Plenty more surf on the way!

We’re getting some much needed rain but we’re also getting some much needed thumping waves with howling offshore winds!  Not too shabby!  We’re seeing the back end of this last NW groundswell on Wednesday.  Still plenty of juice left for most of the day.  The day will kick off with waves in the HH/OH range for SD and shoulder/HH in OC and a bit smaller for LA.   We’re looking at shoulder/HH by nightfall and into Thurs morning.  Waist/chest high and fairly messy windswell type waves for Friday before picking up slightly with a new NW on Saturday.  Waves in the waist/chest range and should be cleaning up a bit with less windswell in it.  Late Sat and early Sun is when we’ll see the NW pick up a bit more with shoulder/HH waves by late Sun morning and through most of the day.  Swell peaks midday and drops off to chest high for Monday and Tues.  Christmas Eve starts off about the same size but we should see the precursors of the next really good swell.  This looks like it should have some nice powerful long period sets rolling in later in the day on Christmas Eve.  It looks like Santa will be delivering some potentially sizable waves on Christmas Day!  That’s still a ways away so I’ll fill you in on how that looks later this weekend.

As for the weather we’re still looking at more rain as the jet stream continues to throw storms at California and the warm water keeps dragging the moisture rich Pineapple Express up from the south.  This last storm is a bit cooler but is still delivering more of the much needed H2O that California needs.  More scattered heavy showers tonight and thru Wednesday and slight chances of showers for early Wed night.  Clearing Thurs and Fri with the next slight chance of showers Fri night and thru Sat.  Skies clear and warm up Sunday and into the next week. 

The long-term forecast puts a 50% chance of showers for late Christmas Eve and half way thru the holiday.  Air temps in the low 60s thru Sat, high 60s/low 70s thru Wed before that next system comes in and cools things down for Christmas Day.  Winds look to get a little gusty overnight, calm thru the day but blow out of the south and pick up in the evening out of the south.  Light to moderate south and east winds for Thursday with slightly more light/moderate onshore W winds for Friday.  Water temps are incredibly warm still with 64 the norm around San Diego and still low 60s for OC and some high 50s around LA.  This is definitely helping keep the moisture content up in these storms.  As we approach the new moon we’re coming up on the typical Xmas super night tides for the dawn patrollers and more drained out conditions for the midday/early afternoon sessions.

Lots going on in the ocean of ours!  Hope you’re enjoying the waves but being smart about where you surf after the significant rainfall.

Stay wet and stay healthy So Cal!

Mish

 

Tides for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) starting with December 17, 2014.

www.saltwatertides.com

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon

           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

W   17     High   5:29 AM     5.1   6:46 AM    Rise  2:15 AM      28

    17      Low  12:25 PM     0.7   4:45 PM     Set  1:41 PM

    17     High   6:27 PM     3.3

    17      Low  11:29 PM     1.7

Th  18     High   6:04 AM     5.5   6:46 AM    Rise  3:13 AM      19

    18      Low   1:02 PM     0.0   4:46 PM     Set  2:21 PM

    18     High   7:14 PM     3.5

F   19      Low  12:11 AM     1.7   6:47 AM    Rise  4:12 AM      12

    19     High   6:40 AM     5.9   4:46 PM     Set  3:06 PM

    19      Low   1:39 PM    -0.5

    19     High   7:57 PM     3.8

Sa  20      Low  12:51 AM     1.6   6:47 AM    Rise  5:12 AM      6

    20     High   7:16 AM     6.2   4:46 PM     Set  3:57 PM

    20      Low   2:17 PM    -1.0

    20     High   8:38 PM     3.9

Su  21      Low   1:32 AM     1.6   6:48 AM    Rise  6:12 AM      1

    21     High   7:55 AM     6.4   4:47 PM     Set  4:54 PM

    21      Low   2:55 PM    -1.3

    21     High   9:19 PM     4.0

Rain and then waves!

