Waves for the Weekend – Nothing huge…but still some good times

Looks like the weekend is going to be a surf weekend…both Saturday and Sunday look playful…but there may be a little more wind getting on things early on Saturday. Sunday will have cleaner conditions.

Our swell will be a mix of S-SW swells (180-215) from the latest in the string of Southern Hemi swells. We will also have a mix of small WNW-NW windswell that pushes in through the background. Late Sunday night a new, long-period S-SW swell starts to arrive but won’t add much new surf before the sun sets.





Sizewise both days will hold around the knee-waist high range a the average spots…the windswell breaks will be a touch smaller while spots that have a little more southern hemi exposure will be more consistent and will possibly have a few bigger chest high sets sneaking through. The standouts, mostly on Sunday, will be in the chest-shoulder high range…wiith a couple of sets getting close to head high (and by head high I mean bigger than Webster and smaller than Shaq). Size and consistency will be a bit better on Sunday.

Winds look ok for both days…Saturday will have a bit more onshore flow…mostly light winds in the morning but with a few areas of texture at the more wind sensitive spots. Sunday looks cleaner…with light wind in the morning, even a couple of spots with some light offshore flow showing super early. Both days can expect onshore flow to build in from the W around 10-15 knots with some stronger gusts pushing through on Saturday.





Overall this should be a decent weekend…there will be waves, the weather will be nice, and the tides are halfway decent during the morning, matching up with the lighter winds (for once!). The long-period forerunners of the bigger SW swell will start to fill on Sunday but even though the energy shows on the buoy there will only be a few spots that will pull in the new energy…so if you are looking for the “big swell” (BIG being a relative term) and larger waves you will have to wait till at least Monday afternoon, but really through Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here are the tides…Have a great weekend!

07/17/2010 Saturday
01:46AM LDT 3.9 H
08:02AM LDT 0.9 L
02:46PM LDT 5.2 H
09:46PM LDT 1.2 L

07/18/2010 Sunday
03:16AM LDT 3.3 H
08:51AM LDT 1.5 L
03:45PM LDT 5.3 H
11:19PM LDT 0.9 L

Surf for Thursday – A little more size and a little texture

Thursday is looking pretty surfable…but the wind may get on a few spots after the morning session.

A new pulse of SW swell will help strengthen the blend of overlapping S-SW swells (180-215) and will mix with a bit of background NW energy (a little bit of NW swell and local windswell). There won’t be a ton of size…but the well exposed standout spots will end up being pretty playful on the lower tides.



The average spots are going to continue to be on the smaller side on Thursday…expect them to be in the knee-waist high range…with some chest high sets at the breaks that can pull in more of the SW swell. The standout SW spots and the best combo breaks (mostly in parts of Orange County and San Diego) will have some chest-high surf with some shoulder high+ sets sneaking in on the better tides.

Winds are mostly looking good…at least for the start of the day. Expect light/variable winds for most areas with some light/onshore flow for Santa Barbara and San Diego…and some light to almost-offshore flow for parts of Ventura, LA, and parts of Orange County. For the first couple of hours winds will be below the 5 knot range…but it won’t hold that way for long. There is a pretty consistent W-NW flow in the outer waters…and it will be fighting its way in by midmorning and we can expect building W winds to increase through the afternoon…likely topping out around 10-15 knots by the afternoon.





Like the last couple of days the morning will be the cleanest…and the low-tide will hit around 6:45-7:00am which will let us get a few clean waves while the tide starts to push in. I think your best bet will be to hit the S-SW facing spots during the dawn patrol, with the low-tide spots seeing better shape. If you wait too long the tide will start to swamp it out and the winds are going to chunk it up. I would still make sure to bring the wetsuit…we are going to need a few days of eddy (bite my tongue) to push the warmer water back in .

Here are the tides…

07/15/2010 Thursday
06:38AM LDT -0.5 L
01:05PM LDT 4.8 H
06:59PM LDT 1.5 L

Thursday’s Surf – S-swell fades even more

Thursday looks rideable with semi-manageable morning conditions…but there will still be enough wind to add some bump.

Swellwise we are going to see a mix of fading S-swell (175-190) and some weak background WNW windswell. The S swell will be losing size and shortening up its swell period as we move throughout the day…expect smaller and less consistent surf on tap by the afternoon.



The average S facing spots and a few of the better combo spots will have waist-chest high surf…with a few inconsistent chest-shoulder high sets still showing through the morning. The standout S facing breaks, mostly through OC and the other few top exposed breaks out there, will see waist-shoulder high surf with a few rare shoulder-head high faces still slipping through during the morning. With the swell dropping expect some longer waits between sets…as well as less size…as we move throughout the day.

Winds…not looking great…but not looking that bad through the morning either. Forecasts are calling for light/variable to light/west for the dawn patrol with most areas seeing winds below the 3-5 knot range. The more exposed areas will see some texture/bump…but if there is anything to block or knock down the texture then the conditions should be fairly manageable. Expect for building W winds to push in by midday and eventually topping out around 10-15 knots by late in the afternoon.







The fading S swell will still have enough life to push a few waves into the exposed spots on Thursday. It won’t be super punchy thanks to the drop in swell period along with the building morning tides…but with the right equipment, there should be something we can work with. At a minimum I think it will be worth giving the morning surf a quick check, either on the cameras or a fast drive-by if you live close. Now that the swell has dropped some it looks like the beach breaks won’t be as sectiony…so we might get a chance to spread out a little more...but still count on the points/reefs having the best shape.

Here are the tides…cross your fingers that the wind can keep mellow for the morning.

07/08/2010 Thursday
02:06AM LDT -0.1 L
08:35AM LDT 3.2 H
12:39PM LDT 2.4 L
07:03PM LDT 6.0 H (swampy!)

Surf for Thursday – Fading but still fun

Thursday is going to be a surf day.

We are going to see a mix of overlapping S-SSW swells (180-210), both of which are slowly fading, as well as a slight increase in WNW windswell, and a touch of very background NW energy.



Wave heights will dip slightly compared to Wednesday…but the average spots will still hold mostly in the waist high range with some inconsistent chest high sets. Standout S facing breaks, mostly through Orange County, will see surf in the chest-shoulder high range…though I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of slightly bigger sets pushing through during the morning.

Winds will be light tomorrow morning…the wind models are still showing some slightly eddyish tint to them, but I don’t think they will be unmanageable by any means. Likely we can expect light/variable conditions for most areas through the early morning, with some light texture to the really exposed areas in parts of OC and San Diego. Afternoon winds will come onshore around 10-12 knots out of the WNW.



I am thinking that our best bet tomorrow is going to be during the dawn-patrol through midmorning…the tide push has seemed to really help things out over the last couple of days…but the high tide peak has been a bit too much water for many breaks. Getting on it before the tide gets too solid will probably be a good idea. Stick with the S facing breaks, or the really good combo spots, if you are looking for the biggest and most consistent waves…points and reefs will probably have the best shape, but the well developed sandbars will have a few corners too.

Here are the tides…have a good one!

12:40AM LDT 3.4 H
05:03AM LDT 2.4 L
11:33AM LDT 5.7 H
07:26PM LDT 0.3 L