Waves for Monday – A few playful ones
Monday will be a playful surf day…inconsistent at times, but fun when they come through.
We are going to see a mix of S-SW swell (180-220) that will be pushing in from a couple of different storms that rolled through the Southern Hemisphere. NW windswell (290-300) will be running in the background and keeping the NW facing spots from going completely flat.
Sizewise we can expect surf in the knee-waist high range for most of the exposed spots. Better SW facing breaks and the good combo breaks will have some inconsistent chest high+ sets.
Winds look mostly light and variable through the morning with a couple of pockets of texture. NW winds around 10-14 knots will move through in the afternoon.
Gang I will be on the road traveling again tomorrow so I won’t be around a computer until Wednesday…so here is a real brief look at Tuesday’s surf… Overall Tuesday looks very similar to Monday’s surf/conditions so expect most spots to hold in the knee-waist high+ range. Standout S-SW facing breaks and the good combo spots continue to see surf around waist-chest high+ off of inconsistent sets.
Both days will be a bit tide sensitive…so try and surf around the low-tide tide push if you can. The closer you get to the high tide peak the mushier and more gutless it will become.
Have a good one…talk to you on Wednesday.
Here are the tides…
Monday
03:05AM LDT 3.6 H
09:20AM LDT 1.0 L
04:11PM LDT 5.0 H
11:17PM LDT 1.2 L
Tuesday
04:46AM LDT 3.1 H
10:12AM LDT 1.5 L
05:03PM LDT 5.2 H
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Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Waves for the Weekend – On the Road
Hey gang…sorry about the missed update yesterday, I was taking the slow road on Vacation and didn’t get in front of a computer until this morning. Anyway…here is the update for the weekend.
Saturday and Sunday are both going to be surf days, nothing special sizewise, but clean through the mornings and with a few chest-shoulder high waves at the top spots.
We are going to have a mix of S-SW swell (170-220), some of which is fading energy from the work week as well as some new reinforcement swell from the Southern Hemisphere. The swell does start to trail off a touch on Sunday but there will be a little more pulse from the SW creeping up again on Monday.
Sizewise we can expect most spots to average around knee-waist high, particularly as the tides get funky throughout the day. Top S-SW facing spots will have chest-shoulder high sets, but expect it to be on the inconsistent side and tide sensitive as well.
Winds look good for both days…mostly light and variable through the mornings with some moderate W-SW flow around 10-14 knots for the afternoon.
Like I said, nothing outstanding this weekend…just sort of an average workhorse sort of swell, playful if you can combine a well exposed spot with a decent tide. I would probably stick to your smaller wave gear, something fishy or longboardish, just so you can make the most of the downtime between sets and a few of the smaller spots.
Here are the tides…have a good one!
Saturday
12:39AM LDT 5.2 H
07:45AM LDT -0.3 L
02:25PM LDT 4.5 H
08:17PM LDT 1.9 L
Sunday
01:44AM LDT 4.3 H
08:31AM LDT 0.4 L
03:18PM LDT 4.8 H
09:47PM LDT 1.6 L
Saturday and Sunday are both going to be surf days, nothing special sizewise, but clean through the mornings and with a few chest-shoulder high waves at the top spots.
We are going to have a mix of S-SW swell (170-220), some of which is fading energy from the work week as well as some new reinforcement swell from the Southern Hemisphere. The swell does start to trail off a touch on Sunday but there will be a little more pulse from the SW creeping up again on Monday.
Sizewise we can expect most spots to average around knee-waist high, particularly as the tides get funky throughout the day. Top S-SW facing spots will have chest-shoulder high sets, but expect it to be on the inconsistent side and tide sensitive as well.
Winds look good for both days…mostly light and variable through the mornings with some moderate W-SW flow around 10-14 knots for the afternoon.
Like I said, nothing outstanding this weekend…just sort of an average workhorse sort of swell, playful if you can combine a well exposed spot with a decent tide. I would probably stick to your smaller wave gear, something fishy or longboardish, just so you can make the most of the downtime between sets and a few of the smaller spots.
Here are the tides…have a good one!
Saturday
12:39AM LDT 5.2 H
07:45AM LDT -0.3 L
02:25PM LDT 4.5 H
08:17PM LDT 1.9 L
Sunday
01:44AM LDT 4.3 H
08:31AM LDT 0.4 L
03:18PM LDT 4.8 H
09:47PM LDT 1.6 L
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thursday’s Surf – A little bit more swell, but watch the tides
Thursday will be rideable but it will sort of be on the "bubble" of being a surf day.
We are going to have a mix of peaking/holding S swell (170-180), some SW energy (200-220), and some local NW windswell. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of SW swell in the water…and the S swell, by nature, is a bit more selective on what spots it hits…which is leaving a few gaps in surf out there. Check out the CDIP from this afternoon and you can see what I mean…
….those Dark Blue areas are not good.
On Thursday the S swell will come up a couple of notches and the SW’er will build as well. Most of the average exposed areas will be in the waist-chest high range. Standout S facing areas, mostly through Orange County and a few spots in North LA, will be in the chest-shoulder+ high range on the sets. It will still be a little inconsistent (and the morning negative low tide won’t help us out) so expect some wait between the bigger sets.
Winds look ok for most of SoCal but OC and SD will continue to see some pockets of eddy texture. It won’t be super blown out or anything but there will be some southerly crumble on a few of the more exposed spots. Mostly we can expect variable to slight southerly winds for the morning and some NW winds around 10-15 knots for the afternoon. Cleanest conditions will be through LA, particularly Santa Monica down through the South Bay.
I am not expecting a ton of fun out of the surf tomorrow. It will be rideable in the areas with exposure to the swell mix…but the best exposed spots, like those in OC, will have some onshore crumble and extreme low tides that will hamper surf shape. On the plus side…these conditions are notoriously fluky…so I would keep an eye on things through midmorning, we might see things improve as the tide starts to fill in.
Here are the tides…
06:15AM LDT -1.3 L
12:45PM LDT 4.1 H
05:49PM LDT 1.9 L
11:43PM LDT 6.0 H
We are going to have a mix of peaking/holding S swell (170-180), some SW energy (200-220), and some local NW windswell. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of SW swell in the water…and the S swell, by nature, is a bit more selective on what spots it hits…which is leaving a few gaps in surf out there. Check out the CDIP from this afternoon and you can see what I mean…
….those Dark Blue areas are not good.
On Thursday the S swell will come up a couple of notches and the SW’er will build as well. Most of the average exposed areas will be in the waist-chest high range. Standout S facing areas, mostly through Orange County and a few spots in North LA, will be in the chest-shoulder+ high range on the sets. It will still be a little inconsistent (and the morning negative low tide won’t help us out) so expect some wait between the bigger sets.
Winds look ok for most of SoCal but OC and SD will continue to see some pockets of eddy texture. It won’t be super blown out or anything but there will be some southerly crumble on a few of the more exposed spots. Mostly we can expect variable to slight southerly winds for the morning and some NW winds around 10-15 knots for the afternoon. Cleanest conditions will be through LA, particularly Santa Monica down through the South Bay.
I am not expecting a ton of fun out of the surf tomorrow. It will be rideable in the areas with exposure to the swell mix…but the best exposed spots, like those in OC, will have some onshore crumble and extreme low tides that will hamper surf shape. On the plus side…these conditions are notoriously fluky…so I would keep an eye on things through midmorning, we might see things improve as the tide starts to fill in.
Here are the tides…
06:15AM LDT -1.3 L
12:45PM LDT 4.1 H
05:49PM LDT 1.9 L
11:43PM LDT 6.0 H
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Waves for Wednesday – A bit more combo
Wednesday looks like another surf day.
We are going to have a mix of a building S swell (170-180), some holding SW energy (200-220), and steady NW windswell.
The S swell is going to be a little on the steep side for a few spots...it will definitely be a more southerly, than SW’erly sort of swell...so if you plan on getting waves from it try and stick to spots that face true south and pull in the 170-180 direction. You can see the new swell starting to slowly blip up on the Oceanside Buoy this afternoon.
Wave heights are going to continue to run in the waist-chest high range for most of the average spots, which are breaks that have some partial exposure to the Southern Hemi swells, or really good exposure to the NW windswell. Top S facing spots, and excellent combo spots, will be in the chest-shoulder high range with some occasionally bigger sets on the lower tides.
Winds look ok...there is still a touch of variable eddy funk that sort of swirls up through the morning. San Diego and OC look like they might see some of it at times, but overall it shouldn’t be too bad. NW winds around 10-15 knots move in through the afternoon.
I think that we are going to see a few fun waves tomorrow...again nothing huge, or even all that consistent...just sort of playful on the set waves. The biggest surf will be in Orange County area, as well as a couple of the better exposed spots in North SD and North LA. I don’t think you should waste a lot of the $3.00-a-gallon (liquid gold that we have to pour into our vehicles) driving for surf...there should be plenty of rideable waves almost everywhere exposed to the swell mix. I would try and get on it early before the tides honk it up...if you end up paddling out a little later in the day bring a board that can handle a bit more water.
Here are the tides...
05:29AM LDT -1.6 L
11:57AM LDT 3.9 H
04:48PM LDT 1.9 L
10:51PM LDT 6.4 H
We are going to have a mix of a building S swell (170-180), some holding SW energy (200-220), and steady NW windswell.
The S swell is going to be a little on the steep side for a few spots...it will definitely be a more southerly, than SW’erly sort of swell...so if you plan on getting waves from it try and stick to spots that face true south and pull in the 170-180 direction. You can see the new swell starting to slowly blip up on the Oceanside Buoy this afternoon.
Wave heights are going to continue to run in the waist-chest high range for most of the average spots, which are breaks that have some partial exposure to the Southern Hemi swells, or really good exposure to the NW windswell. Top S facing spots, and excellent combo spots, will be in the chest-shoulder high range with some occasionally bigger sets on the lower tides.
Winds look ok...there is still a touch of variable eddy funk that sort of swirls up through the morning. San Diego and OC look like they might see some of it at times, but overall it shouldn’t be too bad. NW winds around 10-15 knots move in through the afternoon.
I think that we are going to see a few fun waves tomorrow...again nothing huge, or even all that consistent...just sort of playful on the set waves. The biggest surf will be in Orange County area, as well as a couple of the better exposed spots in North SD and North LA. I don’t think you should waste a lot of the $3.00-a-gallon (liquid gold that we have to pour into our vehicles) driving for surf...there should be plenty of rideable waves almost everywhere exposed to the swell mix. I would try and get on it early before the tides honk it up...if you end up paddling out a little later in the day bring a board that can handle a bit more water.
Here are the tides...
