shoulder-head high range with fairly consistent overhead+ sets mixing in as well. The top combo spots will be a little smaller but should have plenty of fun shaped surf throughout the day.

Winds are looking good as well...mostly light and variable to light offshore for most spots through the morning. Passes and Canyons in Ventura and LA Counties may see some moderate offshore flow for the morning. NW winds around 10-knots build in through the afternoon...so there is a definite chance at getting rideable if not fun surf as we head toward sundown...which is like at 3:30 or something.

San Diego and Ventura are going to be your best bet if you are looking for consistently larger surf...but there is going to be plenty of playful waves spread throughout SoCal so you won't need to drive very far unless you want too. I would still try to get your session lined up with the lower tides, just because I like the faster shape you get on the lower tide, but the high-tide isn't that bad so it should stay surfable for most of the day as well.

If you have to work tomorrow...don't sweat it too bad, there will be plenty of waves over the weekend, even a couple of slightly bigger WNW and S swells lining up for Sunday/Monday. Man I love surf.

Here are the tides...hope you get some tomorrow!

03:25AM LST 3.9 H
09:07AM LST 2.8 L
01:49PM LST 3.6 H
08:57PM LST 1.0 L