Surf for Friday – Mostly leftovers

Friday will be clean and semi-surfable but the morning high tide and the general lack of swell will keep most spots from having much of a surf day. On the plus side winds will be light and it will be pretty warm weatherwise which might be a good reason to paddle around.

In the water we can expect a mix of fading NW swell (290-300), some background WNW-NW swell (285-300), and some weaker S-SW swell (190-220). Again we will have to fight the morning swampthing…but there should be a few little peaks to get out on once the tide evens out a bit.



Look for the average WNW-NW facing breaks and the better combo breaks to hold right around knee to occasionally waist high. The better NW breaks in Ventura and the South Bay will be more in the waist-chest high range while the top NW spots and best combo breaks in Southern SD will have some chest-shoulder high sets.

Winds will be clean again on Friday…light and variable to light-offshore in the morning…with some stronger offshore flow near some of the passes and canyons. 10-15 knot NW winds build in through midday and hold through the afternoon.



So another small clean day on tap for Friday…not much in the water to get fired up over but if you have the right gear, a shallow sandbar, and a good attitude you will probably be able to find something to ride. I would stick with the small wave boards for sure…longboards will probably be the most fun but if you are under 130lbs you might be able to bust out some of the fishier shapes at the better NW facing spots.

Make sure to check out the regional forecasts for the details for each county.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

03/12/2010 Friday
01:09AM LST 1.5 L
06:59AM LST 4.9 H
01:50PM LST -0.2 L
07:59PM LST 4.0 H

Thursday’s Surf – Much cleaner…but not a lot to work with

Thursday’s looks surfable…conditions will be a LOT cleaner, but don’t expect a ton of size showing at most spots.

We are going to have a mix of quickly fading NW windswell (290-300), some backing off medium-period WNW-NW swell (285-300), and some inconsistent background S-SW swell (190-210). That windswell has a pretty steep NW angle so only a few areas, like Southern San Diego, will be able to pull much out of it…everywhere else is going to working off mostly leftovers and background energy. Check out the CDIP chart…you can see the areas where the NW’er is sneaking through the gaps.



Average spots…mostly the NW facing ones and the really good combo breaks…will be in the knee-waist high range with some inconsistent chest high sets. The standout NW facing spots in Ventura and the South Bay will have some chest-shoulder high sets. The best breaks down in Southern SD will be more in the chest-head high range…and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bigger set now and then as the S-SW swell combos it up in a few places.

We finally get a break in the winds…look for light/moderate NE winds setting up for Santa Barbara down through North OC…and then more of a variable offshore/SE flow as you move down toward San Diego County. NW winds around 10-15 knots will push in through the afternoon. Beach temps should warm up about 10-12 degrees compared to Wednesday…so possibly hitting the low-70’s.



I am not expecting a ton out of the surf tomorrow…but I am planning on getting a few waves…for some reason the mostly leftover mushy windswell isn’t really pushing my buttons, but hey that is just me. I would plan on brining your smaller wave gear just so you can get a few more as the tide and dropping swell take turns hampering shape. Oh and you might want to bring your booties too…all that wind did not do water temps any favors.

Make sure to check out the regional forecasts for the details for each county.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

03/11/2010 Thursday
12:36AM LST 1.9 L
06:23AM LST 4.7 H
01:25PM LST -0.2 L
07:41PM LST 3.8 H