05:29AM LDT -1.6 L
11:57AM LDT 3.9 H
04:48PM LDT 1.9 L
10:51PM LDT 6.4 H
Hurricane Andres – First hurricane of 2009
Tropical storm Andres has been upgraded to Hurricane Andres...our first hurricane of 2009.
As of right now Andres is barely hurricane strength, winds around 65-70 knots near the core, and with rather poor convection on the satellite photos. It almost seems like the NHC is stretching a bit to get this system classified as a hurricane...and forecasts are not expecting Andres to stay this strong for very long. Likely he will be downgraded back to a Tropical Storm sometime tonight or tomorrow.
Unfortunately Andres is still a ways away from our swell window...so I am not expecting any surf from him at this point. Even the extended range forecasts are not showing the storm reaching our swell window with any sort of strength. I do expect some increase in surf for the Tip of Baja and the close proximity areas of Mainland Mexico...but there is a chance for bad weather and flooding too. Wavewise it is going to be a bit of crapshoot in Baja so I don’t think it would be worth traveling for this storm...unless you are just getting out of its way.
Anyways...just thought I would give a shout out for the first hurricane of the season.
As of right now Andres is barely hurricane strength, winds around 65-70 knots near the core, and with rather poor convection on the satellite photos. It almost seems like the NHC is stretching a bit to get this system classified as a hurricane...and forecasts are not expecting Andres to stay this strong for very long. Likely he will be downgraded back to a Tropical Storm sometime tonight or tomorrow.
Unfortunately Andres is still a ways away from our swell window...so I am not expecting any surf from him at this point. Even the extended range forecasts are not showing the storm reaching our swell window with any sort of strength. I do expect some increase in surf for the Tip of Baja and the close proximity areas of Mainland Mexico...but there is a chance for bad weather and flooding too. Wavewise it is going to be a bit of crapshoot in Baja so I don’t think it would be worth traveling for this storm...unless you are just getting out of its way.
Anyways...just thought I would give a shout out for the first hurricane of the season.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Surf for Tuesday – More morning funness
Tuesday will be another surf day.
We are going to continue to see a mix of S and SW swells (180-220) as well as some background NW windswell. None of the swells will be particularly big or consistent...but the combo breaks will do a good job of blending the swell mix into some playful peaks.
On Tuesday most spots will have surf in the knee-chest high range. Sets will be a little inconsistent but playful when they show. Standout S facing spots, particularly combo breaks, will have waist-chest high surf with some shoulder high sets.
Winds will be similar to Monday...light and variable and clean conditions early in the morning, some light onshore texture by midmorning and early lunchtime, and then NW winds around 10-15 knots by the afternoon. Cloudy skies early morning will burn off to sunny skies through the middle of the day.
Overall we are going to have sort of a soft/playful day of surf. The best shape will be through the morning as we come off the early negative-low tide. Once the tide fills in it looks like semi-soft/mushy shape will be on tap for most breaks. Orange County and San Diego look like they will have the most consistent and largest surf, but expect rideable waves in all of the other regions as well. We aren’t quite back to the need to take the small wave gear...but the wider fishier shapes might be more fun, and let you score more waves as we move into the higher tide by midmorning.
Here are the tides...
04:44AM LDT -1.7 L
11:11AM LDT 3.8 H
03:53PM LDT 1.9 L
10:01PM LDT 6.8 H
We are going to continue to see a mix of S and SW swells (180-220) as well as some background NW windswell. None of the swells will be particularly big or consistent...but the combo breaks will do a good job of blending the swell mix into some playful peaks.
On Tuesday most spots will have surf in the knee-chest high range. Sets will be a little inconsistent but playful when they show. Standout S facing spots, particularly combo breaks, will have waist-chest high surf with some shoulder high sets.
Winds will be similar to Monday...light and variable and clean conditions early in the morning, some light onshore texture by midmorning and early lunchtime, and then NW winds around 10-15 knots by the afternoon. Cloudy skies early morning will burn off to sunny skies through the middle of the day.
Overall we are going to have sort of a soft/playful day of surf. The best shape will be through the morning as we come off the early negative-low tide. Once the tide fills in it looks like semi-soft/mushy shape will be on tap for most breaks. Orange County and San Diego look like they will have the most consistent and largest surf, but expect rideable waves in all of the other regions as well. We aren’t quite back to the need to take the small wave gear...but the wider fishier shapes might be more fun, and let you score more waves as we move into the higher tide by midmorning.
Here are the tides...
04:44AM LDT -1.7 L
11:11AM LDT 3.8 H
03:53PM LDT 1.9 L
10:01PM LDT 6.8 H
Tropical Storm Update – TD-02E develops into Tropical Storm Andres
Our first named storm of the tropical season brewed to life on Sunday and has already intensified up to Tropical Storm, named Andres, by early on Monday.
We had TD-02E form over the weekend down near the coast of Southern Mainland Mexico. Over the last 24 hours the system has strengthened, become more organized, and is quickly on its way to becoming fairly strong Tropical Storm and possibly even a hurricane.
At this point the storm is not a wave-maker for California, or even the Pacific Side of Baja. Check out the map...
The core of the storm is still pinned in pretty close to Mainland Mexico (Just south of Puerto Vallarta)…and the forecast track for the storm has it moving closer to the mainland as it tracks WNW over the next few days.
Because the storm is moving through warmer waters, and it has a very slow movement speed (WNW at 3-knots) it looks like it will become a hurricane by Tuesday.
From a surf perspective it looks like the Tip of Baja is going to be the best spot…at least for the first part of the week. The storms track is going almost directly at it…and will continue to due so for the next couple of days. Top it off with increasing winds and a more organized system and you have a recipe for some decent swell. At this point I expect a run of chest-head high (and this is me being conservative) tropical swell filling in later on Tuesday but then peaking Wednesday and Thursday with bigger sets.
There are a couple of things that you are going to want to watch for…first if you try and surf the tip…the storm is heading that way, plan on having a way to escape if bears down on your area. Second…I am not so stoked on how close the storm is to mainland mexico…which means it is getting some of its fetch interrupted by land and shallow seas, both of which can hamper swell production.
At this point I think that getting waves from TS Andres is still pretty much a crapshoot…yeah there will be surf but the weather could easily come along with. Personally I would probably pass on this storm and wait for something with a little better positioning.
We had TD-02E form over the weekend down near the coast of Southern Mainland Mexico. Over the last 24 hours the system has strengthened, become more organized, and is quickly on its way to becoming fairly strong Tropical Storm and possibly even a hurricane.
At this point the storm is not a wave-maker for California, or even the Pacific Side of Baja. Check out the map...
The core of the storm is still pinned in pretty close to Mainland Mexico (Just south of Puerto Vallarta)…and the forecast track for the storm has it moving closer to the mainland as it tracks WNW over the next few days.
Because the storm is moving through warmer waters, and it has a very slow movement speed (WNW at 3-knots) it looks like it will become a hurricane by Tuesday.
From a surf perspective it looks like the Tip of Baja is going to be the best spot…at least for the first part of the week. The storms track is going almost directly at it…and will continue to due so for the next couple of days. Top it off with increasing winds and a more organized system and you have a recipe for some decent swell. At this point I expect a run of chest-head high (and this is me being conservative) tropical swell filling in later on Tuesday but then peaking Wednesday and Thursday with bigger sets.
There are a couple of things that you are going to want to watch for…first if you try and surf the tip…the storm is heading that way, plan on having a way to escape if bears down on your area. Second…I am not so stoked on how close the storm is to mainland mexico…which means it is getting some of its fetch interrupted by land and shallow seas, both of which can hamper swell production.
At this point I think that getting waves from TS Andres is still pretty much a crapshoot…yeah there will be surf but the weather could easily come along with. Personally I would probably pass on this storm and wait for something with a little better positioning.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Surf for Monday – Some cleaner combo swell
Monday looks like a surf day.
We will have a mix of new S swell (170-180), some SW energy (190-215), and some background NW windswell.
Waves will be in the waist-chest high range at most of the exposed spots. The standout S facing breaks (mostly in Orange County) and excellent combo spots (mostly in San Diego County), will have surf in the chest-shoulder high range. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bigger set now and then on the lower tides but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for them either.
Winds will be fairly clean. Mostly light and variable throughout the region…with some very light southerly flow for a few of the more exposed breaks. In general I expect semi-glassy conditions through the morning. NW winds come onshore in the 10-15 knot range by the afternoon…expect the water temps to cool off a touch as these winds start to tear things up.
I think it will be fun tomorrow…nothing outstanding, just sort of playful. If you can I would try and get on it early before the tide fills in…too much water is probably going to swamp out the shape a bit, particularly at spots (like the ones in parts North OC) where the sandbars got chewed up by the bigger S swell last week. If you do have to surf later in the day…try and stick to spots that can handle the tides.
03:59AM LDT -1.6 L
10:26AM LDT 3.6 H
03:00PM LDT 2.0 L
09:12PM LDT 6.9 H
We will have a mix of new S swell (170-180), some SW energy (190-215), and some background NW windswell.
Waves will be in the waist-chest high range at most of the exposed spots. The standout S facing breaks (mostly in Orange County) and excellent combo spots (mostly in San Diego County), will have surf in the chest-shoulder high range. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bigger set now and then on the lower tides but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for them either.
Winds will be fairly clean. Mostly light and variable throughout the region…with some very light southerly flow for a few of the more exposed breaks. In general I expect semi-glassy conditions through the morning. NW winds come onshore in the 10-15 knot range by the afternoon…expect the water temps to cool off a touch as these winds start to tear things up.
I think it will be fun tomorrow…nothing outstanding, just sort of playful. If you can I would try and get on it early before the tide fills in…too much water is probably going to swamp out the shape a bit, particularly at spots (like the ones in parts North OC) where the sandbars got chewed up by the bigger S swell last week. If you do have to surf later in the day…try and stick to spots that can handle the tides.
03:59AM LDT -1.6 L
10:26AM LDT 3.6 H
03:00PM LDT 2.0 L
09:12PM LDT 6.9 H
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Weekend update - Stupid Eddy
That eddy on Saturday was brutal…I know it keeps the coastal areas from having to have AC on all the time, but man that was ridiculous.
I wish it was clean and offshore for Father’s day, (come on…is it too much to ask for some dumpy combo swell and santa ana winds?)…. But it looks like the eddy is going to stick around tomorrow. Fortunately forecasts are calling for it too be much lighter. Check out the NWS model for tomorrow morning.
You can still see the circulation but the winds along the coast are mostly light, below 10 knots out of the S-SE depending on where you are located.
