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its funny to go back and look at those 14-16day models. how very much they are not the same. still looking on tract in the near term, and the mid term has shown improvements as well.
Saturday's map
http://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/GemPakTier/...precip_p12.gif
If this comes to pass, it will be so settling, as I chase down small wind swell this weekend. Even if I don't get a chance to really get out there on these waves, it will be fun to see swell in the water.
Looks good Ottime, the long range models look good for both hemi's between 160-180hrs, won't hold my breath but still interesting.
Shoulder to head high+ at Blacks beach tonight, fast takeoffs with the super low tide and pitching into thigh deep water. My surfing was a little off but did manage a few of the bigger set waves, got one of the nicer front side snaps I've had in a long time. One where you hear the crack as the board smack the lip and somehow managed to stick it in the flats, that was my highlight of the day
Rog,
You're right about the cams at work, but sometimes I can't resist. :) With me, it actually helps me sometimes, as I get pumped for Friday afternoon.
Piggity,
I love Black's at shoulder to head high. I know it pumps bigger, but the best day I have ever had there was a shoulder to occasional head day at with 100-150 yard lefts. It was a bit soft, but you could glide for 100 yards and have it line up fast on the inside. I played hooky from the office and went down on a Friday afternoon with an outside sales buddy, and we scored. I think most of the other surfers were UCSD kids, the crowd was pretty light. I know Black's can pump, but I would love to get another medium size day like that.
Thank god for the walk down. Just like Trestles, Black's would be much more crowded without the walk.
Nice LDD, some of the best days are those in-between days when it hits the sandbars perfectly. Tonight it was catching some of that steep NW windswell and some SW too, really fun when they combined. The usual 3 peak lineup turned into various peaks up and down the beach, lot of waves.
I decided today to get back to priorities and surf there more often. In years past there have been days where it was worth 2-3 walks up/down that cliff but I've slacked the past few years. In winter that wave has some teeth for SD standards, mind blowing emerald green almond shaped A-frame shacks. I need some this winter. Let me know if you head down sometime
Have a weather techy question for you guys. I'm sure it just has to do with the angle of the coast at these two particular spots, but how is the current south swell we have going right now 1ft@13s at Terrmar (http://www.surfline.com/surfdata/lol...el.cfm?id=4775) but 3ft@13s at Cottons (http://www.surfline.com/surfdata/lol...el.cfm?id=4737).
Terramar coming in at 187 degrees while cottons is at 179. Does this just mean the majority of the wave energy is in the 180ish range, and the 187 that is able to hit the coast at Terramar/n. county SD has a lot less power? The follow up question to that is why Terrmar isn't bringing in that 180 degree range. Are the little bumps out at La Jolla and OB/Point Loma enough to block the direct 180S?
Dude, sounds like a secret life there. You know, scoring with those "outside sales buddies". I had a roommate in college who kept going out to meet up with his "pool buddies". Turns out he does not shoot pool, and he moved to Vermont, so he could get married. Funny thing, is we went to school at NYU, so no one gave a shit about preferences. Don't be ashamed of your crowd. Its all good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Long duc dong
I've never surfed Black's but it sounds like it get similar to Moss. Holds sizable swell, and is hollow. I too prefer the chest to sometimes head high days. Less current, and way more waves on average.
Long walks are great in CA. They seem to really thin out a crowd. That walk to Trestles is not very long, IMO, but it seems to keep those crowds pretty thin. :rolleyes2 I mean, once I was down there on a slow Saturday and there were fewer than 100 surfers in the water. Still, I know what you mean. Around here, there are so many waves you can sit and watch from your car, and be in the water in less than five minutes. ANd crowds grow quick if it gets good. Those spots that require a little work stay thinner. That is why I like a certain slab at the bottom of a cliff and another certain slab that requires a mile plus of low tide beach scrambling to get to.
