Couldn't be Winter with this weather...some smaller but fun surf too!

Aloha SoCal!  We’ve got all sorts of swell going on right now…the trick is to be in the right place to catch it!  We’ve got a fairly steep NW groundswell that is bypassing a good portion of SoCal but the southern end of San Diego is getting some chest high surf.  The rest of us are chilling with waist and occasional chest high from that swell.  The other news maker is the new SW groundswell that’s filling in.  It’s got some nice angle so summer beaches will be seeing some fun waist/chest high surf with some occasional bigger sets here and there. This will continue to fill in Friday with backing off NW and slightly better consistency for the south.  Saturday will see the peak of the SW swell with waist/chest high waves and shoulder high sets at the best spots to start off the day.  A slow decline through the day and into Sunday.  A new little NW ground swell looking to slide in Sunday to help bump things into the waist/chest high range for winter beaches with much better angle (more west) that the current NW.  Swell peaks Monday which means a little more size (chest/shoulder) but starts to fade early.  Things simmer down for Tues with waist high waves.  A new WNW fills in for Wed bringing most of SD some fun waves in the waist/chest to start the day and then some slightly bigger chest high sets to end the day.  Thurs starts off with the peak of the swell in the chest/shoulder range.  We’ll see less swell as the day moves on, a little weather but then more surf! Interestingly both hemispheres have decided to kick in so look for more south swells and hopefully the water temp will bump up a little with those south swells.

Outstanding weather on tap for the end of the week and on into next week.  Fri and Sat will be the warmest as we have dry Santa Ana conditions peaking.  Air temps kick off Friday in the high 70s/low80s on the coast and humidity in the teens or less!  DRY!  Sunday we’ll start to see a few more clouds and building through the week. This will all depends on where the jet stream decides to head.  Interestingly the nighttime temps are not bad for us lately…high40s and low 50s.  Winds light out of the N and then E for a few days before turning NW again.  Water temps hanging in the mid/high 50s. 

Making this short…night!

Mish

  

One Ocean Note for this entry…starting March 1 Patagonia wool lined wetsuits will be 30% off and booties, gloves and hoods are 50% off!  

Tides for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) starting with March 1, 2013.

www.saltwatertides.com

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon

           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

F    1      Low   5:10 AM     0.4   6:16 AM     Set  8:22 AM      89

     1     High  11:12 AM     4.0   5:46 PM    Rise 10:07 PM

     1      Low   4:53 PM     0.8

     1     High  11:27 PM     5.0

Sa   2      Low   6:10 AM     0.5   6:15 AM     Set  9:06 AM      82

     2     High  12:12 PM     3.3   5:47 PM    Rise 11:11 PM

     2      Low   5:29 PM     1.4

Su   3     High  12:16 AM     4.9   6:14 AM     Set  9:54 AM      72

     3      Low   7:28 AM     0.6   5:48 PM

     3     High   1:40 PM     2.8

     3      Low   6:18 PM     1.8

M    4     High   1:24 AM     4.8   6:13 AM    Rise 12:14 AM      62

     4      Low   9:02 AM     0.5   5:49 PM     Set 10:48 AM

     4     High   3:43 PM     2.7

     4      Low   7:51 PM     2.3

Tu   5     High   2:52 AM     4.7   6:11 AM    Rise  1:15 AM      50

     5      Low  10:31 AM     0.1   5:50 PM     Set 11:47 AM

     5     High   5:26 PM     3.0

     5      Low   9:47 PM     2.3

Fun surf and gorgeous weather!

Greetings SoCal!  We’ve got a nice shorter period W groundswell and mixed up windswell along the coast.  Surf in the shoulder/HH range with some OH sets. We’re looking at the backside of the swell to kick off the week with more shoulder high surf with the occasional HH set at the better winter spots for Monday.  Smaller surf for Tuesday with the tail end of the groundswell in the waist/chest high range throughout the day.  Looks like a new smaller groundswell for Wednesday but really just keeping things in the waist high range with some chest high sets.  The direction will make the southern end of the county see slightly bigger surf.  Pretty much the same deal with Thursday with some early season S swell thrown in there for kicks. The better summer beaches will see signs of that swell. Friday looks like a new NW groundswell. This has a little more angle to it so the better winter spots will definitely see more swell and size.  Look for waist/chest high surf for Thurs and slightly bigger for Friday but not by much…shoulder high sets at the best spots.  We should see a little more SW groundswell at the summer spots so North County is not out of the loop completely.  Waist high southies for the summer spots.  Saturday and the weekend sees a new WNW groundswell that will bump surf into the waist/chest early Saturday and into the chest/shoulder range for Sunday.  Better still we’re in for some sunshine and warm temps for the weekend!