Expect some crumble to the S facing beaches on Sunday…nothing major but nothing all that clean either. Spots with protection will be a better call, but you will likely miss out on the S-SW energy in the water…ideally you can find a spot that is ok with the wind but wraps in the Southern Hemi swell.
I wish it was clean and offshore for Father’s day, (come on…is it too much to ask for some dumpy combo swell and santa ana winds?)…. But it looks like the eddy is going to stick around tomorrow. Fortunately forecasts are calling for it too be much lighter. Check out the NWS model for tomorrow morning.
You can still see the circulation but the winds along the coast are mostly light, below 10 knots out of the S-SE depending on where you are located.
Expect some crumble to the S facing beaches on Sunday…nothing major but nothing all that clean either. Spots with protection will be a better call, but you will likely miss out on the S-SW energy in the water…ideally you can find a spot that is ok with the wind but wraps in the Southern Hemi swell.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Waves for the weekend – Combo swell continues
Saturday and Sunday will be surf days…but conditions may be a touch on the blah side as the coastal eddy develops and strengthens over the weekend.
We are going to have a playful mix of S-SW swell (180-220) that is pulsing in from a couple of different sources. We are also going to have some building WNW-NW windswell that will begin strengthening tonight (as winds in the outer waters build) but will peak Saturday, hold through Sunday, and then back down slightly for Monday. Overall it is going to look sort of like the CDIP from this morning but with more size.
Wave heights are going to hold around waist high for the average spots…maybe some chest high sets on the lower tides. The better combo spots, and the top S facing breaks, will have chest-shoulder high surf as well as some rare bigger waves on the lower tides. Looks like the WNW energy will peak on Saturday so the combo spots should be best then…and then the S-SW swell mix strengthens more on Father’s Day so the S facing spots should start to work a bit better and get a little more consistent.
Winds will be a touch funky at times as the eddy spins up. Right now it looks like the center of the eddy will hold just north of Catalina which means that Santa Barbara/Ventura will have some light NW flow, OC and SD will get light S-SW winds, and LA (particularly the South Bay) will have light SE winds. This looks to be the case on both Saturday and Sunday…but the eddy looks the strongest on Saturday.
Wavewise I am expecting the biggest surf through Orange County and San Diego this weekend…I don’t think it will be worth driving super far to get waves…mostly because there will be something to ride almost throughout SoCal. I still think that the points and reefs will have the best shape, particularly if they can handle the higher tides. Beach breaks will be fun too, but it looks like the bigger S swell may have carved out the sandbars in a few areas. I would probably plan on bringing gear that still lets you get waves in sort of inconsistent/swampy shape.
Here are the tides…have a great Father’s Day!
Saturday
02:30AM LDT -0.7 L
08:53AM LDT 3.4 H
01:18PM LDT 2.1 L
07:38PM LDT 6.4 H
Sunday
03:15AM LDT -1.2 L
09:41AM LDT 3.6 H
02:09PM LDT 2.1 L
08:24PM LDT 6.7 H
We are going to have a playful mix of S-SW swell (180-220) that is pulsing in from a couple of different sources. We are also going to have some building WNW-NW windswell that will begin strengthening tonight (as winds in the outer waters build) but will peak Saturday, hold through Sunday, and then back down slightly for Monday. Overall it is going to look sort of like the CDIP from this morning but with more size.
Wave heights are going to hold around waist high for the average spots…maybe some chest high sets on the lower tides. The better combo spots, and the top S facing breaks, will have chest-shoulder high surf as well as some rare bigger waves on the lower tides. Looks like the WNW energy will peak on Saturday so the combo spots should be best then…and then the S-SW swell mix strengthens more on Father’s Day so the S facing spots should start to work a bit better and get a little more consistent.
Winds will be a touch funky at times as the eddy spins up. Right now it looks like the center of the eddy will hold just north of Catalina which means that Santa Barbara/Ventura will have some light NW flow, OC and SD will get light S-SW winds, and LA (particularly the South Bay) will have light SE winds. This looks to be the case on both Saturday and Sunday…but the eddy looks the strongest on Saturday.
Wavewise I am expecting the biggest surf through Orange County and San Diego this weekend…I don’t think it will be worth driving super far to get waves…mostly because there will be something to ride almost throughout SoCal. I still think that the points and reefs will have the best shape, particularly if they can handle the higher tides. Beach breaks will be fun too, but it looks like the bigger S swell may have carved out the sandbars in a few areas. I would probably plan on bringing gear that still lets you get waves in sort of inconsistent/swampy shape.
Here are the tides…have a great Father’s Day!
Saturday
02:30AM LDT -0.7 L
08:53AM LDT 3.4 H
01:18PM LDT 2.1 L
07:38PM LDT 6.4 H
Sunday
03:15AM LDT -1.2 L
09:41AM LDT 3.6 H
02:09PM LDT 2.1 L
08:24PM LDT 6.7 H
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Beach Clean-up: Seal Beach (and Free Shirts)
Hey Gang…a good friend of mine helps run www.Saveourbeach.org, (a non-profit dedicated to improving the water quality along the Southern California coastline,)…and she has a beach clean-up set for Seal Beach on Friday (June 19th). Since we like clean beaches I thought I would pass it on…but even better, this clean-up is sponsored by Vans Shoes and it sounds like the first 100 people to the beach get free-shirts, some other giveaways, and coffee & bagels (hmmm bagels).
If you guys are free on Friday, and in the Seal Beach area, try and stop by.
Here are the details
This Friday, June 19th from 9am-noon Vans will be celebrating National Oceans Month & kicking off the US Open of Surfing by rolling up our sleeves & giving Seal Beach, CA a good cleaning. We'll have fun Vans giveaways for volunteers and coffee & bagels, too.
No need to bring anything. Vans will supply trash bags, gloves, hats and t-shirts. Just show up at 1st & Ocean Ave in Seal Beach. Sign in at the blue tent, by the Windsurfing Rigging Area on the left as you enter the parking lot. No parking passes necessary from 9 to noon. If you need more info hit up twitter.com/vans_66.
DIRECTIONS:
Katella Ave or 405 freeway to Seal Beach Blvd
Turn left onto SB Blvd to Pacific Coast Hwy
Turn right onto PCH to 1st Street
Turn left onto 1st Street til it ends into a parking lot
Pull into parking lot and park
If you guys are free on Friday, and in the Seal Beach area, try and stop by.
Here are the details
This Friday, June 19th from 9am-noon Vans will be celebrating National Oceans Month & kicking off the US Open of Surfing by rolling up our sleeves & giving Seal Beach, CA a good cleaning. We'll have fun Vans giveaways for volunteers and coffee & bagels, too.
No need to bring anything. Vans will supply trash bags, gloves, hats and t-shirts. Just show up at 1st & Ocean Ave in Seal Beach. Sign in at the blue tent, by the Windsurfing Rigging Area on the left as you enter the parking lot. No parking passes necessary from 9 to noon. If you need more info hit up twitter.com/vans_66.
DIRECTIONS:
Katella Ave or 405 freeway to Seal Beach Blvd
Turn left onto SB Blvd to Pacific Coast Hwy
Turn right onto PCH to 1st Street
Turn left onto 1st Street til it ends into a parking lot
Pull into parking lot and park
Friday’s Surf – Building SW and WNW swell combo
Friday will be another surf day...but we may see some eddy texture at the more exposed spots.
We will have more of a swell combo on Friday...there will be a mix of building SW swell (190-215 or so), leftover S-SW swell from earlier this week, and building WNW windswell. We already have a little more of the windswell in the water here on Thursday but this will continue to build through the day on Friday and looks like it is going to max out over the weekend. Check out the CDIP 3-day forecast...(take in mind that a lot of the “swell heights” will actually be quite a bit of short-period chop from increasing outer water winds...this isn’t a huge NW swell all of a sudden).
The increasing windswell (and increasing outer water winds) are sort of a mixed blessing...on one hand we are going to get some more cross-up to the southern hemi swells, which will make the beach breaks a bit more fun. But on the other hand the stronger outer water winds spin up the “coastal eddy” which means S-SW winds for many of the more-exposed areas and some steady crumble/texture at spots facing the wrong way.
On Friday...fortunately...it looks like the wind starts off slow...mostly light and variable in the morning with only a couple of small pockets of texture. Look for NW winds around 10-14 knots by the afternoon.
Surfwise we are going to see a lot of waist-chest high waves at the average exposed spots with some chest-shoulder high sets at the best combo breaks. The bigger waves will be more consistent in the afternoon as the mix of S-SW swell fills back in and the local windswell starts to build up as well.
I think that you should be able to find some rideable waves almost all S-SW facing spots...the NW windswell breaks will be a bit soft in the morning. The tides aren’t going to do a lot to help us tomorrow...so you might want to stick with breaks that can handle a little bit more water.
Here are the tides...
01:45AM LDT 0.0 L
07:59AM LDT 3.2 H
12:26PM LDT 2.0 L
06:53PM LDT 6.0 H
We will have more of a swell combo on Friday...there will be a mix of building SW swell (190-215 or so), leftover S-SW swell from earlier this week, and building WNW windswell. We already have a little more of the windswell in the water here on Thursday but this will continue to build through the day on Friday and looks like it is going to max out over the weekend. Check out the CDIP 3-day forecast...(take in mind that a lot of the “swell heights” will actually be quite a bit of short-period chop from increasing outer water winds...this isn’t a huge NW swell all of a sudden).
The increasing windswell (and increasing outer water winds) are sort of a mixed blessing...on one hand we are going to get some more cross-up to the southern hemi swells, which will make the beach breaks a bit more fun. But on the other hand the stronger outer water winds spin up the “coastal eddy” which means S-SW winds for many of the more-exposed areas and some steady crumble/texture at spots facing the wrong way.
On Friday...fortunately...it looks like the wind starts off slow...mostly light and variable in the morning with only a couple of small pockets of texture. Look for NW winds around 10-14 knots by the afternoon.
Surfwise we are going to see a lot of waist-chest high waves at the average exposed spots with some chest-shoulder high sets at the best combo breaks. The bigger waves will be more consistent in the afternoon as the mix of S-SW swell fills back in and the local windswell starts to build up as well.
I think that you should be able to find some rideable waves almost all S-SW facing spots...the NW windswell breaks will be a bit soft in the morning. The tides aren’t going to do a lot to help us tomorrow...so you might want to stick with breaks that can handle a little bit more water.
Here are the tides...
01:45AM LDT 0.0 L
07:59AM LDT 3.2 H
12:26PM LDT 2.0 L
06:53PM LDT 6.0 H
First Tropical Depression
Hey gang...this isn’t really a surf update...but I thought I would share.
The first tropical depression of the season formed this morning.
