To Surf or Not to Surf?

To Surf or Not to Surf?

Surfing (or paddling) After a Storm 

With the winter rainy season upon us the question arises as to whether or not one should surf during and after a rain event.  Local authorities suggest waiting at least 48-72 hours after the rain stops before hopping into your favorite surf break to avoid contact with unhealthy levels of bacteria and other gunk that has washed into the ocean.  The question also arises as to WHY they recommend that and does that apply to each surf break in the same way?  Here is some information to help you make an educated decision the next time you’re thinking about paddling out into a post-rain surf session.  The information has been simplified so as not to bore you with scientific jargon but will give you enough information to make an informed decision.

First a little background

Most states test storm water for the presence of fecal-indicating bacteria if the water runs into a body of water where human contact will be an issue.  Different states have different requirements for levels of bacteria.  You can check with your state’s health department for specific criteria.  They may also test for other chemicals such as metals, oils and grease, nutrients, and sediment.  At increased concentrations these are detrimental to water quality and human health.

What are “fecal indicating bacteria” and why are they important to me?

Fecal indicating bacteria are bacteria that come from the intestines of humans or other warm-blooded animals.  Outside of the intestines they can cause illness or act as an indicator of other harmful pathogens that cause illnesses.  There are three categories of fecal indicating bacteria: total coliform, fecal coliform and enterococcus.  “Total coliform” is the general category for bacteria.  Alone these don’t tell us much but when measured with “fecal coliforms”, harmful bacteria that indicate human or animal waste, scientists can tell if the levels of bacteria are of the harmful variety.  Enterococci live in the human intestine and are a direct indicator of human waste contamination, not just general animal waste.

Knowing the type of contamination helps authorities determine the origin of the contamination.  If total and fecal coliform levels are high but enterococci are low then chances are the contamination is coming from a non-human source (pet waste, agricultural run off waste, or other warm blooded animals such as seals or birds).  More in-depth (but expensive) studies can be run using genetics to determine exactly what kind of organism is creating the waste.

But…you want to know…where and when do I surf!

The sources of contamination are numerous.  Lagoons can harbor bacteria from agricultural waste, wild animals that live around the lagoon and storm water runoff.  If a lagoon mouth is open and water is flowing onto the beach and into the ocean then contaminated water may be flowing right into the lineup.  Most storm drains flow directly into the ocean so anything laying on the streets and sidewalks may be washed out onto the beach and into the water without any filtering.  This not only includes bacteria from animal waste but also oil dripping from vehicles, anti-freeze, copper discharged every time you hit your brakes, rust, particulate matter washed off of homes and cars by the rain, and trash. Some cities connect their storm drains to sewage plants but this is very costly and not the norm. 

To determine if you should paddle out after a rain event think about several things before plunging in head first.

1)  How much did it rain?  If there was water running down the street and along the gutters during the storm then there was probably enough rain to wash all that waste I mentioned earlier into the storm drains and lagoons.  If rainwater’s still running into the drains when you plan on paddling out then there’s still waste being added to the ocean water.  YUCK!  And if there’s been enough rain to see a slick of discolored water at your surf break, think TWICE before paddling out.

2)  Is there a storm drain or lagoon mouth running directly into my surf break?   Again, these are direct sources of storm water runoff and possibly contaminated water.  The further you can get from these direct sources the better.

3)  Is there a lot of surf?   With bigger waves and more swell comes more mixing.  The more mixing that goes on the faster the storm water runoff will dissipate and become diluted with the cleaner ocean water.  If there isn’t much swell the runoff water will stick around longer.

4)  When did it rain last?  The first big rain after a period without rain is called “The First Flush”.  More waste accumulates with longer periods without rain.  The “first flush” washes the accumulated waste in one BIG FLUSH out into the ocean.  The period after the first flush is usually the most contaminated so you should give the ocean an extra day before paddling out. 

5)  Is this beach prone to poor water quality?  Some beaches are known for their poor water quality particularly after rain events.  These beaches may have large influxes of storm water runoff from large or many storm drains.  Also, keep an eye out for posted signage warning beachgoers of contaminated water.  There is a hotline (619-338-2073) to call to find out if there are any beach closures from sewage spills or check: http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/learn/san-diegos-waters/coastal-water.html  This site gets information from the County and also updates in onto their app The Swim Guide (https://www.theswimguide.org/guide/get-the-app/ ).

6)   Use your nose!  If the water has an unusually strong and unpleasant odor it’s probably due to some contamination that you don’t want to be surfing in. 

Bottom line

Unfortunately, there are no black and white answers to when and where to surf after a rain event.  The trick is to make educated decisions based on all the information located right under your nose.  When you are traveling to foreign countries it’s very important to keep these things in mind because you don’t want to spend your surf trip with the stomach flu or ear ache just because you paddled out in the wrong spot and at the wrong time.  It’s worth waiting a day if it’ll keep you healthy for the rest of your trip!  And don’t forget, it doesn’t hurt to take an extra long how shower afterwards either!