New Years Forecast

South to variable winds this morning - looking a bit junky with the storm passing and big high tide. New W swell is filling in - around 6-7 ft at 15-17 seconds. Look for that swell to hold thru New Year's Eve - then we get a bigger W swell New Year's Day into Saturday going back into the double/triple overhead range at stand out WNW facing spots. Could still have some light southerly/variable winds Thurs/Fri - and then wind conditions could clean up more on Saturday and Sunday. So plenty of swell to continue, just check the winds each morning. We also have some big high tides (plus 7ft) next two mornings. Happy New Year and cya in the water.

How good does Ocean Beach get?

Thanks Bryan Hawken for the picture - from 12-9. Triple overhead day almost looks friendly.....

Large Swell Moves In Overnight

Large, long period swell will rapidly fill in overnight. Outer buoys are in the 17-19 ft range at 15-17 seconds. Look for double overhead ++ sets at top NW facing spots. Winds are iffy right now - as we have a storm moving through. S/SE direction suppose to change to N/NE tomorrow afternoon - we'll see. Swell will stick around on Monday - a bit smaller. More waves and potential on and off weather through next week. But plenty of surf. cya in the water.

Updated Christmas Forecast and Upcoming Weekend

Winds are veering North tonight and should be blowing NE/E (offshore) by Thursday and Friday mornings. Could even see lighter winds tomorrow morning (Wednesday) but things might still be a bit bumpy after all this NW wind. We have back to back WNW swells in the water, one winding down tomorrow and then a new swell incoming Thursday, peaking Friday. Should see peak sets with this swell to several feet overhead at NW facing breaks. Good direction on these pulses - 270-300 degrees. A new storm is taking shape tonight in the Central Pacific - quite impressive on satellite - and that could kick up a much larger swell for the upcoming weekend. More on that swell event Friday. If the models are correct - we could unfortunately see a pretty strong turn to wet weather this weekend as well which might negate the incoming swell train in terms of quality. The Pacific Basin is super active - El Nino is still gaining some strength and I don't believe we've seen the full impact yet of this building event in terms of swells and storms. It's overtaking 3 years of La Nina in the upper atmosphere and that requires a huge amount of energy to reverse that cycle. Something that has been going on for many months now. So we could very well be in for a wet and wild January and beyond. Time will tell. In the meantime, enjoy the good run of weather and surf upcoming. Cya in the water.

Weekend into Christmas forecast

Something to ride over the next 7 days - just variable swell heights with different swell trains inbound. Weather looks pretty nice this weekend with offshore flow through the period. Chance of very light rain maybe Monday/Tuesday - but it certainly doesn't look like gully washer. High pressure should re build over us for dry weather through Christmas. Swell wise, current WNW swell is winding down - but looking for a bump up again this weekend into Monday - another shot of west swell projected at 10-11 at 15 from 263 at it's peak on Sunday. More long period stuff due in Xmas eve and and Christmas Day - in the 7-10 ft range with longer periods at 17 sec and more northerly at 296. All n all - looks damn fine. The SF and Bodega buoys are both offline now and not scheduled to be redeployed anytime soon. The Calif buoy is also offline with no date to be re set. Makes forecasting incoming swells really hard. My advice is to stay on the SE Papa Buoy (600 miles offshore) and then check the SF Bar buoy which gives a spectral breakdown of incoming surf - but no wind or water temp data. Usually inbound swell at the SE Papa Buoy comes in 20-40% smaller once it hits the SF Bar buoy to account for the swell diminishing in size as it gets farther from it's source. At this rate we might have to go back to the old school way of forecasting - get in your car and drive and get what you get! Happy Holidays to everyone and I'll see you in the water.

Another storm winds up, bigger swell late week

Rain returns Tuesday starting in the North Bay and working south by Wednesday. Look for strong south winds near the coast and copious amounts of rain from Marin County to points north. This system is going to kick up a strong WNW swell - building to 8-12 ft on Wednesday - with Thursday being the peak day - 15-18 ft deep water - and forecasted light winds. Swell direction 279 to 281 deg. Friday winds may stay light and swell will drop with sets several feet overhead. Winds look light this am from the south - leftover westerly windswell from the storm that came through over the weekend. cya in the water.