Tropical Depression ONE-E (wow they give them such descriptive names)...pulled together a few hundred miles SSE of the Tip of Baja.
Current forecasts are not calling for this to be any sort of wave-maker for Southern California, or even much of Baja (maybe a few small waves around the tip, but really most of it will get lost in the bigger energy from the Southern Hemi). Really about all this system is going to do is try and drown parts of Central Mainland Mexico.
It is good to finally see some signs of life in the tropics...it has been a slow start to the season so far. Hopefully this will just be the start of a lot more activity.
The first tropical depression of the season formed this morning.
Tropical Depression ONE-E (wow they give them such descriptive names)...pulled together a few hundred miles SSE of the Tip of Baja.
Current forecasts are not calling for this to be any sort of wave-maker for Southern California, or even much of Baja (maybe a few small waves around the tip, but really most of it will get lost in the bigger energy from the Southern Hemi). Really about all this system is going to do is try and drown parts of Central Mainland Mexico.
It is good to finally see some signs of life in the tropics...it has been a slow start to the season so far. Hopefully this will just be the start of a lot more activity.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Surf for Thursday – Trailing off
Thursday will be another surf day but overall we can expect much smaller surf than we had earlier in the week.
We are going to a mix of fading S-SW swell (170-220) and some slowly increasing NW windswell.
Most spots are going to see surf in the waist-chest high+ range while the standout S facing breaks, and good combo spots, see surf in the chest-shoulder high+ range on sets. I am expecting the bigger waves to show at the good focal spots that can concentrate the swell mix...as well as the good sandbars that can help stand up the swell a bit as filters through.
Winds look ok...the slight eddy/June gloom conditions will continue on Thursday. Look for variable to light-southerly flow for the morning and NW winds around 10-12 knots for the afternoon.
After cruising around a bit today it looked like the swell was starting to break up a bit as the bigger energy trailed off. The beach breaks, while not great, were starting to show a few shoulders here and there...I expect that to continue into tomorrow as well. The points and reefs will still be the best call shapewise but look for smaller and less consistent surf-conditions for most spots. With the dropping size you are going to want to be a little bit more tide conscious as well...
Here are the tides...
12:58AM LDT 0.7 L
06:52AM LDT 3.0 H
11:34AM LDT 1.9 L
06:10PM LDT 5.5 H
Just a random heads up...down in the tropics it looks like our first tropical depression of the season is starting to pull together. The NHC models are giving it a pretty good chance of building into a Tropical Storm in the next couple of days. Who knows we might see some tropical swell before too long.
We are going to a mix of fading S-SW swell (170-220) and some slowly increasing NW windswell.
Most spots are going to see surf in the waist-chest high+ range while the standout S facing breaks, and good combo spots, see surf in the chest-shoulder high+ range on sets. I am expecting the bigger waves to show at the good focal spots that can concentrate the swell mix...as well as the good sandbars that can help stand up the swell a bit as filters through.
Winds look ok...the slight eddy/June gloom conditions will continue on Thursday. Look for variable to light-southerly flow for the morning and NW winds around 10-12 knots for the afternoon.
After cruising around a bit today it looked like the swell was starting to break up a bit as the bigger energy trailed off. The beach breaks, while not great, were starting to show a few shoulders here and there...I expect that to continue into tomorrow as well. The points and reefs will still be the best call shapewise but look for smaller and less consistent surf-conditions for most spots. With the dropping size you are going to want to be a little bit more tide conscious as well...
Here are the tides...
12:58AM LDT 0.7 L
06:52AM LDT 3.0 H
11:34AM LDT 1.9 L
06:10PM LDT 5.5 H
Just a random heads up...down in the tropics it looks like our first tropical depression of the season is starting to pull together. The NHC models are giving it a pretty good chance of building into a Tropical Storm in the next couple of days. Who knows we might see some tropical swell before too long.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Waves for Wednesday – S-SW carnage continues
Wednesday will be another surf day.
The S swell (170-190) will be winding down slowly while the SW swell (200-220), while smaller, continues to peak. There is a touch of NW windswell out in the water but the bigger southern hemi swells continue to dominate the exposed spots.
Surf will continue to be on the healthy side tomorrow...most S facing spots will be in the chest-head high range tomorrow. The standout S facing breaks, mostly through Orange County, parts of San Diego, and some parts of LA, will be in the shoulder-overhead range with a few bigger sets still sneaking through at the top deepwater breaks.
Winds will continue to be on the light side through the morning. Mostly light and variable to start off but with a few pockets of variable/southerly flow at times. Overcast skies early will burn off to sunny skies by the afternoon.
Shapewise the points and reefs will continue to have the best shape...and the biggest crowds. The jetties/piers/rocks and stuff that break up the swell a touch will be decent fallbacks but in most cases won’t have the best shape. My local beach break did its great wall of china impression again today and, since I was pressed for time, I ended up bodysurfing some thumpers at a local shorebreak...which while fun isn’t as much fun as surfing (for me). Hopefully we will see this swell start to break up later this week and start to be a little more rideable at the beach breaks. In the meantime it looks like boards for meatier surf are the call...unless you are planning a spot a little further out of the line of fire.
Check out the screenshot I got off the wavewatch.com Malibu camera...this is in-between sets...but I think the secret is out.
Here are the tides...
12:03AM LDT 1.4 L
05:26AM LDT 2.9 H
10:43AM LDT 1.6 L
05:30PM LDT 5.0 H
The S swell (170-190) will be winding down slowly while the SW swell (200-220), while smaller, continues to peak. There is a touch of NW windswell out in the water but the bigger southern hemi swells continue to dominate the exposed spots.
Surf will continue to be on the healthy side tomorrow...most S facing spots will be in the chest-head high range tomorrow. The standout S facing breaks, mostly through Orange County, parts of San Diego, and some parts of LA, will be in the shoulder-overhead range with a few bigger sets still sneaking through at the top deepwater breaks.
Winds will continue to be on the light side through the morning. Mostly light and variable to start off but with a few pockets of variable/southerly flow at times. Overcast skies early will burn off to sunny skies by the afternoon.
Shapewise the points and reefs will continue to have the best shape...and the biggest crowds. The jetties/piers/rocks and stuff that break up the swell a touch will be decent fallbacks but in most cases won’t have the best shape. My local beach break did its great wall of china impression again today and, since I was pressed for time, I ended up bodysurfing some thumpers at a local shorebreak...which while fun isn’t as much fun as surfing (for me). Hopefully we will see this swell start to break up later this week and start to be a little more rideable at the beach breaks. In the meantime it looks like boards for meatier surf are the call...unless you are planning a spot a little further out of the line of fire.
Check out the screenshot I got off the wavewatch.com Malibu camera...this is in-between sets...but I think the secret is out.
Here are the tides...
12:03AM LDT 1.4 L
05:26AM LDT 2.9 H
10:43AM LDT 1.6 L
05:30PM LDT 5.0 H
Monday, June 15, 2009
Surf for Tuesday – S swell continues (and gets a little more SW)
Tuesday will be a surf day...but like Monday you are going to need to find a spot that can help break up the swell...otherwise it is just walls-o-rama and the current-paddle-treadmill.
No joke...at about 10 a.m. I took a drive from HB State Beach all the way up through Bolsa Chica, which is a pretty darn big stretch of beach break, and I think I counted 10 guys out surfing through the whole stretch. Mostly it was just overhead section walls and a current that was probably rolling around 10 knots on the inside. Anyway I just thought I would share...until this swell starts to back down a bit you might want to avoid the really open beach breaks.
Swellwise on Tuesday we are going to see the S-swell (170-190) continue to hold while SW swell (200-220) peaks.
Wave heights will continue to run around shoulder-head high at the average S-SW facing spots. Standout S facing breaks through Orange County, North San Diego, and Northern LA, will have overhead sets. In a few of the spots that can really focus the S swell mix look for sets going a couple feet+ overhead at times.
Winds will be ok...sort of slight-eddyish...so variable to light southerly through the morning but mostly below 5-6 knots. Winds shift SW-W around 10-15 knots for the afternoon.
Points and reefs are going to continue to be the best call on Tuesday...we just need something to break up the swell. The piers/jetties will be a good fallback but I would rate them as a far second choice compared to some long point somewhere. Just an FYI to OC surfers...the NSSA Nationals are back in town for this week...they are going to be at Salt Creek the 17-20th and then at Lower Trestles the 22-27th. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up if you were planning on surfing those spots since water access might be a bit limited.
Here are the tides
03:43AM LDT 3.1 H
09:56AM LDT 1.3 L
04:51PM LDT 4.6 H
Oh you might want to check out the Daily Bread blog...he has some sick shots of the swell hitting this morning.
No joke...at about 10 a.m. I took a drive from HB State Beach all the way up through Bolsa Chica, which is a pretty darn big stretch of beach break, and I think I counted 10 guys out surfing through the whole stretch. Mostly it was just overhead section walls and a current that was probably rolling around 10 knots on the inside. Anyway I just thought I would share...until this swell starts to back down a bit you might want to avoid the really open beach breaks.
Swellwise on Tuesday we are going to see the S-swell (170-190) continue to hold while SW swell (200-220) peaks.
Wave heights will continue to run around shoulder-head high at the average S-SW facing spots. Standout S facing breaks through Orange County, North San Diego, and Northern LA, will have overhead sets. In a few of the spots that can really focus the S swell mix look for sets going a couple feet+ overhead at times.
Winds will be ok...sort of slight-eddyish...so variable to light southerly through the morning but mostly below 5-6 knots. Winds shift SW-W around 10-15 knots for the afternoon.
Points and reefs are going to continue to be the best call on Tuesday...we just need something to break up the swell. The piers/jetties will be a good fallback but I would rate them as a far second choice compared to some long point somewhere. Just an FYI to OC surfers...the NSSA Nationals are back in town for this week...they are going to be at Salt Creek the 17-20th and then at Lower Trestles the 22-27th. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up if you were planning on surfing those spots since water access might be a bit limited.
Here are the tides
03:43AM LDT 3.1 H
09:56AM LDT 1.3 L
04:51PM LDT 4.6 H
Oh you might want to check out the Daily Bread blog...he has some sick shots of the swell hitting this morning.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Surf for Monday – Building S and SW swells
Monday will be a surf day.
We will have a mix of building/peaking S (170-190) and SW swells (200-220). NW windswell has also come up a small notch from last week…so look for a little tiny cross up at the exposed combo spots. If you take a look at the CDIP and the buoys this afternoon you can see that both swells are starting to fill in…but the S swell is the most dominant.
Sizewise we can expect surf at the S facing spots to hold in the shoulder high range. Standout S facing spots and good combo breaks, in Orange County, Northern SD, and Northern LA, will have consistent shoulder-head high sets with some overhead sets mixing in on the better tides.
