Friday's Surf - Rideable but still waiting for the bigger S swell.

Friday will be surfable, definitely not great, but semi-rideable at most spots, and probably fun small surf at the top breaks.

Swellwise it looks like swell from Elida is sort of a bust...it is out there but it is lacking size and punch...it is a lot like a S windswell in shape and power. Friday we may have a touch more size, and a bit more of S angle (compared to SE) out of the tropical swell but I am not holding my breath that it will be all that good. We will also have a mix of S-SW energy coming in from the SPAC and some increasing local NW windswell.

Most spots will continue to run in the knee-waist high range. Standout spots, good S-SE facing beaches and excellent combo breaks, will see waist-chest high surf through the morning...and maybe a few bigger sets as we head towards the afternoon.

Winds will be similar to Thursday...mostly light and variable in the morning and then light-moderate onshore out of the W around 10-12 knots through the afternoon.

I would bring your small wave gear to the beach tomorrow...a fish might be fun but I think the longboard might be better for the swell mix. The S facing spots in North OC and parts of San Diego will be the biggest but not worth driving for at this point.

Here is the CDIP model from this afternoon…(a piddliy 1.1’ at 175-degrees)



A little further out: The new S swell (170-190) will begin to show on the buoys later in the afternoon...I am looking for some 20+ second energy to start to climb as we head into sundown. This will continue to build overnight and throughout the day on Saturday, eventually peaking Saturday evening into Sunday and holding through Monday. You can check out the other posts I had for this swell for more details...but the good S facing spots will be overhead+ on sets as the swell peaks...so it should be pretty fun over the weekend and into early next week. More details tomorrow!

Thursday’s Surf – Isn’t it Friday yet? This week is taking forever

Thursday will be a surf day but it will be on the small side and there may be a little bit of texture to the more open spots.

Surfwise we are going to have a mix of S-SW leftovers and some local windswell (this is starting to sound like a broken record). Most spots will continue to see knee-waist high surf while the standout S facing breaks, particularly the better combo beach breaks, see some chest high sets.

Winds will be ok…mostly variable under 10 knots for the morning but with some slight southerly flow mixing in through OC and San Diego. Look for W winds around 10-12 knots for the afternoon. Basically we will have a light coastal eddy and all the fun that comes with one.

Really it won’t be worth driving that far for surf…I would stick to your local spots, try to hit it on the low tide, and bring your small wave gear. If you have a combo beach nearby it will probably be your best bet.

Tuesday's Surf - Slow fade

Tuesday will be a surf day...but really it will be more of a surf day because it will be clean rather than any sort of significant surf, which is sort of a lame reason.

We will have a mix of S-SW swells (one fading and another holding in the background), and some local WNW windswell. Most spots will continue to see knee-waist high surf with the S-facing combo breaks seeing some bigger chest high sets on the lower tide. Standout S facing surf spots and the good combo breaks in Orange County and San Diego will be a little bigger with mostly waist-chest high waves and a couple of bigger sets sneaking through on the morning tide push.

Winds will be clean again in the morning with mostly light and variable conditions early and then 10-14 knot W winds during the afternoon.

Again I don't think it will be worth traveling very far for surf tomorrow...it just won't be big or good enough to justify the time/gas suck. Personally, no matter what area you live in, you will want to try and hit up the combo beach breaks, particularly ones that have some good sandbars. I would aim for getting on it right at dawn, before the tide gets too low, or wait until a little after 8am when the tide starts to push back in. Boardwise you are going to want your small wave gear...maybe a fun fishy board if you are lighter surfer or a vintage death-log if you are a bigger guy. Not being a small guy I will have to bust out my longboard, which is affectionately known as the "ugly stick". (I will snap a couple of pictures of it tomorrow…)

Thursday's Surf - Holding pattern

Thursday will be a (small) surf day.

Look for the surf to be very similar to Wednesday. We will have a mix of inconsistent SW energy, some local NW windswell, and some background S swell.

Most spots will hold around knee-waist high with a few plus sets sneaking through on the tide push.

Standout S-SW facing spots will have some chest-chest high+ sets on average with a few inconsistent bigger sets on the better tides. Shape looks best at the S-SW facing combo breaks that have a better shot at pulling in the mix of swells...Areas like North San Diego, South OC, and parts of the South Bay will see the biggest surf sizes.

Winds and weather will continue to be only "ok" since there is still some leftover sloppiness coming off that upper-level low-pressure. Look for light/variable to light-onshore texture showing for most areas throughout the morning. The really exposed breaks will have some W winds around 3-5 knots while the more protected breaks stay cleaner. Look for NW winds around 10-15 knots to move in through the afternoon.

Again I wouldn't expect much from the surf on Thursday. It will be rideable...but you are going to want to stick with your smaller/softer wave gear like longboards and fishy shapes. Shape will be a mix of small peaks, sort of boggy shoulders, and a bit of crumble to it in some areas. If you can, try and stick with the tide push where we can get the most out of the small swells.