**Some Forecasting notes - the SF Buoy appears to be offline since the weekend - it may have pulled off it's location and is adrift. Bummer for checking inbound swells. I'll try and see how long it's going to be out. Also - the Quickscat satellite - which provides wind speeds and direction information over the ocean to NOAA has come offline and probably won't be repaired this winter. This is a big blow to forecasters and will most certainly limit (somewhat) the ability to accurately predict surf heights. There are other tools forecasters use - but the quickscat is a very valuable satellite.

More big stuff coming, wild weather too

Thanks to Sean for the great pics. I'll post more of his stuff from our recent run of swells over the next few weeks. As for us, break in the groundswell on Sunday with N windswell the rule - as we have a modified arctic airmass and associated front decending on us from the Great White North. Cold, yeah, snow, maybe. Could see a dusting of snow on our local mountains by Monday morning for sure. Then late next week the flood gates open with wet storms after Wednesday, through the early part of the following week. The super storm which is going to send Hawaii 40-50 ft surf! on Tuesday is also sending groundswell in our direction to the tune of 15-18 ft (some 25ft) deepwater stuff on Wednesday. Rumor has it that the Eddie and the Mavs contest could both go off this week - something that is quite unusual. But it's an El Nino year and just as predicted the North Pac is unleashing a relentless parade of swells with no end in sight really. Winds look WNW right now starting tomorrow thru Tuesday. Then we might see a period of East winds starting Tuesday night through Wednesday. And with that big swell, could be pretty amazing. All and all next week looks Nor Cal wild with a bit of everything. Keep an eye on the buoys and winds and you might just find a few nuggets. Cya in the water.

Terry Fitzgerald 'The Sultan of Speed'

One of the most stylish and influential surfers of all time - great old footage of Fitz, Wayne Lynch and others in this clip. Makes you want to ride a single fin!

Clean conditions and size through the week...

Epic conditions look to continue right through the week with offshores and solid size - especially at the NW facing breaks. Minor fluctuations each day - but plenty of overhead stuff on tap - then look for size to really jump back up this coming Thursday into Friday with more of that 8-12 ft - occasionally 15ft all day Friday. Enjoy it - because models are hinting that this El Nino is finally going to flex it's muscle by late next weekend and give us an extended run of storms/rain through the following Wednesday. Until then, with storms all the way across the North Pacific - the surf will stay strong for the next 7-10 days and probably beyond. Cya in the water.

Thanks 2Mile Surf Shop

Don't spend your money in 2mile Surf Shop in Bolinas. I heard this weekend that the new owner of 2mile - who also owns a surf shop in Downtown Petaluma, is "outing" the last remaining secret spots on the West Marin Coast. Bolinas locals confirmed that they've heard the owner on the phone giving directions to people that most likely shouldn't be venturing out of Bolinas to begin with. It's bad enough that Bolinas has been taken over by every imaginable wave craft and surfer within a 100 mile radius, now you have some fucking kook telling everyone where the last remaining spots are so they can bring their 10 ft surf tech foamies into those line ups. Not sure how the rest of you feel about this - but I think we should allow people the opportunity to "discover" new spots on their own, through trial and error and some local knowledge. That's how I've found any new spot for myself on the CA coast over the past 30 years or so - from San Diego to points far north of San Francisco. And to all you surf shops giving group lessons as well as private lessons - some words of advice - teach your students some basic rules of the road before allowing them into the water - like look over your shoulder and dont drop in on people, if you're paddling out paddle inside a surfer who is up and riding on a wave. Do not try to beat him or her to the shoulder of the wave - you'll lose that race most everytime. You guys are ruining our spots with your lack of respect and common courtesy. You want to make money giving lessons - that's fine. You want to run a surf shop and make some cash - good for you. How about using your head and respect the people that live in the area, and the surfers that have been at these spots for a long time.

Wasabi Video Forecast 11-25

Video Forecast!