Winds look ok…sort of eddyish but light enough to let us surf. Look for light and variable to light southerly morning flow with some WNW winds around 10-15 knots by the afternoon. Overcast cloudy skies throughout the day but with a few pockets of sunshine burning through in the afternoon.
I don’t think there will be enough WNW-NW windswell to break up the stronger S-SW swells…so expect a lot of lined up waves at the beach breaks as well as a fair amount of current at spots where the swell can build up momentum. Points and reefs will have the best shape…but if you can’t get to a point/reef you should check the structures (piers/jetties and stuff like that) to try and find something that can crease up a few corners. There are going to be some dumpy sets at a few of the standouts…I would probably plan on brining a board that works well with waves that have a little pep.
Here are the tides
02:09AM LDT 3.5 H
09:12AM LDT 1.0 L
04:14PM LDT 4.2 H
10:52PM LDT 2.1 L
We will have a mix of building/peaking S (170-190) and SW swells (200-220). NW windswell has also come up a small notch from last week…so look for a little tiny cross up at the exposed combo spots. If you take a look at the CDIP and the buoys this afternoon you can see that both swells are starting to fill in…but the S swell is the most dominant.
Sizewise we can expect surf at the S facing spots to hold in the shoulder high range. Standout S facing spots and good combo breaks, in Orange County, Northern SD, and Northern LA, will have consistent shoulder-head high sets with some overhead sets mixing in on the better tides.
Winds look ok…sort of eddyish but light enough to let us surf. Look for light and variable to light southerly morning flow with some WNW winds around 10-15 knots by the afternoon. Overcast cloudy skies throughout the day but with a few pockets of sunshine burning through in the afternoon.
I don’t think there will be enough WNW-NW windswell to break up the stronger S-SW swells…so expect a lot of lined up waves at the beach breaks as well as a fair amount of current at spots where the swell can build up momentum. Points and reefs will have the best shape…but if you can’t get to a point/reef you should check the structures (piers/jetties and stuff like that) to try and find something that can crease up a few corners. There are going to be some dumpy sets at a few of the standouts…I would probably plan on brining a board that works well with waves that have a little pep.
Here are the tides
02:09AM LDT 3.5 H
09:12AM LDT 1.0 L
04:14PM LDT 4.2 H
10:52PM LDT 2.1 L
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thomas Campbell Film Screening / Shorebeak Hotel opening
Hey gang...my friend Will over at the Surf Gallery just sent over an invitation that he wanted to extend to you guys.
If you are around North Orange County...the new hotel in Huntington Beach’s “the Strand” is having a grand opening party tonight. They pimped out the hotel with a lot of cool surf art and photos and it overlooks the water. (so if you get there a little early you could probably get a session in on the Northside).
On top of it being a grand opening they are also going to be screen the new film from Thomas Campbell called “The Present”, which looks like a flick that a few of us would enjoy. Here is a trailer from the film I found on youtube.
Anyway just thought I would share.
Here are the details
What: Grand opening weekend and Thomas Campbell Film Screening
Host: The Surf Gallery (www.thesurfgallery.com )
Start Time: Today, June 12 at 7:00pm
End Time: Today, June 12 at 10:00pm
Where: The Shorebeak Hotel (www.shorebreakhotel.com )
If you are around North Orange County...the new hotel in Huntington Beach’s “the Strand” is having a grand opening party tonight. They pimped out the hotel with a lot of cool surf art and photos and it overlooks the water. (so if you get there a little early you could probably get a session in on the Northside).
On top of it being a grand opening they are also going to be screen the new film from Thomas Campbell called “The Present”, which looks like a flick that a few of us would enjoy. Here is a trailer from the film I found on youtube.
Anyway just thought I would share.
Here are the details
What: Grand opening weekend and Thomas Campbell Film Screening
Host: The Surf Gallery (www.thesurfgallery.com )
Start Time: Today, June 12 at 7:00pm
End Time: Today, June 12 at 10:00pm
Where: The Shorebeak Hotel (www.shorebreakhotel.com )
Waves for the Weekend - yep, we got some
Saturday and Sunday both look like surf days...though Saturday should be a touch bigger.
SW swell (190-210...now, but it started it of more westerly closer to 220), which filled in Friday, will hold into Saturday before slowly fading out on Sunday. We will also have some minor NW windswell holding in the background. Check out the sideways CDIP forecast model...if you click on the image you can see the small light-blue dots along the coast...(I am not sure why they don’t lock down the model so that it doesn’t group the wave heights in 3-foot bands...if any of you CDIP guys are out there maybe you can answer that for me)...anyway back to the blue dots, those will be the top exposed areas.
On Saturday wave heights will be in the chest-shoulder high range for most of the average SW exposed spots. Standout SW facing breaks, mostly through South OC and Northern SD, will have shoulder-head high waves with a few bigger sets mixing in at times. Don’t expect a ton of consistency from this swell...there will be some longer waits between the bigger sets...but it will be playful when it does show.
Sunday the SW’er will drop slightly. Still plenty of chest-high surf at the average spots but with less consistent shoulder high sets. Standout breaks will dip down to chest-shoulder high with some rare head high waves.
Winds look ok...we will still have some eddy on Saturday but it should slowly clean up on Sunday. Look for variable/southerly flow with some light texture through the morning and some W-WSW winds around 10-14 knots for the afternoons. Slightly slower wind speeds on Sunday.
Check out the NWS forecast models...
Saturday 8am
Sunday 8am
It is pretty much the same story we have had over the last couple of days...the SW’er is fun but a bit inconsistent and, at the exposed beach breaks, a little walled up. I did manage to get out and grab a couple at the local beach break on Friday and there were a few corners on the in-between sets but the bigger waves were pretty section and the south-to-north current was kind of a pain. I expect pretty similar conditions/shape as we head into the weekend. The best waves are going to be at the points/reefs with good exposure to the swell, structures and solid sandbars will be a second option but the rides won’t be as long. Don’t sweat getting a ton of waves this weekend...there is plenty of swell coming through for the next several days.
Here are the tides...have a good one!
Saturday
12:12AM LDT 4.4 H
07:53AM LDT 0.3 L
02:53PM LDT 3.6 H
07:46PM LDT 2.8 L
Sunday
01:01AM LDT 3.9 H
08:31AM LDT 0.7 L
03:35PM LDT 3.8 H
09:19PM LDT 2.6 L
SW swell (190-210...now, but it started it of more westerly closer to 220), which filled in Friday, will hold into Saturday before slowly fading out on Sunday. We will also have some minor NW windswell holding in the background. Check out the sideways CDIP forecast model...if you click on the image you can see the small light-blue dots along the coast...(I am not sure why they don’t lock down the model so that it doesn’t group the wave heights in 3-foot bands...if any of you CDIP guys are out there maybe you can answer that for me)...anyway back to the blue dots, those will be the top exposed areas.
On Saturday wave heights will be in the chest-shoulder high range for most of the average SW exposed spots. Standout SW facing breaks, mostly through South OC and Northern SD, will have shoulder-head high waves with a few bigger sets mixing in at times. Don’t expect a ton of consistency from this swell...there will be some longer waits between the bigger sets...but it will be playful when it does show.
Sunday the SW’er will drop slightly. Still plenty of chest-high surf at the average spots but with less consistent shoulder high sets. Standout breaks will dip down to chest-shoulder high with some rare head high waves.
Winds look ok...we will still have some eddy on Saturday but it should slowly clean up on Sunday. Look for variable/southerly flow with some light texture through the morning and some W-WSW winds around 10-14 knots for the afternoons. Slightly slower wind speeds on Sunday.
Check out the NWS forecast models...
Saturday 8am
Sunday 8am
It is pretty much the same story we have had over the last couple of days...the SW’er is fun but a bit inconsistent and, at the exposed beach breaks, a little walled up. I did manage to get out and grab a couple at the local beach break on Friday and there were a few corners on the in-between sets but the bigger waves were pretty section and the south-to-north current was kind of a pain. I expect pretty similar conditions/shape as we head into the weekend. The best waves are going to be at the points/reefs with good exposure to the swell, structures and solid sandbars will be a second option but the rides won’t be as long. Don’t sweat getting a ton of waves this weekend...there is plenty of swell coming through for the next several days.
Here are the tides...have a good one!
Saturday
12:12AM LDT 4.4 H
07:53AM LDT 0.3 L
02:53PM LDT 3.6 H
07:46PM LDT 2.8 L
Sunday
01:01AM LDT 3.9 H
08:31AM LDT 0.7 L
03:35PM LDT 3.8 H
09:19PM LDT 2.6 L
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Surf for Friday – peaking SW swell and some eddy funk
Friday will be a surf day but you are going to need to be a little picky about your spots.
The SW swell (200-220) that was filling in on Thursday will start to peak on Friday, and turn a little more southerly as it fills in. We will have some minor NW windswell in the background but I don’t expect it to break up much of the SW’er.
Wave heights will be in the chest-shoulder high range for most spots with SW exposure. The top SW facing spots, mostly through South Orange County, North San Diego, and Northern LA, will have shoulder-head high surf with inconsistent plus sets at the standout breaks. Expect a little inconsistency on the sets sometimes...and watch for shadowing from the nearshore islands. If you surf in one of the shadow areas (that you can see on the CDIP map) expect smaller and less consistent sizes.
Winds are also going to be a bit funky. Local forecasts are showing the eddy circulation spin up again tonight. Look for variable onshore winds...sort of S-SW ...but below 10 knots for the morning. It will be enough to crumble up the more exposed breaks so try and find a spot with some protection. WNW winds 10-15 knots will blow through in the afternoon.
The SW’er was already showing some decent energy on Thursday and these sizes will continue into Friday, getting a little bigger and more consistent. The beach breaks are going to be pretty lined up so if you can’t surf a point or reef, try and find some sort of “structure” (for coconutz) or sandbar to try and break up the lines.
Here are the tides...hope you guys get some.
07:15AM LDT 0.0 L
02:08PM LDT 3.5 H
06:32PM LDT 2.7 L
The SW swell (200-220) that was filling in on Thursday will start to peak on Friday, and turn a little more southerly as it fills in. We will have some minor NW windswell in the background but I don’t expect it to break up much of the SW’er.
Wave heights will be in the chest-shoulder high range for most spots with SW exposure. The top SW facing spots, mostly through South Orange County, North San Diego, and Northern LA, will have shoulder-head high surf with inconsistent plus sets at the standout breaks. Expect a little inconsistency on the sets sometimes...and watch for shadowing from the nearshore islands. If you surf in one of the shadow areas (that you can see on the CDIP map) expect smaller and less consistent sizes.