Alrighty then!  I hope everyone had a spectacular Thanksgiving holiday, caught a few waves and weren’t stuck in a snowstorm or airport for too long!  We’re looking at a big change in weather this week but also some surf.  Monday will kick off the week with small knee/waist high surf around most of So Cal with rain expected Monday night.  Tuesday isn’t looking much better with small knee high SW windswell moving in with more rain expected all day but light winds.  Tuesday night and into Wed a new swell out of the WNW with some SW windswell moves into So Cal and surf picks up from waist high at dawn (poo patrol after all that rain) to about chest high in SD and waist high in OC/LA. Thursday will see more straight W short period (i.e. consistent) groundswell with HH/OH waves by midday in SD and more waist high with occasional chest high surf farther north.  Swell peaks midday and backs off fairly quickly through the second half of the day and Friday. Friday will see chest high surf in the morning with waist high surf by sunset.  Saturday and Sunday aren’t looking all that promising with knee/waist high surf.  Don’t fret however as it looks like there are more storms brewing and the jet stream is sending them our way.  Most of the storms have a significant amount of west in them which means closed out beach breaks for the west facing beaches and a bit better shape at the reefs and point breaks.

Weather is the big news this week as we prepare for a pretty good sized dose of much needed rain in So Cal.  Mostly clear skies and sunshine on Monday lead to showers Monday night, heavier showers Tuesday and Tuesday night and lighter showers again on Wed, Wed night and potentially Thursday as well.  Luckily this is a relatively warm storm as the low pressure system is dragging the moisture up from the south (“Pineapple Express”) so daytime temps will be in the high 60s still and nighttime temps will be in the low 50s.  Winds will be relatively light to moderate out of the E and then SW as the storm rolls through Tues.  Water temps are still in the mid to high 60s but I expect that to change a bit as the swell and stormwater cool things off.  Tides are super high for the dawn patrol session and drain out all morning to a near zero low tide midday as we approach the full moon on Friday. 

All of this rain is good news for California’s horrendous drought but bad news for water quality.  With the buildup of “junk” in the stormdrains and on the city streets the flow of contaminated water into the lineups will be considerable.  Be mindful of where you surf (near lagoon or river mouths or stormdrain outlets) and give the ocean some time to process the stormwater.  At least the significant amount of swell will help mix it all up but be smart and don’t surf in poo! 

Have a great rainy week with some swell late!

Stay wet (and healthy) So Cal!

Mish

Tides for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) starting with December 1, 2014.

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon

           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

M    1     High   5:01 AM     5.3   6:34 AM     Set  1:31 AM      65

     1      Low  11:37 AM     0.8   4:43 PM    Rise  1:36 PM

     1     High   5:33 PM     3.9

     1      Low  11:09 PM     1.0

Tu   2     High   5:44 AM     5.8   6:35 AM     Set  2:34 AM      76

     2      Low  12:29 PM     0.1   4:42 PM    Rise  2:16 PM

     2     High   6:36 PM     4.0

     2      Low  11:56 PM     1.2

W    3     High   6:25 AM     6.2   6:35 AM     Set  3:37 AM      84

     3      Low   1:15 PM    -0.5   4:42 PM    Rise  2:58 PM

     3     High   7:30 PM     4.0

Th   4      Low  12:40 AM     1.4   6:36 AM     Set  4:39 AM      91

     4     High   7:03 AM     6.3   4:42 PM    Rise  3:42 PM

     4      Low   1:57 PM    -0.8

     4     High   8:17 PM     4.0

F    5      Low   1:21 AM     1.5   6:37 AM     Set  5:39 AM      96

     5     High   7:40 AM     6.4   4:42 PM    Rise  4:30 PM

     5      Low   2:37 PM    -1.0

     5     High   9:01 PM     4.0

Weather and WNW swell to end the week

(I'm heading out of town from Oct. 11-16th so I'll be back bloggin' next Wed...unless I decide to post from the beach on my vacation...)

 

All sorts of activity going on as we swing from Summer to Fall and back again.  After a few nice SW swells it looks like Mother Nature is tossing us another small WNW groundswell.  You might have heard about the North Shores of the Hawaiian Islands the past few days (see Ocean Notes)…it was CRAN-KING!  The swell isn’t really directed at us but we’re still going to benefit from the leftovers.  We’re already seeing the buoys increasing.  Surf should pick up to waist/chest high for Thursday morning with some slightly better waves at the winter North facing beaches but expect some unfavorable weather to put a bit of bump overnight on the surface.  The swell will hold up through Fri, Sat and Sun with surf in the chest/shoulder range.  Weather and wind will be the biggest factor Fri and Sat. By Sun things should clean up and surf looks pretty nice.  The swell fades Monday with a little pick-me-up from some small SW. Surf in the waist/chest range but slightly better at summer beaches.  That’ll be a short and small swell but we’re expecting another medium NW groundswell for Tues of next week with size at west and north facing beaches back into the waist/chest range with some fun shoulder high sets.  Swell holds for Wed as the swell peaks with some nice chest/shoulder high surf.  Kinda quiet after that with what looks like some smaller NW and a small late SW swell developing. 