Speaking of weather…we’re due for a warm up over the course of the week.  A nice high pressure ridge is setting up as the Jet Stream takes a hike and we’re expecting sunshine all week and increasingly warmer temps through the week and weekend.  We’re looking at mid60s to kick off the week.  Low70s by Wed.  High 70s Fri and Sat before cooling off a tad for Sun/Mon.  Oh and did I mention mild east winds almost all week.  Yes, a fine week shaping up indeed.  We’re coming up on a Full Moon on Tuesday which means more extreme tides.  Nothing too crazy but the early morning high will definitely slow things down a little as the swell fades.  The negative low tide in the mid-afternoon will drain out some of the beach breaks but there’s a lot of sand on most beaches so I think for the most part most spots should survive the low with a nice little turnaround push for the evening session.  Water temps are in the mid50s still…nothing some rubber can’t cure. 

Fun surf and gorgeous weather coming up this week…enjoy!

Stay wet San Diego!

Mish

Ocean Notes:

1)      Wow, some nice pics coming out of Oz for the Nikon's Australian Surf Photo of the Year contest.  Some big surf down there!

2)    Here’s a fun one…an underwater photographer with a sense of humor!

3)    Mark Healy (badass big wave surfer) deals out his list of the Top 10 most Bad Ass Surfers.

4)    Now THIS is my kind of surf camp!  Where was this when I was a grom?

5)    Here’s a fun 3-minute vid of Mr. Joel Tudor…stylemaster on any board but just so smooth on a log at Cardy.

Tides for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) starting with February 25, 2013.

www.saltwatertides.com

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon

           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

M   25      Low   2:24 AM     0.8   6:21 AM     Set  5:56 AM      98

    25     High   8:32 AM     5.4   5:43 PM    Rise  5:58 PM

    25      Low   2:57 PM    -0.6

    25     High   9:15 PM     4.7

Tu  26      Low   3:00 AM     0.5   6:20 AM     Set  6:31 AM      99

    26     High   9:07 AM     5.3   5:44 PM    Rise  6:58 PM

    26      Low   3:25 PM    -0.4

    26     High   9:43 PM     4.9

W   27      Low   3:38 AM     0.4   6:19 AM     Set  7:06 AM      98

    27     High   9:44 AM     5.0   5:45 PM    Rise  8:00 PM

    27      Low   3:53 PM    -0.1

    27     High  10:14 PM     5.0

Th  28      Low   4:21 AM     0.3   6:17 AM     Set  7:43 AM      95

    28     High  10:25 AM     4.5   5:46 PM    Rise  9:03 PM

    28      Low   4:22 PM     0.3

    28     High  10:47 PM     5.1

F    1      Low   5:10 AM     0.4   6:16 AM     Set  8:22 AM      89

     1     High  11:12 AM     4.0   5:46 PM    Rise 10:07 PM

     1      Low   4:53 PM     0.8

     1     High  11:27 PM     5.0

Rain but it's the wind...

Here she comes!  No, not the rain, well, ok some rain but it’s the swell I’m talking about.  We’ve got some NW groundswell on the way for Wednesday. The buoys are picking up steadily with 20 second periods on the local buoys.  The big spoiler will be the wind that’s about to blast through and make chop liver out of everything. We’re looking at surf to pick up into the chest high range tonight with super inconsistent sets in the shoulder high range by Wednesday morning.  Through the day the swell will pick up but the windswell is going to really jump by midday and I’m expecting things to be big but messy as this cold storm moves through.  Wave heights hitting well overhead by sundown but winds gusting to 35mph.  Big windswell sticks around for Thursday morning but winds will die down.  The windswell diminishes all day with chest/shoulder high surf by sunset.  That groundswell will technically still be in the background but it’ll taper off to waist/chest by Friday morning and then waist high by evening.  Smaller WNW swell for Sat with waist high surf.  A new shorter period groundswell looks to fill in for Sunday with a little more windswell on top of it.  Waves in the waist/chest range for the early morning session bumping up to chest/shoulder by sundown.  Monday morning actually looks decent with calmer winds, less windswell and the tail end of a NW groundswell.  Size in the waist/chest range with some shoulder high sets sneaking in through the morning.  Some interesting smaller bursts of WNW swells look to be lining up across the North Pacific. Not huge by any means but some consistent surf to play on.  We’ll see how those little buggers pan out over the next few days.