Coming swell still looks decent, but has backed down a bit. More in the 6-8 foot range, as opposed to 8-10. Still, we may get a few rogue sets pushing the DOH range. Winds look mellow on Monday evening at this point. Um, yum. The best thing about it, is that they keep on coming. Maybe a bit smaller, but it is hat time of year when you can generally go out and find chest high on a small day. Game on.
Oh, and I just ordered a board with my neighbor. Excited. Should have it within the week.
I don't know these buoys, so I can't speak to specifics, but buoy readings are difficult things to decipher. There are a lot of variations, not limited to type of buoy, wave refraction, blocks, angle, etc. The buoys do there best to give accurate info. Older (and simpler, cheaper) buoys generally give a conglomerate of swell height and period. So, when we see 6@17 during the summer on one of those types up here in summer, it is usually small south swell at 17sec (dominant energy) and wind swell, maybe 5'@8s. But a better buoy will break that down and show different spectral analysis. So, in this instance, maybe 1.8@17 from 185 and 5@8 from 320. The best buoys provide all the data, what height, period and from where. Usually around here, there are several swells in the water at once.Quote:
Originally Posted by jtran10
Also, where the buoy is, relative to where the swell is coming from, is important. It may be in the shadow of an island or cape, meaning no swell is read at the buoy. Or, the waves could be getting refracted by a land mass, decreasing height, increasing period and changing direction. Deep water swells, up above 16 seconds, dig really deep under the water surface and get move around by land under the sea, so unless the buoys are in very deep water, then even that could make minor shifts. And now imagine if you have 2 souths in the water, one more local and tropical in nature, and a little nw wind swell getting into the mix.
As for what actually makes into into the beach and breaks, there is even more variation, once you consider the shape of the coast line. I know a spot up here that faces south, and is not blocked by a land mass to the south, yet picks up no south. Yet, it is blocked to the nw and n by a very large peninsula and pulls in the most minor of nw windswell. Needless to say, a s facing spot that loves a nw windswell is a fun place.
i live for those days. i'd MUCH rather surf chest/head with a wave every 3-4 minutes than twice that size with much more work and 1 wave every 15 minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ottime
wanna know how to thin out a crowd or keep the crowd down?Quote:
They seem to really thin out a crowd.
first, i always surf with a watch on. if you have a watch on and someone in the lineup asks you what time it is, you can lie and tell them it's 20-30 minutes later than it really is. i do this at rye rocks when it's near time for folks to head to work or go home to baby duty.
second, cars pull up to look, don't catch any waves and swat at the water occasionally to act like you are pissed cuz the waves ain't happinen. works perfect for those precious rye rocks days in the waist to chest range. i was out recently on a great wave day in maine. cars were pulling up where me and my gal were having our way. well, this one wave came right after 3 cars pull up to take a look. i unfortunately got after that wave and yelled, "oh fuck" as i pulled out, and my gal was like, "that looked like a great wave you got!" i said, "i know, that's the problem" as all three cars soon had doodz pulling rubber on quicker than a teenager wrapping his rascal for getting laid for the 1st time.
rog
fuckin perfect this morning.
drove around looking at waist high beach dribblers. drove by an empty rye rocks to see an absolute perfectly walled up belly high left peeling across the reef. SOLD!
had the place to myself from 730-830am on a saturday with hundreds of carz with boards just driving right on by. love that.
for my second hour, two friends joined me and man were we having fun on our lil boards and laughing that it was just us on one of the best reefs on the entire east coast. nothing big, but with big comes tradeoffs. tossin backside buckets multiple times per wave, even belly high.....i'll take it anyday:D
tomorrow looks up to twice the size with straight offshores all day. fuckin stoked.
rog
First, my favorite size wave is much bigger. Say 3-4 feet overhead and reeling on a reef. But at the right spot, it is not a whole lot of work. Just sit on the right spot, gently paddle, get throw in, stand up, turn if you like, and get spit into the channel. But, at a beach, waves that size create too much work, and the chest/head days have just enough current and movement to keep the line up mixed up. If you find an empty working bar at Moss during all but the off hours, then you are very lucky indeed. Guys around here who need to know the time usually wear their own watch. And they are not so gullible to allow a little water slapping to deter them. But if that works, hey, great. A spot like Rye would be pretty crowded around here. So close to the car.Quote:
Originally Posted by icelanticskier
Anyway, found should chest/shoulder high waves today. A bit sloppy on the peaks, but they really lined up well on the reef for the most part. All that sand is doing its thing. Now we just wait for Monday evening. And as we surf this next swell, it looks like some is brewing right behind it. Smaller, but waves.