We’ve got our first weather maker coming to town tonight with moderate S winds tonight making things a little lumpy in the morning and for most of the day.   Looks like a nice window of light winds in the early hours of the day before winds pickup more out of the S.  Sustaining S winds for most of Thurs night and through Fri and pretty gusty for Sat.  And then we have the rain.  The latest models are actually looking more favorable with about a 0.25” along the coast for the day starting overnight and kind of just drizzling all day.  Definiletly some colder air temps (mid-60s) than we’ve had lately and snow…yes, snow levels to 7000’.  Showers should taper off by Friday dawn with some left over clouds  but then  expect sunshine for the windy Sat and a pretty gorgeous day Sunday and air temps back into the mid 70s.  Big high pressure brings sunshine and high 70s back to town for the first half of the week.  Still some cooler nights though to remind you that it’s Fall.  Some big tide swings as we approach Monday’s New Moon.  Look for fuller morning highs to slow things down a bit and negative lows to really drain out the beach breaks by Sunday.  Water temps still in the low 70s/high 60s.  Expect that to cool down with the NW swells that are moving in.  Yup, time for a full suit!

Looking like some fun surf if you can find a nice window between wind and rain but better conditions for the second half of the weekend.  Surf Sunday…Charger’s aren’t on til Monday!

I’m outta here for warm water, fun waves and a mai tai or two!

Alooooooooooooha!

Mish

Ocean Notes:

1)       One word: PEAHI! (translation: JAWS!)  This is some of the most gorgeous and perfect HUGE surf I've ever seen!  The video will leave you in awe!  Watch Shane Dorian rock the house with a mammoth sized barrel yesterday.

2)      With the rainy season upon I’ll remind everyone not to surf in poo!  This storm will be the FIRST FLUSH.  Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds.  Check out Coast Keeper’s County Beach Status website.  And watch the water around Ponto.  9000 gallons of sewage spilled there two days ago…POOPY WATER!!!!!!!!! That’s just gonna get flushed out even more as it rains.  Be mindful!

3)      The newest high profile surf flick to hit the theaters later this month is getting some pretty good reviews. Check out the trailer for Chasing Mavericks , the story of Jay Moriarty and his passion for a well know deadly surf spot.

4)      And to end the Ocean Notes let’s just take a nice look back at some fun clean California October sessions.

Tides for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) starting with October 11, 2012.

www.saltwatertiedes.com

Day        High      Tide  Height   Sunrise    Moon  Time      % Moon

           /Low      Time    Feet    Sunset                    Visible

Th  11      Low  12:44 AM     0.6   6:51 AM    Rise  2:46 AM      25

    11     High   7:16 AM     4.7   6:20 PM     Set  3:49 PM

    11      Low   1:03 PM     1.6

    11     High   7:02 PM     4.9

F   12      Low   1:18 AM     0.5   6:52 AM    Rise  3:48 AM      16

    12     High   7:42 AM     5.2   6:19 PM     Set  4:25 PM

    12      Low   1:43 PM     0.9

    12     High   7:47 PM     5.1

Sa  13      Low   1:50 AM     0.5   6:52 AM    Rise  4:52 AM      9

    13     High   8:10 AM     5.6   6:18 PM     Set  5:01 PM

    13      Low   2:24 PM     0.2

    13     High   8:32 PM     5.2

Su  14      Low   2:23 AM     0.6   6:53 AM    Rise  5:58 AM      3

    14     High   8:41 AM     6.1   6:17 PM     Set  5:40 PM

    14      Low   3:05 PM    -0.3

    14     High   9:17 PM     5.1

M   15      Low   2:57 AM     0.8   6:54 AM    Rise  7:06 AM      0

    15     High   9:14 AM     6.4   6:15 PM     Set  6:23 PM

    15      Low   3:49 PM    -0.7

    15     High  10:04 PM     4.9

Tu  16      Low   3:32 AM     1.1   6:55 AM    Rise  8:16 AM      0

    16     High   9:51 AM     6.5   6:14 PM     Set  7:10 PM

    16      Low   4:36 PM    -0.9

    16     High  10:54 PM     4.5

W   17      Low   4:09 AM     1.4   6:55 AM    Rise  9:25 AM      2

    17     High  10:30 AM     6.5   6:13 PM     Set  8:03 PM

    17      Low   5:26 PM    -0.8

    17     High  11:50 PM     4.1