Oh, the weather…what shall we do with the weather.  Well, technically as I type it’s raining but it’ll probably be over by the time I finish this sentence.  The big story here at the coast is the cold air temps and wind.  LOTS of gusty winds.  Forecast says hail and thunderstorms too. WOOHOOOOOO!  But don’t blink or you’ll miss it!  The bulk of the worst rain and wind will be overnight and then some stiff 15-20mph winds with gusts to 35mph during the day Wednesday.  Winds and chances of rain decrease Wed night.  A second little spritz of rain might squeeze out of a cloud or two Thursday but we’ll see mostly clouds.  Clearing and mostly sunny as we slide into the weekend. Air temps will be cold though…mid50s through Thursday and then highs in the low 60s for Fri/Sat.  The nicest day will be Sun/Mon…sunny and mid/high60s along the coast.  Water temps are in the mid50s.  Tides are working their way towards the more extreme side as we approach the full moon.  Medium high dawn patrol tide will drain out to a midday low near zero feet then back up for a medium sunset tide.  We’re past the King Tide phase so the weekend extreme highs won’t be too bad nor will the drained out afternoon lows.

Surf’s probably gonna be a mess for a few days…weekend looks like of fun though!

Stay wet (but warm) San Diego!

Lates,

Mish

P.S.  It's still raining!  :-)

Ocean Notes:

1)      Not sure why I haven’t posted about Wildcoast yet but this group does a lot of great work to help keep our coastline clean.  They work mostly in the southern end of the county along the border and have Chapters thoughout Baja California. They’re sponsoring a beach cleanup this weekend down in the Tijuana Slough Wildlife Refuge. Check ‘em out and lend them a hand!  It’s your ocean too!

2)    And while we’re on the topic of ocean protection why not check out CoastKeeper’s beach clean up calendar?

3)    Don’t worry I’m not forgetting Surfrider San Diego!  Their advocacy work has led to the protection of many great SD County surf breaks…not to mention great events like the V Elements Festival in April.  What’s that?  Click here and find out!

4)    Surfline and Waterways Surf Adventures are sponsoring a contest for best user-submitted travel slideshow.  Here's  the latest from Baja…fun sliders and some ripping surf! 

5)    I’ll send on a super surfy note… Pipeline Perfection.

Tides for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) starting with February 20, 2013.

www.saltwatertides.com

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon

           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

W   20     High   5:25 AM     4.5   6:27 AM     Set  2:41 AM      68

    20      Low  12:43 PM     0.2   5:39 PM    Rise  1:14 PM

    20     High   7:22 PM     3.3

    20      Low  11:59 PM     2.1

Th  21     High   6:10 AM     4.9   6:26 AM     Set  3:25 AM      76

    21      Low   1:11 PM    -0.1   5:40 PM    Rise  2:07 PM

    21     High   7:41 PM     3.6

F   22      Low  12:39 AM     1.7   6:24 AM     Set  4:06 AM      84

    22     High   6:48 AM     5.2   5:41 PM    Rise  3:02 PM

    22      Low   1:38 PM    -0.4

    22     High   8:01 PM     3.9

Sa  23      Low   1:15 AM     1.4   6:23 AM     Set  4:45 AM      90

    23     High   7:24 AM     5.3   5:41 PM    Rise  3:59 PM

    23      Low   2:04 PM    -0.6

    23     High   8:24 PM     4.1

Su  24      Low   1:49 AM     1.1   6:22 AM     Set  5:21 AM      95

    24     High   7:58 AM     5.4   5:42 PM    Rise  4:58 PM

    24      Low   2:30 PM    -0.6

    24     High   8:49 PM     4.4

Sun and small then more swell but rain and wind too.

