Surf for Tuesday – S-SW swell, some windswell, and some more eddy

Tuesday looks surfable…but June Gloom/eddy winds will keep some onshore texture/crumble showing at the more exposed spots.

More overlapping S-SW swell (180-210) will continue to mix and peak on Tuesday. NW windswell will also continue to hold in the background…possibly picking up just a touch at the more NW facing spots.



Most S-SW facing spots will be in the chest-shoulder high range. The standout S-SW facing spots, mostly through South OC and San Diego, will be in the chest-head high range with some occasionally bigger sets mixing in on the lower tides.

The eddy continues to hang over the coast on Tuesday…and we can expect pretty thick overcast skies that will have trouble burning off no matter how warm it gets inland…there is even a chance for some fog to move in through Ventura and LA Counties. Look for variable winds for the morning…mostly clean conditions, with a touch of S winds for San Diego and Orange County…and some SE flow for LA and Ventura while Santa Barbara stays mostly NW. Winds should be below 5 knots for the morning…but turn more onshore and pick up to 5-6 knots by midmorning through lunch. W-WNW winds around 10-15 knots will return through the afternoon.







Basically Tuesday will be very similar to the last few days…nothing super clean but not enough wind to blow it out either (particularly through the early morning). There is enough S-SW swell to have fun at most of the summer spots…but you are definitely going to see a big size difference between LA County and the more exposed areas of Orange County and San Diego. If you are looking for size and consistency…I think your best bet is going to be the S-SW facing combo spots in OC and SD…with the cleanest conditions at spots that have some protection from the S winds.

Here are the tides…

06/08/2010 Tuesday
01:44AM LDT 0.5 L
07:45AM LDT 3.1 H
12:30PM LDT 1.9 L
06:54PM LDT 5.4 H

Friday’s Surf – S-SW swell and a touch of eddy

Friday looks like a surf day…but it may be hiding in the morning fog in a few areas.

We are going to have a mix of S-SW swell (180-210) that will be starting to peak around midday and some NW energy (290-300) coming from a mix of local windswell and some various background NPAC storms.



Check it out…you can see the new S-SW swell showing on the buoys this evening…



Average breaks will be in the waist-chest high range. The standout S facing spots and the excellent NW/S combo breaks, mostly through Orange County and parts of San Diego, will see surf in the chest-shoulder high range with some inconsistent head+ sets mixing in on the lower tides. Since a lot of the energy will be from the Southern Hemi, expect some long waits between the bigger sets.

Winds and weather look ok for Friday…not great…just sort of ok. We have a coastal eddy forming tonight that is going to set up some light onshore flow for Santa Barbara down through Northern LA County. The eddy is forecast to center around San Clemente Island which would lighten up winds for the southern regions. So at this point it looks like light/variable winds for the South Bay and then staying light on down to San Diego. One bad thing about this eddy is that it is going to cool off the air pretty quick…and as it does there could be some heavy fog (patchy heavy fog) in a few areas. So if you are unlucky enough to get the fog there may be some funky winds around the edges. Look for WSW-W winds around 10-14 knots for the afternoon.



Overall Friday looks like a surf day…but there are a lot of little things that could trip it up. Funky winds, a fat morning tide, inconsistent swell, dolphins, (just to name a few)…if we get the wrong mix it might keep conditions/shape from being all that good. Personally I am going to give the winds/weather a computer check in the morning before hopping in the truck…I am crossing my fingers that the eddy isn’t too strong, and that the fog holds further off the coast.

Here are the tides…

04/09/2010 Friday
01:17AM LDT 1.7 L
06:53AM LDT 4.1 H
01:34PM LDT 0.4 L
07:50PM LDT 4.1 H

Surf for Tuesday – Morning Eddy with a little surf on the side

Tuesday is going to be rideable…but the combo of weak swell and eddy winds will keep it from being a surf day for most spots.

We are going to see a mix of WNW-NW windswell, some background NW energy from the NPAC, and some minor SW swell (200-220). None of it will be very big but there should be a few semi-playful sized sets at the top combo spots.


Good from afar...but far from good

Wave heights for Tuesday are going to be in the knee-waist high range for most spots. The better NW facing breaks, and the excellent NW/SW combo spots, will be more in the waist-chest high range with a couple of rare bigger sets on the lower tides. Overall shape is going to be pretty windswelly, sort of weak and gutless for most breaks.

Winds will be funky…we have an eddy starting to spin up tonight and will likely continue into early tomorrow (pretty similar to what we saw on Labor Day). Look for variable to light S winds around 5-6 knots with some stronger S-SW winds through San Diego and South OC. There are a few areas that should be ok tomorrow…some spots in central San Diego, a couple in central OC, the South Bay, and a few breaks in Ventura...basically breaks that aren’t totally wrecked by S winds. Areas with high cliffs and/or something to knock down the wind could be manageable as well…but I would probably check those spots last. Expect building onshore bump as we move throughout the day.