Winds are also going to be a bit funky. Local forecasts are showing the eddy circulation spin up again tonight. Look for variable onshore winds...sort of S-SW ...but below 10 knots for the morning. It will be enough to crumble up the more exposed breaks so try and find a spot with some protection. WNW winds 10-15 knots will blow through in the afternoon.
The SW’er was already showing some decent energy on Thursday and these sizes will continue into Friday, getting a little bigger and more consistent. The beach breaks are going to be pretty lined up so if you can’t surf a point or reef, try and find some sort of “structure” (for coconutz) or sandbar to try and break up the lines.
Here are the tides...hope you guys get some.
07:15AM LDT 0.0 L
02:08PM LDT 3.5 H
06:32PM LDT 2.7 L
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Surf for Thursday – Cleaner than Wednesday
Thursday is looking like a surf day...but while it will be cleaner in the morning it will also be smaller... fortunately more swell fills starts filling in later in the day.
Swellwise we are going to see a mix of S-SW swell (190-220) with some of the energy fading out and new energy filling in. There will be a touch of NW windswell in the background but not much to make a difference.
Most SW facing spots will be in the waist-chest high range. Standout SW facing spots in OC, LA, and SD (sounds like a disorder), will be in the chest to inconsistent shoulder high range through the morning but will see some more-consistent bigger sets by the afternoon.
Conditions look cleaner as the slight eddy circulation backs down and we see light and variable winds through the morning. More WNW winds around 10-15 knots move in through the afternoon. Check out the NWS model for tomorrow morning at 8am.
The surf will be fun on Thursday...not great or anything...but playful at the right spots. Like a lot of the Southern Hemi energy we have see over the last week it looks like the points and reefs will have the best shape...while the beach breaks stay a bit walled and sectiony. Good sandbars/piers/jetties that can break up the swell will be worth looking at if you can’t get to a point and reef.
Here are the tides...
06:38AM LDT -0.2 L
01:23PM LDT 3.4 H
05:36PM LDT 2.7 L
11:32PM LDT 4.9 H
Swellwise we are going to see a mix of S-SW swell (190-220) with some of the energy fading out and new energy filling in. There will be a touch of NW windswell in the background but not much to make a difference.
Most SW facing spots will be in the waist-chest high range. Standout SW facing spots in OC, LA, and SD (sounds like a disorder), will be in the chest to inconsistent shoulder high range through the morning but will see some more-consistent bigger sets by the afternoon.
Conditions look cleaner as the slight eddy circulation backs down and we see light and variable winds through the morning. More WNW winds around 10-15 knots move in through the afternoon. Check out the NWS model for tomorrow morning at 8am.
The surf will be fun on Thursday...not great or anything...but playful at the right spots. Like a lot of the Southern Hemi energy we have see over the last week it looks like the points and reefs will have the best shape...while the beach breaks stay a bit walled and sectiony. Good sandbars/piers/jetties that can break up the swell will be worth looking at if you can’t get to a point and reef.
Here are the tides...
06:38AM LDT -0.2 L
01:23PM LDT 3.4 H
05:36PM LDT 2.7 L
11:32PM LDT 4.9 H
Swell Alert – Healthy S swell on tap for next week
Good news...there is a healthy S swell (170-190) heading to SoCal that will peak early next week.
I have been watching a nice South Pacific storm spinning due south (almost SSE) of Southern California for the past several days. If you were looking at the forecast charts this system didn’t look like what you would “traditionally” expect to see in the South Pacific. Most times you have a low-pressure that develops down in the higher-latitudes, around the 50-60 degree latitude rage, over near New Zealand. The traditional system will move west-to-east through the storm track and, if it turns out to be a good swell-maker, it will make some sort of northward push while it is in our swell window.
This storm was actually what forecasters sometimes call a “cutoff-low”, which means that the trough of low-pressure is blocked off from the larger storm track by a ridge of high pressure. Generally the cut-off lows will develop in lower latitudes, which means it has a lot of access to all the warm-moist latent heat energy stored in the tropics. If the atmospheric conditions click in the right way a cut-off low can become quite intense as pulls up the tropical moisture...which is what happened in the case of this system.
Check out the sea-surface pressure chart of this system...I highlighted the good part of the fetch with the horrible red photoshop and bad penmanship.
And here is a shot from the QuikSCAT. You can see the 40-50 knot winds that developed as the storm started to fire off.
There were actually three really good things about this storm...first off was, that by being a cut-off low, it was quite a bit closer to us than it would normally be, which means that we will see a few thousand miles less of swell decay. Second the fetch in the storm made the good push northward which means that the wind had more time to produce the swell. Lastly the system hung together for a few days, which also gave the wind more time over the water, and added some duration to the swell.
Ok all this weather stuff is all well and good...but lets get on to the surf.
For Southern California, we will see this swell start to fill in quickly on Monday, (June 15th), and then peak on Tuesday-Wednesday before slowly fading through the rest of the week. We are also going to have some good-sized leftover SW swell (200-220) coming in from another storm that will peak over the upcoming weekend but will hold plenty of energy in early next week as the S swell hits. Sizewise I am expecting consistent shoulder-head high surf for the average spots and some overhead sizes as the top S-facing breaks.
The mix of these swells means that all of the summer spots will have some sort of surf early next week...so you are basically going to get to pick your poison when it comes to surf spots. Likely the points and reefs are going to be the best shape as this mix hits...but I am crossing my fingers that we see some windswell brew up over the weekend to help us break it up...and thin out the crowds in some spots.
This swell will actually hit Baja Sur (and Central/Northern Mainland Mexico) even harder than it hits SoCal. I expect the swell mix to move in fast in those areas on Sunday...peaking by the afternoon and holding through Monday before slowly dropping towards the end of the week. In Baja look for consistent head high surf at the S facing spots with sets going overhead+ (probably near 7’ faces on the big sets) as the swell peaks. Mainland Mexico will see similar sizes but may be a bit bigger as the SW swell hits the area harder.
Good times...check back for more updates as we get closer.
I have been watching a nice South Pacific storm spinning due south (almost SSE) of Southern California for the past several days. If you were looking at the forecast charts this system didn’t look like what you would “traditionally” expect to see in the South Pacific. Most times you have a low-pressure that develops down in the higher-latitudes, around the 50-60 degree latitude rage, over near New Zealand. The traditional system will move west-to-east through the storm track and, if it turns out to be a good swell-maker, it will make some sort of northward push while it is in our swell window.
This storm was actually what forecasters sometimes call a “cutoff-low”, which means that the trough of low-pressure is blocked off from the larger storm track by a ridge of high pressure. Generally the cut-off lows will develop in lower latitudes, which means it has a lot of access to all the warm-moist latent heat energy stored in the tropics. If the atmospheric conditions click in the right way a cut-off low can become quite intense as pulls up the tropical moisture...which is what happened in the case of this system.
Check out the sea-surface pressure chart of this system...I highlighted the good part of the fetch with the horrible red photoshop and bad penmanship.
And here is a shot from the QuikSCAT. You can see the 40-50 knot winds that developed as the storm started to fire off.
There were actually three really good things about this storm...first off was, that by being a cut-off low, it was quite a bit closer to us than it would normally be, which means that we will see a few thousand miles less of swell decay. Second the fetch in the storm made the good push northward which means that the wind had more time to produce the swell. Lastly the system hung together for a few days, which also gave the wind more time over the water, and added some duration to the swell.
Ok all this weather stuff is all well and good...but lets get on to the surf.
For Southern California, we will see this swell start to fill in quickly on Monday, (June 15th), and then peak on Tuesday-Wednesday before slowly fading through the rest of the week. We are also going to have some good-sized leftover SW swell (200-220) coming in from another storm that will peak over the upcoming weekend but will hold plenty of energy in early next week as the S swell hits. Sizewise I am expecting consistent shoulder-head high surf for the average spots and some overhead sizes as the top S-facing breaks.
The mix of these swells means that all of the summer spots will have some sort of surf early next week...so you are basically going to get to pick your poison when it comes to surf spots. Likely the points and reefs are going to be the best shape as this mix hits...but I am crossing my fingers that we see some windswell brew up over the weekend to help us break it up...and thin out the crowds in some spots.
This swell will actually hit Baja Sur (and Central/Northern Mainland Mexico) even harder than it hits SoCal. I expect the swell mix to move in fast in those areas on Sunday...peaking by the afternoon and holding through Monday before slowly dropping towards the end of the week. In Baja look for consistent head high surf at the S facing spots with sets going overhead+ (probably near 7’ faces on the big sets) as the swell peaks. Mainland Mexico will see similar sizes but may be a bit bigger as the SW swell hits the area harder.
Good times...check back for more updates as we get closer.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Waves for Wednesday – The surfing continues!
Wednesday will be another surf day.
The mix of S-SW swell will continue on Wednesday. Most of the energy will be leftovers from earlier in the week but a new SW swell (200-220) will begin moving in throughout the day and we will continue to see some background NW windswell.
Most exposed spots will see surf in the waist-chest high range. Standout S-SW facing spots, mostly through Orange County and Northern San Diego...and a few breaks sprinkled around northern LA, will have some chest-shoulder high sets. Maybe a few bigger sets at the OC and SD SW standouts by the end of the day...if it stays clean enough to pick them out.
Winds will shift back to our more normal pattern on Wednesday. We will have light and variable morning conditions with just a touch of S-SW eddy flow. Look for NW winds around 10-14 knots by the afternoon. Overcast skies at first and then clear skies burning through around midday.
I would keep an eye on the eddy circulation in the morning...there may be a little texture/crumble at the more exposed spots. You can probably dodge it by hitting up spots with some protection, like high cliffs, better positioning, or kelp or something similar that knocks the wind down. There isn’t a lot to break up the swell so look for the best shape at points and reefs...with the good sandbars being a decent, but not great backup.
Here are the tides...
06:02AM LDT -0.4 L
12:41PM LDT 3.4 H
04:52PM LDT 2.5 L
10:56PM LDT 5.2 H
The mix of S-SW swell will continue on Wednesday. Most of the energy will be leftovers from earlier in the week but a new SW swell (200-220) will begin moving in throughout the day and we will continue to see some background NW windswell.
Most exposed spots will see surf in the waist-chest high range. Standout S-SW facing spots, mostly through Orange County and Northern San Diego...and a few breaks sprinkled around northern LA, will have some chest-shoulder high sets. Maybe a few bigger sets at the OC and SD SW standouts by the end of the day...if it stays clean enough to pick them out.