Looks like some fun surf on tap this week. WNW tonight/tomorrow morning, SSE after that, SSW after that.
Hope to be at Terramar for a bit tonight, but GF's mom is in town and we have dinner plans. Hopefully can put them off until after dark.
West Cliff is alive. Santa Cruz CDIp reporting 9.5@17 from 295. Monterey Spectral reports 5.3@17. Regardless, it is overhead in town. Bigger up north. Winds are light and southerly. Yes, it is good. Wife home at 3:45. Me on road, 3:46.
This thing peaks tonight up here. Probably tomorrow morning down there. Then a small south, and a small nw, then more for the weekend. Way to close out September.
Got some okay pics this morning on the stroll with the little guy.
Watching the Maverick's cam; goddamn that would be scary to be caught on the inside.
OT, post up some pics!
I'm heading down on Thursday and the forecast looks pretty decent so far.
slackerQuote:
Wife home at 3:45. Me on road, 3:46
(not that I have ever slacked and caused others to miss a tram or anything :fmicon:)
^^^^Just more time to sip my coffee and talk with the locals. Looks like I might be down there again this April.
Ya. This thing is hitting bigger than I thought. CDIP up to 11.1@17. Adding a bigger board to the back of the truck.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marhankins
Looks like it’s on for most of CA tomorrow and the rest of the week, prob gonna hit the HB cliffs for dawn patrol & then San Clemente/south OC for an afternoon session - then rinse & repeat.
I’ll try and take some shitty pics with my new camera...
Tonight was fun. Sure, there were some plus sets, but really no need for the bigger boards unless you wanted to sit and wait for it. Otherwise, it was pretty consistent 8 foot faces. The bigger sets at Scotts were a bit more than double overhead, but not much. Kind of doubt the 22ft reported at Mav's on Surfline, but maybe there were a few out there. The better ones that lined up resulted in 100 yard plus paddle backs. So nice to feel the energy in the water again. Lots of positive folks on the cliffs and along the beach.
Can't get out tomorrow, but the entire week will stay above shoulder high. Basically, summer is finally done and surf season has begun.
Finally!
I've had 2 surfs since I got back from Indonesia 6 weeks ago. Woke up this morning and saw 6-8' bombs out my window so it was on. I bought a new Flashbomb wettie that I've been itching to try out.
Surprisingly easy paddle out, and only a half a dozen guys out where there would've been 20-30+ on a smaller day. Went thru my quiver and realized all my 6'6"s are back in the Mentawais stored for my next trip. Picked off some bomb sets, some lefts, some rights, long rides. Wettie is like a portable sauna suit.
Early sesh tomorrow.
On the way to swim school the little guy and I stopped by the Lane for a viewing. She's got the sickness on her this morning. Still looks fun out there and well overhead.
glad to see the left coast getting some goods.
nh this am was small with some texture. had nothing else to do all morning so i went out and caught some fun lil thigh high peelers. the lefts had plenty behind them for some full carve backside t2b'ers. thank goodness for lil shorty boards, they fit so dang well in lil wave faces.
such a gorgeous morning in general. 34 degrees this am here coast. so nice.
rog
Went out to Terramar this morning. 4.5 ft high tide at 7:20 seemed to really slow things down and fatten it out. Had a nice left and a long, small right. Didn't experience anything in the 4/5 ft range that I was hoping for. Really long lulls too. Hope you other socal guys hit it better than I did.
