Surf for Friday – maybe I should add a title

Friday will be a surf day...overall nothing great, but still fun in the right spots.

We will have a mix of S-SW swell (180-210) coming out of the Southern Hemi, some quickly fading SE swell (160-170) from former TS Blanca, and some increasing NW windswell.

That tropical swell showed up on Thursday with a bit more energy than I was expecting...a few of the better exposed SE spots had some shoulder-head high sets. It definitely didn’t show everywhere but if you were around SE facing spots in North OC (and a few of the other good SE facing spots in the other counties) there were a few decent sized waves.



Friday’s wave heights will be pretty similar to Thursday’s...average exposed spots will be around waist-chest high on the lower tides. The better S facing spots and good combo spots will be in the chest-shoulder high range on the inconsistent sets. The standout S spots (that have some SE exposure) will be more consistently in the shoulder high+ range through the morning but will lose size and consistency as we move into the afternoon.

The slight eddy conditions will also continue on Friday. We can expect mostly light and variable winds through Santa Barbara, Ventura, and LA tomorrow. Orange County and San Diego will see slight southerly winds around 5-6 knots through the morning. WNW winds 10-14 knots move back in through mid-afternoon.



Like I said it looks “ok” tomorrow...nothing really stands out, other than a few of the top SE facing spots, and those won’t be worth driving very far to look at. Still I think it will be a surf day...we have light winds and low tides in the morning as well as a playful swell mix...add in that water temps are climbing out of the cellar (somewhere in the 61-63-degree range) and it makes a good case for getting in the water.

Here are the tides...

06:01AM LDT -0.2 L
12:27PM LDT 3.8 H
05:26PM LDT 2.3 L
11:14PM LDT 5.0 H

Surf on Thursday – A few waves and some more eddy winds

Thursday is going to be a semi-surf day.

There will still be some energy in the water from a few different sources, the tides will be low in the morning, and winds don’t look horrible...but overall I don’t think all of the elements are going to mix the right way.

Swellwise we are going to see a mix of S-SW swell (180-210), some NW windswell, and a bit of tropical SE swell (160-170) from TS Blanca. That tropical swell was showing a bit this morning on the S-facing buoys...check it out...



Is it just me or is the Swell Intensity Indicator Graph giving me the finger?

The average spots are going to hold right around knee-waist high with a few waist high+ sets sneaking through on the lower tides. The standout S facing breaks, and the good combo spots, will have surf in the waist-chest high range with a few inconsistent shoulder high lines through the morning.

Winds look a little eddyish again tomorrow...sort of SSW-SSE around 5+ knots...with the cleanest conditions at spots with protection from the southerly winds. WNW winds around 10-12 knots will return in the afternoon.



Overall, if you couldn’t tell, I am not really excited about the surf tomorrow. I think there will be a few rideable waves, maybe even a couple of pockets of fun surf, but nothing that will be worth driving too far for. I would plan on using your small wave gear...just to get the most out of the surf. Points, reefs, and spots that can focus the surf will probably have the best shape. Oh and at least one good thing is coming from having the eddy winds...the water temps have been slowly climbing out of the 50’s.

Here are the tides...

05:33AM LDT -0.4 L
11:57AM LDT 3.7 H
04:45PM LDT 2.3 L
10:41PM LDT 5.4 H

Waves for Wednesday – Eddy Eddy go away

Wednesday will be a surf day...but there still may be some lingering S winds for some areas that will hamper shape.

We are going to see a mix of mostly S-SW swell (180-210) coming in from the Southern Hemi, some background NW windswell, and some very weak tropical SE swell (155-160) from TS Blanca.



Wave heights are going to hold around knee-waist high for most of the average exposed areas...expect slow mushy shape for many spots as the tide fills in through midday. Top S facing spots and the excellent combo breaks (mostly through Orange County and parts of San Diego) will have some waist-chest high waves with some rare bigger sets.

Winds are where we might have issues again...the stupid eddy spun up over Tuesday night and did a good job tweaking a lot of spots (and wrecking my wind forecast for Wednesday...yeah thanks a lot). Current forecasts are calling for light/variable to light s-wind early tomorrow...but I am still a bit leery that the eddy might increase overnight. Expect some texture/crumble to the more open beaches...and cleaner conditions at spots that like the more southerly flow. W-WSW winds 10-14 knots will return by the afternoon.



I would still plan on trying to surf early tomorrow, mostly due to the low tides, but try and keep an eye on the wind...you might even want to give it a check on the computer in the AM before hopping in the car...you probably won’t have to wait to be able to see on the surf cams...but you might want to check a live wind site just to see if the eddy is spinning. Anyway I hope that I am being pessimistic about the wind...I would like to surf some cleaner waves tomorrow.

Here are the tides...

05:04AM LDT -0.6 L
11:28AM LDT 3.6 H
04:08PM LDT 2.3 L
10:09PM LDT 5.6 H