Offshores and swell most of this week

Morning - really nice conditions ahead for the next 3-4 days. Offshore winds are set up and should continue right through Thanksgiving Day. There is a weak front scheduled to blow through late Thursday, and then dry conditions should take over behind it for the weekend. Look for a longer period NW swell to begin showing today and peak Tuesday. From 300-320 - and a bit smaller than this past weekends swell. Looking ahead to potentially a much bigger swell for the 26th and 27th - with more West in it - 275-300. This could be in the double - triple overhead range for Friday into the weekend. So, should be pretty epic for the next couple days with the offshores and plenty of waves for the next seven days and beyond. Cya in the water and Happy Thanksgiving.

Nice Dawn Patrol This AM.....

Look for large swell to start impacting our coast tomorrow afternoon through Saturday. Deepwater swell heights around 15-17 ft. Good size storm comes in Friday - out of here by Saturday morning, with light north winds forecast for Saturday. Should be plenty of surf all weekend long - just check those winds before heading out.
cya in the water.

The Dead Seal Sessions Vol 1

To Be continued.......thanks for the pic Shafer! I think I know what comes next.

Big Swell and Weather headed our way

Rain chances begin tomorrow in the North Bay, with south winds starting up in the afternoon ahead of the front. Look for another strong weather system to come ashore Friday bringing rain to the entire region. We have a big low pressure system spinning in the Gulf of Alaska - as such look for a series of big WNW swells over the next 7-10 days. First of these is on the rise already to our north and look for overhead surf later Tuesday. Wednesday look for even bigger waves - double overhead plus at NW facing spots, holds Thursday and then an even bigger shot for Friday into Saturday. Right now Wednesday morning looks marginal wind wise - maybe good for am AM sesh - and Thursday, the winds potentially could be even lighter in the morning with good conditions. South winds and bad weather Friday/Saturday. Basically we're gonna have a lot of swell, but highly changeable conditions over the next week - so keep an eye on the winds and know which spots will work under different conditions. cya in the water.

Weekend Forecast

Light NW winds this morning will probably continue on Saturday morning. Look for a change to a NE/offshore wind possibly for Sunday AM. Look for ongoing WNW windswell in the 11-12 sec range - with head high to sets a few feet overhead at NW facing breaks Saturday. Look for more size on Sunday and then bigger still with a new NW swell inbound for Mon/Tues. I'm also tracking a big storm complex due middle of next week - potentially sending in a large long period WNW swell, but also a storm with it. More on that Monday. get some this weekend and cya in the water.

Surf Check

Like this shot of the bros checking the surf this past Saturday morning. Good times.

Yeah, it's bigger than it looks....

Big Monday, Ocean Beach. Drove by this morning after dropping some friends at the airport - it was big, perfect, offshore. I mean very large. For the 3 guys out at Judah, I salute you. Not sure what you had for breakfast to make you paddle out - but good on you brothers. North end of the beach almost looked manageable, some guys suiting up - maybe 1.5 to dble overhead. Not like the center of the beach which still had small office buildings rolling ashore. Look for things to stay large most of this week, thru next weekend and into the first part of next week. Winds don't look horrible until possibly Thursday when we get a NW blow after this big low pressure system in the Gulf of AK finally moves out. Also as reported by Surfline over the weekend - Eric Geiselman's shark encounter north of Santa Cruz. Hey Eric - pretty sure that was a big elephant seal that bumped your ass - otherwise you'd have a few staples and teeth marks in the board. Welcome to Nor Cal. cya in the water.

Boom, Big Saturday Video Forecast!

Monster Swell now for the weekend

From the NWS:

.MARINE...AS OF 5:15 AM WEDNESDAY...LARGE AND POTENTIALLY
DAMAGING NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE LATE FRI
INTO SATURDAY AND PROBABLY LASTING THROUGH MOST
OF SUNDAY. LATER SHIFTS WILL NEED
TO LOOK INTO A HIGH SURF ADVISORY/OR POSSIBLE
WARNING SINCE SWELL HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO
REACH CLOSE TO 20 FEET WITH  SWELL PERIODS UP TO
17 SECONDS.