Oookee dokee, well it looks like it’s gonna be on the smaller side for Saturday with waist high waves around town out of the NW.  We’ll see the rare chest high set in the southern half of the county at the better winter spots.  Sunday we should see a new little swell start to move in through the day with morning sessions looking at some waist/chest high waves and size picking up to chest high by the evening.   Monday we’re seeing a but more of this groundswell mixed in with some windswell from a weather front that will move through Tues/Wed.  Surf will kick off the week in the chest high range with some shoulder high sets late in the day.  Light to moderate south winds later in the day might be a factor for those later sessions.  Tuesday will see the swell peak with some chest high surf but south winds picking up at that weather system moves into town.  Both ground and wind swells drop off through the day.  A new WNW groundswell kicks in Wednesday (along with NW winds and rain all day) with size bumping back up into the chest high range overnight.  Size building slightly through the day…chest/shoulder high. 

Looks like a good sized wind swell is going to combo with that groundswell and be knocking down our door by Thursday morning.  This baby is heading due west at us so lots of closeouts at the west facing spots and beach breaks.  Size jumping up into the HH/OH range overnight so the early sessions will be seeing size immediately.  The big hiccup will be the SW winds that are forecasted to kick up Thurs and Fri as another weather system comes for a visit.  Darn those winds! More wind swell Fri and Sat with the lingering NW groundswell in the background.

Ah yes, the weather.  With the 80 degree sunshine and offshore winds tomorrow you’d never know our week will be fraught with dense fog on Sat night/Sun as the weather turns then chances of drizzle Monday night, Tuesday and most likely Wed.  The more clouds as another little system rolls through and a slight chance of showers for the end of the week.  Saturday is looking like a typical Santa Ana day…offshore, sunny and warm then Sunday we’ll see much cooler air temps (mid60s), patchy fog, and the start of our weeks worth of S winds.  Some clouds Monday with air temps in the high50s. Air temps in the mid to high 50s for the rest of the week as those storms roll though…cold storm and with enough winds to be annoying.  We’re mid-moon phase right now so tides aren’t doing anything radical.  We’re seeing the early morning medium low move up ever so slightly to a medium high early afternoon and ease it’s way back down after sunset.  Water temps are still a little chilly but nice if there’s sunshine and dry offshores.

If the winds cooperate Thursday could be fun…if not, it could be a washing machine out there.  Enjoy the sunshine while we have it!

Stay wet San Diego!

Mish

Ocean Notes:

1)      In case you hadn’t heard a 10 ton meteorite!  buzzed through out atmosphere today over in Russia and it’s wasn’t exactly just a brilliant show…as 1200 folks are injured, mostly from shattered glass as the shock-wave hit!  You have to see it to believe it!  There are a bunch of videos on this page.  Can you say “kryptonite” boys and girls? 

2)    Plastic labeled as “hazardous waste”?  Yup, might happen some day if we keep letting it slide right into our oceans!

3)    Not big but perfect Rincon from last Tuesday’s awesome swell!  Yes, take a peek!

4)    You know, maybe I posted this last June or maybe not but you just can’t pass up photos of pro surfers ripping epic Cloudbreak.  Worth a second look don’t you think?

Tides for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) starting with February 16, 2013.

www.saltwatertides.com

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon

           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

Sa  16     High  12:54 AM     4.3   6:31 AM    Rise 10:10 AM      31

    16      Low   7:57 AM     1.4   5:35 PM

    16     High   1:55 PM     2.6

    16      Low   6:45 PM     2.0

Su  17     High   1:54 AM     4.1   6:30 AM     Set 12:12 AM      40

    17      Low   9:43 AM     1.3   5:36 PM    Rise 10:52 AM

    17     High   4:45 PM     2.5

    17      Low   8:00 PM     2.4

M   18     High   3:11 AM     4.1   6:29 AM     Set  1:04 AM      50

    18      Low  11:16 AM     1.0   5:37 PM    Rise 11:36 AM

    18     High   6:31 PM     2.8

    18      Low   9:49 PM     2.6

Tu  19     High   4:26 AM     4.2   6:28 AM     Set  1:54 AM      59

    19      Low  12:08 PM     0.6   5:38 PM    Rise 12:23 PM

    19     High   7:01 PM     3.0

    19      Low  11:08 PM     2.4

W   20     High   5:25 AM     4.5   6:27 AM     Set  2:41 AM      68

    20      Low  12:43 PM     0.2   5:39 PM    Rise  1:14 PM

    20     High   7:22 PM     3.3

    20      Low  11:59 PM     2.1

More swell now...smaller later this week!