^^^These swells are still pretty small, in the over all winter scale. And once you get past Pt Conception, things tend to get pretty shadowed. I don't know anything about Terramar, but down there you can find some spots a few feet overhead at one spot and nearly flat at another. Kind of the same up here. This swell is still too small to even show at New Brighton, but when we start to get some bigger swells, that spot can reel off a 50 yrd barrel at head high. The Lane (height wise) looks like a thumping south is hitting and giving sets a few feet overhead. OTOH, the deepwater spots up the coast will offering taller, and much juicier waves. And this swell is generally westerly, which gets into town well.
Our next one, for this coming weekend, looks like it could be a few feet overhead up the coast (and OB), while the west side of town could be shoulder high and the eastside stomach high. Partly because it will be coming in smaller (say 8@17 vs 6@15), and because it will be from 15-20 degrees more north.
4.5' is not a super high tide. There has got to be a high tide break around you that handles that pretty well.
Anyway, drove by the Lane on the way home, and the bump is down a bit as the tide settles. We saw a chest high set rolling through Indicators. Have not seen that break since March.
The Slot faces about 170 degrees so it gets the most of the summer swell. When it gets very good, it is a bit overhead and crisp. The NW tends to burger up and bypass, but occasionally one will get in there. 295 was about right to still give it shape. So, this wave has wrapped about 120 degrees to get in here.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5vWUEdJ_d...120924_691.JPG
I'll have a few more, but not much of quality. Low light and an adventurous 16 month old to tend to make for challenging conditions.
^looks empty and fun. Tahquitz in April? I'll start doing my snow dance
Surf check on my lunch break. Not as good as advertised but still a few waves coming through. Little inconsistent, about 20 minutes between bigger sets. Lots of people
Attachment 121232
A lot of talk, not a lot of waves down here. O well, it was fun to check the buoys.
Y'all need some series swell to get your points going. You all are so tucked in. But when you do get waves, they pretty much rip.
Was up the coast a bit this afternoon. My son wanted to charge the shore break. Lots of warble and confusion up there compared to yesterday and the swell is much smaller. Still some fun ones on the points just north of town. Head high plus I would call it. Hope the winds settle a bit tomorrow when I get back in the water.
Couple of shots from today @ Trestles, meh, shoulder to head high but the when the rights lined up they would go for about 100 yards.
http://imageshack.us/a/img51/7436/dsc04670x.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img824/8780/dsc04669i.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img201/5918/dsc04668ad.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img96/5277/dsc04662pa.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img708/457/dsc04661b.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/3346/dsc04660v.jpg
swung by some spots on the bikeride home. size most definitely up from this morning, but still just about waist high with some plus sets every long while. Really windy down here too, it seems.
Have my sights set on Grandview or Ponto next NW swell. See how the slight change in angle plays with the waves. Swami's and Cardiff seem like junkshows, but would like to surf Pipes soon as a goofy foot.
Nice photos pw7, looks empty.
Jtran, north county does better on SW and gets somewhat shadowed on these steep NW swells. I think it's around 295 right now and that's steep for anything north of La Jolla, unless it's some serious ground swell that can wrap in there. Some Tropical swell tomorrow through later this week should give u some waves up there, probably more so Oside and north. Also a SW after that. For steep NW you should drive down south and the waves will be pulling in with out as much shadow from point conception and the islands. Reverse is true when places like Del Mar and Encinitas are shadowed from 180 Souths due to Point La Jolla but Oside will be going off while it's flat 10 miles south
Surf jumped up a lot between lunch surf check and the after work session. Surfed North peak at Blacks and sets were OH on the drop and then would reel across the sand bar producing some perfect looking shacks. One of those days where you mind surf it from the beach and then it's completely different in the water. Lot of water moving for the size and hard to be on the peak, the pack was constantly on the move to just stay in place. Lot of paddling for only a few waves but I did hook a really good left. It was slingshotting toward me and I dropped onto the shoulder at full speed, back up to the top and somehow made the turn and got flung out into the flats, kinda stuck it for a second as it closed out, then got power wash rinse cycled. Overall way more exciting than I expected from my earlier check, love that wave.