It's gonna be a big one. Winds look like they might shift to the N/NW and remain on the lighter side after frontal passage on Thursday/Friday. So protected spots might be the call. Anywhere is going to be big on this swell, especially with the long period. More to come.....

LARGE NW SWELL FOR THE WEEKEND

The biggest swell so far of the Fall headed our way starting this coming Friday. Models are forecasting a deep water swell train of 14-19 feet at 16-17 seconds from 302!! We have a change in our weather as well with a series of low pressure systems progd to swing into CA from Thursday thru the weekend. Before then, pretty epic long period energy from Lupit winding down thru tomorrow - well overhead today and clean offshores. Look for a repeat on Tuesday with offshore winds and dropping swell. I think the wind shift will really take shape starting around Thursday night - swinging more to a storm direction SSW as the storm fronts start to knock on our door. As for that upcoming weekend swell - Friday will start large - 10-11ft at 17, Saturday and Sunday - uber large at 18-19 ft at 17, "dropping" some Monday to 15-16 ft at 16. Still big next Tuesday. I will try to dial in the winds and re confirm swell size mid week. Until then, enjoy some clean offshore mornings over the next couple days. cya in the water.

Swell from Neki, Lupit for weekend

Two long period swell trains will be inbound for our shores this weekend. Some buoys in the No Pac already showing this swell with the Western Aleutian Buoy at a whopping 31 ft 17 seconds!
First up will be swell from former Hurricane Neki - that was off Hawaii last week. Could see some early signs late Saturday - but main event looks like Sunday with shoulder to head high waves at most breaks, perhaps bigger at NW facing beaches. Direction 285-295. The second, larger swell is from former Typhoon Lupit that has gone extratropical. This storm is a long ways from the West Coast - which means we'll have long waits between sets, but long period and very solid when the sets show. Head high at most spots and possibly well overhead at NW facing breaks. This should steam in late Sunday, peaking Monday. Direction 300-310. Winds Saturday to Monday look light and variable for the morning sessions right now as high pressure maintains control over our region. cya in the water.

Spring in October

Let's see - 25kt winds, gusts to 40 and higher, what month is this again? It's a blow fest at the beaches today - and will continue through Wednesday. Looks like we might see a return to lighter winds for the mornings late in the week - into the weekend. Swell wise, nothing of huge interest in the charts this week. We'll have large windswell over the next couple days, probably biggest today and tomorrow. Period in the 8-12 second range. Water temps will most certainly cool down too with the upwelling that is going to occur. The North Pacific looks super active for this early in the season, thanks to El Nino. Watching a couple big systems right now that will hopefully send us some longer period swell as we start the month of November. I'll have more on those storms as we get towards the weekend.

Russ Short 1977

Russ Short vintage footage from the 70s - riding a bonzer - check the frame grab of the cutback about mid vid. Old school shred.

Solid surf continues thru weekend

Afternoon - big WNW winding down today - but still plenty of size. Look for a further fade Saturday morning - then a new WNW fills in Sat afternoon thru Monday. Size should jump back up to "well" overhead on Sunday at breaks facing NW. Beyond - models are forecasting some rather large, intense storms out in the Pacific - which right now could send us some pretty significant swell for the end of October into early November. Stay tuned on those.

Winds for the weekend - NW winds look problematic through the weekend. At least in the outer waters. We'll see if that wind mixes in nearshore. My guess is NW facing breaks will be on the breezy side Saturday/Sunday mornings. Find breaks protected from the winds and will do something with the size. cya in the water.

Solid SW Swell showing, NW Swell on the rise

Afternoon - solid pulse of SW hitting - deep water showing 3 ft at 17-20 from 210-220. NW also on the rise - now 5ft at 13 from 275. Look for size to increase the rest of the week - and get real big Thursday - Friday - talking 13-14 ft at 16 seconds at 292. Winds are looking light for the morning sessions - perhaps a bit more wind in the afternoons. No rain until next week. All the early season rain is already helping some breaks locally that need run off to work. Could be an epic season for a lot of spots that haven't been ridden much over the past 3 years. El Nino is flexing it's muscle and it's only October. Look for another solid pulse of NW swell to show Sunday. More on that one later in the week. Picture is from NW Mexico last week. A clean beachie we surfed each afternoon. cya in the water.

