Waves for the weekend – Happy 4th of July!

Saturday and Sunday will be semi-surf days.

Most spots will be rideable, and a few of the best exposed (and wind sheltered), will even be fun at times. Overall they won’t be very consistent, or big…they will just be your standard summer SW swell.

For our swell mix this weekend we are going to see a building SW swell (200-220) that fills in on Saturday (mixing with energy from the work week), and some backing down NW windswell. The SW’er will actually peak overnight into Sunday and then fade slowly on Monday as the swell direction turns a bit more southerly. In fact it is going to look a lot like what we have on the CDIP this morning. You can see how the more SW’erly angle is going to cause the nearshore islands to shadow some of our areas, mostly North Orange County and Northern Ventura.



Wavewise the average exposed spots are going to hold around waist-chest high. The standout SW facing spots, mostly in San Diego and South OC, are going to have chest-shoulder high surf with some rare bigger sets on the better tides. The shadowed areas (North OC, North Ventura) can expect smaller, less consistent, surf…mostly around knee-waist high with some occasional chest high sets on the lower tides. The shadowed areas will start to get a little bigger as the swell turns more southerly early next week.

The winds and the weather are going to just be ok. We are going to continue to see the eddyish conditions over the weekend, but with some lighter morning windspeeds. Both Saturday and Sunday can expect light and variable to light southerly winds in the morning and then NW winds around 10-15 knots by the afternoon. Expect some onshore texture for a few of the more exposed areas…even through the dawn patrol. If you have the option it would be best to stick to spots with high cliffs, kelp, basically something to knock down the wind.

Saturday @ 8am



Sunday @ 8am



Beach temps will be sort of mild…low-mid 60’s in the morning to low 70’s in the afternoon once the sun burns through.

It is the holiday weekend…so expect crowds, shitty parking, and lots of traffic in the coastal areas. Personally I am going to stick close to my home breaks to cut down on the frustration. If you have to drive for a while to get to the beach I would hit the road early.

Here are the tides…Have a great 4th of July weekend!

Saturday
02:58AM LDT -0.4 L
09:33AM LDT 3.4 H
01:43PM LDT 2.5 L
07:56PM LDT 5.7 H

Sunday
03:33AM LDT -0.6 L
10:05AM LDT 3.5 H
02:23PM LDT 2.5 L
08:31PM LDT 5.8 H

Surf for Friday – More SW and more stupid wind

Friday looks a little more surfable than Thursday but there are still going to be a few wind issues.

Swellwise we are going to have a mix of overlapping SW swells (190-215) and some steep NW windswell (295-300+). The windswell is going to skip past most spots, but a few of the best exposed breaks will see some of its cross-up energy.

Wave heights at the average spots are going to continue to hold around waist-chest high and will continue to be on the inconsistent side. The standout SW facing spots will more consistently in the chest high range but with some shoulder high waves on the bigger sets.

Wind is where we get bogged down again...this weird little onshore flow that has been rolling through the last few days will continue to plague us on Friday. It won’t be as strong as it has been but there will still be some general texture/funk to the more exposed beaches. Check out the NWS model for tomorrow morning.



It is fairly light along the coast early (this is for 8am) but those winds continue to hang in the outer waters and will push onshore fairly quickly as the inland areas heat up. I am expecting mostly variable onshore texture through the dawn patrol, some building W-SW winds 5-8 knots by midmorning, and then W winds 10-15 knots by the afternoon. Basically if you want to surf cleaner conditions you are going to have to get up early...and since the local airmass is so unstable I might even consider waiting for enough light to do a surf cam check before driving too far.

Your best bet is to find a spot with good protection from the wind but still some exposure to the SW swell. Again I would stick with the small-wave gear and stuff that works well with a little chop (and a bit too much tide)...flat fishy shapes and the longboards will probably be the most fun.

Also water temps are pretty jacked up right now...I am hearing that there isn't much warm water out there (despite it being July). I would plan on bringing your full suit since temps are ranging around 58-60 degrees at a lot of beaches.

Here are the tides...

02:19AM LDT -0.2 L
08:51AM LDT 3.3 H
12:58PM LDT 2.5 L
07:18PM LDT 5.6 H

Surf for Thursday – SW swell and a bit of crumble

Thursday looks like a semi-surf day.

Overall it won’t be anything special...just sort of typical summer surf day...inconsistent SW swell and a touch of onshore texture that builds throughout the day.

We are going to have a mix of SW swells (190-220 from a couple of different storms) and some NW windswell.



Most breaks are going to be in the knee-waist high range with some chest high sneakers on the lower tides. The top SW facing spots, mostly those in South OC, North SD, and North LA, will be in the waist-chest high range with some inconsistent bigger sets. Look for the most consistent surf at spots that can combo up the SW/NW energy.

Winds aren’t going to be great tomorrow. It will be OK early in the morning...but I am still expecting some onshore texture even through the dawn patrol. Look for variable/W-SW winds around 5-10 knots by midmorning and more westerly winds around 10-15 knots on tap by the afternoon. Skies will be mostly cloudy but should burn off to clear skies by midday.



Like I said it won’t be a great surf day. The combo of morning tide, onshore texture, and overall inconsistency of the SW swell is going to be a bit of a bummer. That being said there are a few spots out there that have enough wind protection and swell exposure to set up a few fun sets...I wouldn’t drive very far to surf them...but if they are around the corner they will be worth a quick look-see. Personally I would probably bring your small wave board, just to squeeze more of a ride out of the inconsistent sets, and all the smaller in-between ones.

Here are the tides...

01:32AM LDT 0.2 L
07:53AM LDT 3.1 H
12:06PM LDT 2.3 L
06:37PM LDT 5.5 H