The only problem with surfing blacks is that when you check any other breaks the next day it is almost always a huge let down. I didn't even paddle out this morning. Bathymetry is crazy how one place can be putting out thick emerald green shacks and everywhere else is waist to chest dribblers.
^^^yes, on that last statement.
PW7 - Where is everyone? Thought there'd be a few folks in the water down there.
This morning is barely showing in town. Once the tide drops, should be shoulder high on the sets. A bit bigger north. Hoping the winds don't pick up this afternoon.
The swell up here was moving a fair amount of water as well. I think that has a little to due with it being a northern hemi swell, so generated a lot closer to us, and that is the good kind of movement. Juice. Also there was a bit of junk waves mixed in with the swell making that movement chunky and weird at times. Generally, I like the water moving. Keeps the pack spread out and moving, and makes it a bit more challenging to find the right spot. Seems to democratize the line up. Too much can make it frustrating, but it is also what gives us those shacks.
Anyway, the storm in the water up in the Gulf today is coming together nicely. Should be something for the weekend. You should come up and visit. We are expecting 6@14 and offshore conditions. OB will be sick.
I wish Blacks had a webcam
no you don't. not really.
i hope.
haha. Great point!
Snapped a shot after work yesterday. New phone with a better camera than I had previously, mainly just checking out the quality.
Attachment 121284
Tuesday morning had the sickness. And high tide. Swell was doing okay early and a few sets came through the Lane. Mostly fat and burger. Made me feel okay about heading to swim school. Anyway, grainy, but gives a sense of size hitting in town. Much smaller this morning.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FeuXJQTDzh...120925_707.JPG
Don't tell my fiancee. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ottime
Yeah, I didn't think of the implications of 'scoring' at Black's when I wrote the sentence. It's some pretty loaded verbiage there.
Good surf and trunkable water in Newport last weekend. It was a bit weak by Sunday, but still quite rideable. When you have 70 degree water waist high+ becomes waist high++. And the shape was good too.
PW7,
I can't believe Trestles looks THAT empty! I've never seen that on warm days in September.
Hopefully someone is getting this stuff. It's been combo all week down here.
Any of you SD guys want to surf somewhere reasonably close to Carlsbad tomorrow after work (I can get out right at 5). GF having "girls night" so can be much more flexible on driving further from home with no need to be home for dinner. Preferably longboard/jong friendly ;)
Send me a PM if you want
Wait, that's Barbed Wire's, right? That place is frequently empty. I imagine Uppers/Lowers was a hair more crowded.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piggity
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ottime
Quote:
Originally Posted by Long duc dong
Too, funny. It’s amazing what empty waves can conjure up in the mind huh...Quote:
Originally Posted by BS720
Anyway, the location was north middles & lowers, 8:30am-10:30am Tuesday 9/25/12 and for some reason no one was surfing, but by 11am there was 30 guys on the point. In comparison, I took this shot of lower trestles breaking head high-over head at 8:30am in-between sets, and as I took the shot I said “no one will believe me if I don’t take a picture of this” HA-ha.
http://imageshack.us/a/img18/6703/dsc04667ng.jpg
After two hours and reasonably 3 dozen 50yard or better rides, we were spent and it was starting to get crowded. Today on the other hand was a shit show everywhere. We even checked Sirens on the other side of the power plant to get away from the people today, but no luck. Thinking north county tomorrow...
Attachment 121326Attachment 121327
La Push Washington on Monday 10 plus and shorter periods made for some tough surfing. It was hell to get out but got one good wave and called it . I was too afraid of getting hurt . The next day was much better and lots of good rides to be had on the tail end of the swell. Today was clean but a little too small.
Nice S2B. Looks eerie yet inviting.
I could possibly Jtran, if the waves are good. See what tomorrow brings