So like I said…it looks rideable tomorrow, and if you have the right sort of set-up at your close-by breaks it will be worth a check (at minimum a run through the surf cams). I would probably stick with the small wave gear and throw in the wetsuit just in case the winds start cooling off the water temps. Tides are ok tomorrow…not great but doable. I would try and get on it around early to midmorning if you can.

Here are tides…

05:14AM LDT 1.5 L
11:29AM LDT 5.3 H
06:28PM LDT 0.9 L

Waves for Wednesday – A little more SW’er

Wednesday will be surfable but it won’t be a very good surf day.

We are going to see a new, small and inconsistent, SW swell (200-220) mix with some leftover S energy and some background NW windswell. The eddy conditions are going to hang around too...so even though there is some small swell in the water we will probably have some morning bump at the more exposed spots.

Surf will be in the waist high range for most of the exposed spots. The standout SW facing spots and really good combo breaks, mostly in South OC and San Diego, will have chest-shoulder high sets pushing through on the midmorning tide push.

Winds will be light out of the S in the morning for most of SD and OC...LA and Ventura will be more light and variable but may have a touch of onshore texture here and there. Look for the S winds to shift more to the W and build into the 10-12 knot range during the afternoon.



Again I wouldn’t expect a lot out of the surf tomorrow. There will be a few rideable peaks at the best spots but most other areas will get a good shellacking from the tide, winds, and lack of consistency. I would plan on your smaller wave gear...just so you can maximize the fun...something that will let you pick off the smaller waves in between the inconsistent sets. Also remember that the 6.0 Lowers Pro is on through the end of the week. They have a pretty good webcast to watch if you are tied to the computer all day (like I am).

nike6lowerspro.com


Here are the tides...

07:50AM LDT -0.7 L
02:53PM LDT 3.1 H
06:42PM LDT 2.6 L

Monday’s Surf – Smaller and with more eddy

Monday will be surfable but not what I would call a surf day. Our swell will be fading, looks like there will be some eddy winds in the morning and to top it off the tides sort of honk us up a bit as well.

The small pulse of SSW swell that came in over the weekend and tried to help prop up wave heights will be on its way out…leaving us with mostly leftover SSW energy and small WNW windswell. Here is a shot of the CDIP model…not very exciting.



On average most breaks will hold around knee to waist high…and will stay soft on the higher tides.

The standout combo breaks, mostly the beach breaks with a really good sandbar and some exposure to the mix of swells, will be in the waist-chest high range on the better sets…but mostly they will hang in the same sort of knee-waist high range.

Winds also look a little funky…forecasts are showing the eddy spin up tomorrow, which will be better for water temps but not for super clean morning conditions for some areas. This is a shot from the NRL COAMPS model…check out the swirly winds…that is the eddy forecasted to center around Catalina Island.




Right now the South Bay, N. LA, and Southern Ventura look like conditions will be ok…a touch warbly but cleaner than other areas. OC and SD will have the light onshore S-SW winds. W winds around 10-12 knots build in for all areas in the afternoon.

I don’t think there is really going to be a best bet tomorrow…if you find waves close to home get on them…they probably won’t last long as the tides swing and the winds increase. Personally I am going to take the morning on the slow side…maybe check the cameras and see if I can find something that makes me want to drive down and look at it in person…I am not holding my breath though.

Tides on Monday

06:11AM 3.4' High
09:01AM 3.3' Low
03:32PM 5.2' High
11:45PM 0.1' Low

Thursday’s Surf – SW swell with a side of eddy

Thursday will be a surf day…but it will be on the small side for most spots and there will be some texture thanks to a strengthening eddy.

In the water we will have a mix of holding SW swell and the ever-present local W windswell. Most spots will continue to see waist-high surf with some inconsistent chest high sets.
Standout SW facing breaks, mostly through South Orange County and San Diego, will have some chest-shoulder high waves sneaking through on the better tides.

Winds will be variable and slightly onshore for most areas tomorrow. The eddy is forecast to center over Palos Verdes/Long Beach tomorrow…which means that I am planning on seeing some light S winds for Orange County and San Diego and some light NW winds for Santa Barbara and Ventura. LA County, particularly the South Bay, will have variable winds…and likely slightly cleaner conditions.

I am not really seeing a “best” bet tomorrow…some spots will be better than others but nothing is really standing out comparatively. The bigger more consistent surf will show through San Diego and South OC but most of the best exposed breaks will likely have some of the eddy bump to it. The cleanest surf in those areas will be at spots that are protected from the S winds so I would probably check those first but even there I wouldn’t expect a whole lot from them. (man I am a downer). I guess where I am going with this is that there will be surf tomorrow…it won’t be great but it will be rideable. If you go with the right expectations you might be able to find a couple of decent ones.