Aloha!  We’re looking at a building swell for Tuesday as a nice NW groundswell fills in late this evening and through the cold early morning hours.  It’ll join the current NW long period swell to boost surf into the chest high range with some shoulder/HH sets as the swell peaks in the afternoon.  Tides will do a number on the quality as the late morning high will slow things down and the negative late afternoon low will drain out most spots.  Either way we’re looking at more swell so that’s a good thing.  Wed we’ll see plenty of swell to start the day with waist/chest high surf and the occasional bigger set…again, slowed a little with the higher morning tide.  Swell backs off through the day with thigh/waist high surf by Thursday and then tiny knee high surf for Friday.  Saturday we’ll see some funky windy weather and a little NW groundswell but really only in the knee/waist high range.  Surf picks up a tad more on Sunday with knee to waist high waves out of the WNW and potentially some crossed up conditions.  Monday sees the biggest boost in size as that swell fills and a new W swell looks like it should start to fill in on top of it with waist/chest to start the day and some chest/shoulder high waves by the end of the day.  That’s a solid week off so we’ll have to see how that storm behaves over the next 48 hours.

Some wildly swinging weather changes as we enter the work week.  Crazy cold air temps today and tonight make for a brisk sunset session tonight and dawn patrol in the morning.  Thank the E winds for that!  We’ll see clear sunny skies and more air temps peaking in the low 60s along the coast with more light E winds all day.  Clear and cold again Tuesday night and Wed with air temps inching up ever so slightly Thursday (mid60s) and even more for Friday (high 60s/low 70s). A few more clouds and plenty of NNE winds for Fri.  Winds decrease through the weekend and air temps in the high 60s/low 70s.  Still seeing some extreme tidal movement with the late morning high draining out to a late afternoon low.  Things will mellow out through the rest of the week.  Water temps in the mid50s still.  Still need plenty of rubber especially for those early and late sessions!

Looks like some fun surf Tues and Wed…nice conditions too!

Count me in!

Mish

Ocean Notes:

1)      Check out this photo essay from Todd Prodanovich on the Surfer Mag site…Hossegor in September…The Hossegor Journals.   Good for an afternoon break while sitting at your desk all day!

2)    What do you think of when I say, “Agave”?  Surfboard right?  Nice article on agave surfboards from Rio shaper Thomas Scott.

3)    This Friday February 15^th at La Paloma is a surf flick from Nathan Oldfield.  Filmed in Oz, New Zealand, France and Spain this film features big surf, small surf, noserideing, aerials, shortboards and alaias…time to kick back with some popcorn and watch a fun surf movie!  For the trailer click here.  For more info on the time and location click here.

4)    If your hot date won’t let you go to a surf flick Friday then catch “DONE” by Blake Vincent Kueny and John John Florence on Saturday at La Paloma.  This guy’s come a long way from being a little grom in Hawaii…dang he rips!  Trailer = here.  Movie times and location = here.  Free stuff. JJF appearance.  Get on it!

5)    And for those of you who really need a surf fix here’s a good one…GoPro’s HD Hero "The Surf Movie"…just like being there!

Tides for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) starting with February 12, 2013.

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon

           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

Tu  12      Low   4:04 AM     0.5   6:35 AM    Rise  7:46 AM      3

    12     High  10:11 AM     5.2   5:32 PM     Set  8:24 PM

    12      Low   4:29 PM    -0.4

    12     High  10:52 PM     4.9

W   13      Low   4:50 AM     0.7   6:34 AM    Rise  8:21 AM      7

    13     High  10:53 AM     4.5   5:33 PM     Set  9:23 PM

    13      Low   5:02 PM     0.3

    13     High  11:28 PM     4.8

Th  14      Low   5:40 AM     1.0   6:33 AM    Rise  8:56 AM      14

    14     High  11:38 AM     3.8   5:34 PM     Set 10:21 PM

    14      Low   5:34 PM     0.9

F   15     High  12:08 AM     4.6   6:32 AM    Rise  9:32 AM      22

    15      Low   6:39 AM     1.2   5:35 PM     Set 11:17 PM

    15     High  12:32 PM     3.1

    15      Low   6:06 PM     1.5

Sa  16     High  12:54 AM     4.3   6:31 AM    Rise 10:10 AM      31

    16      Low   7:57 AM     1.4   5:35 PM

    16     High   1:55 PM     2.6

    16      Low   6:45 PM     2.0