Winds will shift back to our more normal pattern on Wednesday. We will have light and variable morning conditions with just a touch of S-SW eddy flow. Look for NW winds around 10-14 knots by the afternoon. Overcast skies at first and then clear skies burning through around midday.
I would keep an eye on the eddy circulation in the morning...there may be a little texture/crumble at the more exposed spots. You can probably dodge it by hitting up spots with some protection, like high cliffs, better positioning, or kelp or something similar that knocks the wind down. There isn’t a lot to break up the swell so look for the best shape at points and reefs...with the good sandbars being a decent, but not great backup.
Here are the tides...
06:02AM LDT -0.4 L
12:41PM LDT 3.4 H
04:52PM LDT 2.5 L
10:56PM LDT 5.2 H
Monday, June 8, 2009
Surf for Tuesday – Playful swell mix
Tuesday is looking like another surf day.
Overall it won’t be spectacular or anything...and you are going to need to have some exposure to the S-SSW swell mix (*cough* Santa Barbara *cough*)...but there will a few fun waves at the better summer spots and winds should be relatively light for most of the morning as well.
Our swell will be a mix of overlapping S-SW swells (180-210) and some background NW windswell.
Most spots will be in the knee-waist high range with some waist high+ sets on the lower tides. The standout S-SW facing spots, mostly through Orange County, North LA, and North San Diego, will have waist-chest high surf with some less consistent shoulder high sets.
Winds will be light and variable through the morning before turning NW around 10-14 knots for the afternoon. Our weather may be a bit funky though...the forecast charts are calling for more of that unstable funkiness we had last week...so there is a chance for scattered thunderstorms (mostly up around the mountains and the desert.)
I managed to grab a quick session a little before lunch on Monday and the windswell had definitely come up a notch compared to the weekend...so shape is a little more broken up and I expect that to continue into tomorrow. Points and reefs will still likely be the best call...but the beach breaks will be a solid second choice...particularly spots that have some good sand and can handle a little higher tide as it fills in through midmorning. Oh and the water is freezing...felt like upper 50’s in North OC...bring your fullsuit.
Here are the tides...
05:26AM LDT -0.6 L
12:01PM LDT 3.4 H
04:14PM LDT 2.5 L
10:22PM LDT 5.5 H
Overall it won’t be spectacular or anything...and you are going to need to have some exposure to the S-SSW swell mix (*cough* Santa Barbara *cough*)...but there will a few fun waves at the better summer spots and winds should be relatively light for most of the morning as well.
Our swell will be a mix of overlapping S-SW swells (180-210) and some background NW windswell.
Most spots will be in the knee-waist high range with some waist high+ sets on the lower tides. The standout S-SW facing spots, mostly through Orange County, North LA, and North San Diego, will have waist-chest high surf with some less consistent shoulder high sets.
Winds will be light and variable through the morning before turning NW around 10-14 knots for the afternoon. Our weather may be a bit funky though...the forecast charts are calling for more of that unstable funkiness we had last week...so there is a chance for scattered thunderstorms (mostly up around the mountains and the desert.)
I managed to grab a quick session a little before lunch on Monday and the windswell had definitely come up a notch compared to the weekend...so shape is a little more broken up and I expect that to continue into tomorrow. Points and reefs will still likely be the best call...but the beach breaks will be a solid second choice...particularly spots that have some good sand and can handle a little higher tide as it fills in through midmorning. Oh and the water is freezing...felt like upper 50’s in North OC...bring your fullsuit.
Here are the tides...
05:26AM LDT -0.6 L
12:01PM LDT 3.4 H
04:14PM LDT 2.5 L
10:22PM LDT 5.5 H
Random Monday Morning Surf Report – Clean but a little smaller
Today is looking surfable…a surf day if you will…but nothing special overall.
Our SW swell (185-205) has trailed off from the weekend while NW windswell has built slightly at a few of the better exposed areas.
On average most spots are running in the knee-waist high range this morning with the lower tide. The increasing tide is going to slow down shape for most of these spots over the next couple of hours.
The top S-SW facing spots are seeing waist-chest high sets with an occasional shoulder high section sneaking through. The bigger waves are pretty inconsistent but look fun when they show.
Winds are mostly light and variable to even light offshore right now. Look for moderate NW winds to develop by the afternoon and come onshore around 10-15 knots at the more exposed breaks.
This morning the beach breaks are looking a little more crossed up than they had been…but I would still look for the points/reefs to hold better shape, particular as the tide starts to fill in a bit more.
Here are the tides…
04:51AM LDT -0.7 L
11:23AM LDT 3.4 H
03:39PM LDT 2.4 L
09:48PM LDT 5.7 H
Our SW swell (185-205) has trailed off from the weekend while NW windswell has built slightly at a few of the better exposed areas.
On average most spots are running in the knee-waist high range this morning with the lower tide. The increasing tide is going to slow down shape for most of these spots over the next couple of hours.
The top S-SW facing spots are seeing waist-chest high sets with an occasional shoulder high section sneaking through. The bigger waves are pretty inconsistent but look fun when they show.
Winds are mostly light and variable to even light offshore right now. Look for moderate NW winds to develop by the afternoon and come onshore around 10-15 knots at the more exposed breaks.
This morning the beach breaks are looking a little more crossed up than they had been…but I would still look for the points/reefs to hold better shape, particular as the tide starts to fill in a bit more.
Here are the tides…
04:51AM LDT -0.7 L
11:23AM LDT 3.4 H
03:39PM LDT 2.4 L
09:48PM LDT 5.7 H
Friday, June 5, 2009
Waves for the Weekend – SW swell continues
We will have a couple of surf days over the weekend...nothing great but better than the flatness. Like the last couple of days you are going to need to find a spot that can break up the swell.
The SW swell mix (190-220) will continue to peak into Saturday before slowly fading on Sunday. There will also be some minor windswell in the water...but with short periods (around 3-4 seconds which basically makes it “wind-chop” coming in from the outer waters)...so it won’t do much of a job of breaking up the longer mostly walled up lines at the beach breaks.
Check out the sideways forecast for the next few days...
You can see the most exposed areas on the forecast...they are the slightly lighter-blue dots along the coastline. Most of the energy is heading towards the usual SW-facing spots...but this model is initializing off the Harvest Buoy, which is a little glitchy on swell direction right now. In reality there should be a lot more light-blue in SD County and LA County as well.
The wind looks ok for the next couple of mornings. Forecast charts are calling it light and variable...with a slight eddy-type flow to it. So look for weak southerly winds through the mornings with some building W-WNW winds 10-15 knots through the afternoons. Cloudy overcast skies at first and then some burn off through the end of the day.
Since there are a lot of beach breaks around my neck of the woods...I really wish that there was something to break this swell up a bit. Unfortunately we aren’t going to get much help in that department so you will have to be a bit more selective in your spot choice. Points and reefs will continue to be the best call...and then fall back on the piers/jetties/rocks/submerged cars/shipwrecks/really slow whales that can create a little crease in the lines coming in. You can still expect some longer waits between waves but we should have a little more consistency over the next couple of days.
Here are the tides...have a good one.
Saturday
03:42AM LDT -0.7 L
10:06AM LDT 3.4 H
02:32PM LDT 2.2 L
08:43PM LDT 5.8 H
Sunday
04:17AM LDT -0.8 L
10:45AM LDT 3.4 H
03:05PM LDT 2.3 L
09:15PM LDT 5.8 H
The SW swell mix (190-220) will continue to peak into Saturday before slowly fading on Sunday. There will also be some minor windswell in the water...but with short periods (around 3-4 seconds which basically makes it “wind-chop” coming in from the outer waters)...so it won’t do much of a job of breaking up the longer mostly walled up lines at the beach breaks.
Check out the sideways forecast for the next few days...
You can see the most exposed areas on the forecast...they are the slightly lighter-blue dots along the coastline. Most of the energy is heading towards the usual SW-facing spots...but this model is initializing off the Harvest Buoy, which is a little glitchy on swell direction right now. In reality there should be a lot more light-blue in SD County and LA County as well.
The wind looks ok for the next couple of mornings. Forecast charts are calling it light and variable...with a slight eddy-type flow to it. So look for weak southerly winds through the mornings with some building W-WNW winds 10-15 knots through the afternoons. Cloudy overcast skies at first and then some burn off through the end of the day.
Since there are a lot of beach breaks around my neck of the woods...I really wish that there was something to break this swell up a bit. Unfortunately we aren’t going to get much help in that department so you will have to be a bit more selective in your spot choice. Points and reefs will continue to be the best call...and then fall back on the piers/jetties/rocks/submerged cars/shipwrecks/really slow whales that can create a little crease in the lines coming in. You can still expect some longer waits between waves but we should have a little more consistency over the next couple of days.
Here are the tides...have a good one.
Saturday
03:42AM LDT -0.7 L
10:06AM LDT 3.4 H
02:32PM LDT 2.2 L
08:43PM LDT 5.8 H
Sunday
04:17AM LDT -0.8 L
10:45AM LDT 3.4 H
03:05PM LDT 2.3 L
09:15PM LDT 5.8 H
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Surf for Friday – peaking SW swell
Friday will be a surf day…but you are going to want to stick with spots that can break up the SW swell…the beach breaks have been a bit walled and sectiony on the first part of the swell.
We are going to see the mix of SW swells (190-220) and some building but still minimal local NW windswell. Check out the CDIP from this afternoon…I am expecting it to be similar…but with a little more westerly angle to the Southern Hemi swell.
Surf will continue to run in the chest-shoulder high range at the average spots. The standout breaks, mostly through Northern San Diego and Southern Orange County (but sneaking into a few other areas as well), will have sets in the shoulder-head high range. Expect some longer waits between the sets…and slower shape on the higher tides.
Winds look ok tomorrow…the weather is still going to be a little unstable thanks to that upper level low pressure (there is a chance for more thunderstorms) so we might get some fluky winds. If it is clean when you look at it I would get out there because it may switch around pretty fast. Current forecasts are calling for light and variable winds through the morning and then NW winds around 10-15 knots for the afternoon.
We have waves, which is good, but I don’t think this is great swell overall. It will be inconsistent and walled up on the sets for most areas and the few breaks that can handle the longer SW lines will probably be on the crowded side. Points and reefs will be the best call…and then beach breaks with piers or jetties or giant rocks will be a semi-decent fallback spot. Keep in mind that we are probably going to end up sacrificing shape for less people in the water.
Here are the tides…
03:05AM LDT -0.6 L
09:23AM LDT 3.4 H
01:57PM LDT 2.1 L
08:11PM LDT 5.8 H
We are going to see the mix of SW swells (190-220) and some building but still minimal local NW windswell. Check out the CDIP from this afternoon…I am expecting it to be similar…but with a little more westerly angle to the Southern Hemi swell.
Surf will continue to run in the chest-shoulder high range at the average spots. The standout breaks, mostly through Northern San Diego and Southern Orange County (but sneaking into a few other areas as well), will have sets in the shoulder-head high range. Expect some longer waits between the sets…and slower shape on the higher tides.
Winds look ok tomorrow…the weather is still going to be a little unstable thanks to that upper level low pressure (there is a chance for more thunderstorms) so we might get some fluky winds. If it is clean when you look at it I would get out there because it may switch around pretty fast. Current forecasts are calling for light and variable winds through the morning and then NW winds around 10-15 knots for the afternoon.
We have waves, which is good, but I don’t think this is great swell overall. It will be inconsistent and walled up on the sets for most areas and the few breaks that can handle the longer SW lines will probably be on the crowded side. Points and reefs will be the best call…and then beach breaks with piers or jetties or giant rocks will be a semi-decent fallback spot. Keep in mind that we are probably going to end up sacrificing shape for less people in the water.
Here are the tides…
03:05AM LDT -0.6 L
09:23AM LDT 3.4 H
01:57PM LDT 2.1 L
08:11PM LDT 5.8 H
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Surf for Thursday – Building SW swell
Thursday will be a surf day...but the weather may still have some funky elements to it.
We are going to see a mix of overlapping SSW swells (190-220)...one of which will be fading and the other one filling in with some long-period energy (around 19-seconds). We will also have some minor NW windswell slipping into a few spots. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there is going to be enough energy from the NW to break up the SSW’er...so expect some walled up shape at the beach breaks...and better shape at the exposed points and reefs. You can already see the first swell hitting the buoys this afternoon.
Sizewise we can expect most average SW facing breaks to hold around waist-chest high tomorrow. The standout SW facing spots, mostly through San Diego and South OC, will have some shoulder high+ sets at times. Look for the higher tides to burger it out a bit...but still expect some rideable, if slow, shape as the tide peaks.
As of right now winds don’t look all that bad for tomorrow. If you looked outside (or heard the thunder) you know that our weather is a bit unstable. This instability, which is a mix of tropical/sub-tropical moisture and an upper-level low-pressure, has been sort of hanging offshore for the last couple of days but is forecast to start moving northward tonight sending most of this funkiness to Central California. It should move fast enough that we see light and variable winds through the morning...with just a touch of texture in a few of the more exposed areas. The normal NW winds 10-14 knots move in through the afternoon. Here is the NWS graphical forecast for tomorrow morning, which looks pretty good.
I would probably try and get on it in the morning if you can...though I would keep a weather eye on the wind just in case this funk sticks around. Like I said above...don’t expect the best shape out of the beach breaks...SW facing points and reefs will have the best shape. If you can’t get to surf one of those try falling back on a jetty/sandbar/pier or something that can break up the SW lines.
Here are the tides...hope you guys get a few.
02:24AM LDT -0.3 L
08:33AM LDT 3.4 H
01:21PM LDT 1.8 L
07:39PM LDT 5.8 H
We are going to see a mix of overlapping SSW swells (190-220)...one of which will be fading and the other one filling in with some long-period energy (around 19-seconds). We will also have some minor NW windswell slipping into a few spots. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there is going to be enough energy from the NW to break up the SSW’er...so expect some walled up shape at the beach breaks...and better shape at the exposed points and reefs. You can already see the first swell hitting the buoys this afternoon.
Sizewise we can expect most average SW facing breaks to hold around waist-chest high tomorrow. The standout SW facing spots, mostly through San Diego and South OC, will have some shoulder high+ sets at times. Look for the higher tides to burger it out a bit...but still expect some rideable, if slow, shape as the tide peaks.
As of right now winds don’t look all that bad for tomorrow. If you looked outside (or heard the thunder) you know that our weather is a bit unstable. This instability, which is a mix of tropical/sub-tropical moisture and an upper-level low-pressure, has been sort of hanging offshore for the last couple of days but is forecast to start moving northward tonight sending most of this funkiness to Central California. It should move fast enough that we see light and variable winds through the morning...with just a touch of texture in a few of the more exposed areas. The normal NW winds 10-14 knots move in through the afternoon. Here is the NWS graphical forecast for tomorrow morning, which looks pretty good.
I would probably try and get on it in the morning if you can...though I would keep a weather eye on the wind just in case this funk sticks around. Like I said above...don’t expect the best shape out of the beach breaks...SW facing points and reefs will have the best shape. If you can’t get to surf one of those try falling back on a jetty/sandbar/pier or something that can break up the SW lines.
Here are the tides...hope you guys get a few.
02:24AM LDT -0.3 L
08:33AM LDT 3.4 H
01:21PM LDT 1.8 L
07:39PM LDT 5.8 H
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Waves for Wednesday – Creeping up
Wednesday will have a little more size and it may start to be on the verge of being a surf day at the well exposed spots.
We are going to see our SSW swell (190-210) come up a touch more on Wednesday. NW windswell will also be on the rise thanks to increasing winds in our outer waters. It still won’t be big or even all that good but even a little more size is going to make it more rideable. Check out the CDIPper from this afternoon...
The average SW exposed breaks are going to have surf in the knee-waist high range with some chest high sets. The standout SW facing breaks, and the good combo breaks, will have waist-chest high surf with a few sets bordering on chest-shoulder high on the lower tides.
Winds will be ok. Sort of light and variable to lightly onshore in the morning with increasing WNW flow around 10-14 knots through the afternoon.
I took a couple of passes along North OC today and I saw a little bit of this swell blipping in. It wasn’t very good looking, but it was definitely showing a little more energy than the last couple of days.
Unfortunately for our surf on Wednesday it looks like the SW’er will be doing most of the work, which means that a lot of the “sets” (and I use the term loosely)will be wally at most of the exposed beach breaks. I expect that the points and reefs are going to have the best shape, followed by piers/jetties/awesome –sandbars. The biggest waves will be through San Diego and South Orange County...but there will be a few lines spread out through the other regions as well. Plan on bringing your small wave boards...there still won’t be much oomph on the sets.
Here are the tides
01:39AM LDT 0.2 L
07:33AM LDT 3.4 H
12:41PM LDT 1.5 L
07:05PM LDT 5.6 H
We are going to see our SSW swell (190-210) come up a touch more on Wednesday. NW windswell will also be on the rise thanks to increasing winds in our outer waters. It still won’t be big or even all that good but even a little more size is going to make it more rideable. Check out the CDIPper from this afternoon...
The average SW exposed breaks are going to have surf in the knee-waist high range with some chest high sets. The standout SW facing breaks, and the good combo breaks, will have waist-chest high surf with a few sets bordering on chest-shoulder high on the lower tides.
Winds will be ok. Sort of light and variable to lightly onshore in the morning with increasing WNW flow around 10-14 knots through the afternoon.
I took a couple of passes along North OC today and I saw a little bit of this swell blipping in. It wasn’t very good looking, but it was definitely showing a little more energy than the last couple of days.
Unfortunately for our surf on Wednesday it looks like the SW’er will be doing most of the work, which means that a lot of the “sets” (and I use the term loosely)will be wally at most of the exposed beach breaks. I expect that the points and reefs are going to have the best shape, followed by piers/jetties/awesome –sandbars. The biggest waves will be through San Diego and South Orange County...but there will be a few lines spread out through the other regions as well. Plan on bringing your small wave boards...there still won’t be much oomph on the sets.
Here are the tides
01:39AM LDT 0.2 L
07:33AM LDT 3.4 H
12:41PM LDT 1.5 L
07:05PM LDT 5.6 H
Monday, June 1, 2009
Tuesday’s Surf – Still small with some colder water
Tuesday will actually have a little more swell in the water but it is still not going to be a good surf day.
We are going to have a mix of small S-SW energy (180-220 from a couple of different sources) and some local WNW energy.
Most spots are going to see surf in the knee-thigh high range but inconsistent on the sets, particularly through the higher tides. The top SW facing combo breaks, mostly through San Diego County, will have some chest high+ sets...but again we can expect some inconsistency out of the bigger waves.
Winds look manageable. The eddy circulation will continue but it is forecast to remain on the light side. Expect variable southerly flow through the morning, mostly below 5 knots. Building NW winds 10-15 knots come onshore in the afternoon.
Will it be worth getting wet tomorrow? That is sort of a personal call...the surf will be small, inconsistent, and the water will be colder than it has been...but if you are jonesing you should be able to catch a few on a bigger board, and really any day surfing is much better than working. Don’t spend a lot of time driving around...if you find a workable wave get on it...there won’t really be anything better around the corner.
We do get more swell later this week...we basically can expect a slow build over the next few days and then a decent pulse of SW swell (190-210+) arriving and peaking through Friday into Saturday (and even more on tap a few days after that). So by the end of the week we should have a lot of waist-shoulder high surf for SW facing spots...and a few head high sets at the standout SW breaks. Winds look a little shaky but I think we might be able to power through a little bump for some larger surf. I will have more details as we move throughout the week.
Here are the tides for Tuesday...
12:44AM LDT 0.8 L
06:22AM LDT 3.4 H
11:58AM LDT 1.2 L
06:29PM LDT 5.4 H
We are going to have a mix of small S-SW energy (180-220 from a couple of different sources) and some local WNW energy.
Most spots are going to see surf in the knee-thigh high range but inconsistent on the sets, particularly through the higher tides. The top SW facing combo breaks, mostly through San Diego County, will have some chest high+ sets...but again we can expect some inconsistency out of the bigger waves.
Winds look manageable. The eddy circulation will continue but it is forecast to remain on the light side. Expect variable southerly flow through the morning, mostly below 5 knots. Building NW winds 10-15 knots come onshore in the afternoon.
Will it be worth getting wet tomorrow? That is sort of a personal call...the surf will be small, inconsistent, and the water will be colder than it has been...but if you are jonesing you should be able to catch a few on a bigger board, and really any day surfing is much better than working. Don’t spend a lot of time driving around...if you find a workable wave get on it...there won’t really be anything better around the corner.
We do get more swell later this week...we basically can expect a slow build over the next few days and then a decent pulse of SW swell (190-210+) arriving and peaking through Friday into Saturday (and even more on tap a few days after that). So by the end of the week we should have a lot of waist-shoulder high surf for SW facing spots...and a few head high sets at the standout SW breaks. Winds look a little shaky but I think we might be able to power through a little bump for some larger surf. I will have more details as we move throughout the week.
Here are the tides for Tuesday...
12:44AM LDT 0.8 L
06:22AM LDT 3.4 H
11:58AM LDT 1.2 L
06:29PM LDT 5.4 H
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