Updated Forecast

Hi Everyone - back from a week on the NW coast of Mexico - great week of surf, wild weather. Great crew of guys to share some waves with too. Can't wait until next year. I will post some pictures and vids when everything comes in. As for Nor Cal - we have a solid SW swell starting late tomorrow running thru Friday. And also a sizeable NW Gulf Swell that is due to show Thursday/Friday - with double overhead and bigger possible both days. Winds look N tomorrow morning, variable winds in the AM from Wed to Fri. I'll update the forecast Wed with a look ahead to that big Gulf Swell rolling towards our shores late week. cya in the water.

Major Storm to impact Nor Cal next week

If you want to see what a major storm looks like during an El Nino year - check this image. Super powerful system for Mid October. If you look upstream in the pic - you can just see the remains of Typhoon Melor getting ready to drop under the Aleutians. This energy is going to drive into our region Tues/Wed of next week. Right now - forecasts call for up to 10 inches of rain between Monday night and Wednesday night next week. Very high winds - S/SE in direction and everything in between. The ocean is going to be a mess - with long period energy, short period energy and south swell wind chop probably starting late Monday and going thru mid week at least. Things may settle down late in the week - with some sort of large swell hanging around. Potentially looking at deep water swell heights Tues thru Thurs in the 12-15 ft range - period 12-13 seconds, plus 8 and 9 sec chop mixed in. Swell direction 260 to 275 then changing more North later in the week as the storm moves ashore. Best advice I can give is keep your eye on the winds, find places that are protected from strong south winds and can handle the size. Wave heights should be much smaller by next weekend.

Small waves thru weekend - pick up next week

Small surf to prevail thru Sunday - with nothing of any real significance hitting our shores. Mainly NW windswell and some background SW swell. Typhoon Melor is going to make weather news next week - bringing us perhaps our first real rain early in the week - and swell. Very early right now - but forecast calls for Melor to get caught up in the westerlies this weekend - go screaming across the N Pac bringing us periods of swell all next week. It should be a combination of longer period west swell early in the week and then shorter period, larger swell as the storm system tracks thru the Gulf of Alaska. Keep an eye on the buoys - especially the Papa Buoy offshore. Winds right now have been light/variable in the mornings, but look for an increase in the onshore flow as we move into the weekend. If the storm behaves as forecast, and we get rain next week - you can expect s/sw winds to accompany the rain. I'm off to Mexico Oct 11-18 - so I won't be updating the blog.

Weekend Forecast

Yeah, well let's see Lance jump into our 51 degree water.....That's right friends, water temps have tumbled and with a Gale forecast over the outer waters this weekend - I predict water temps in the upper 40s by Sunday. Today we have NE winds, turning West later today. Friday am will see variable winds in the AM. Look for NW winds to ramp up Friday night thru Sunday - with the worst winds Saturday night with gale force gusts. Unfortunately, the weekend looks a bit grim - no NW groundswell forecast - but we'll have plenty of choppy, sloppy NW windswell. Looks a lot like Early Spring, instead of Early Fall. There will be a decent SW swell in the water from 190-210 - Saturday into Sunday - but the NW winds may really hack that up as it moves up the California coast. Spots protected from the NW wind and with a good window to the S/SW might have a few waves on offer.

Eddie Would Go

Ocean Beach, Sunday past. Eddie is a friend of the Wasab and many others in our crew. He's not 17 either. Nice down the line on a sweet little wave.

Forecast for wk of 9-28

Morning - hope you got some waves this weekend. Bunch of spots looked good yesterday at Ocean Beach with plenty of size mid beach. Weather pattern is changing today with a low pressure system dropping out of the Gulf of AK. Look for NW winds to really ramp up over the next two days - increasing NW Windswell and probably tumbling our nice warm water temps. Look for NW winds 15-17 kts Tuesday, increasing to 21+ kts on Wed. By Thursday, this low pressure system will drop into the Great Basin and should give us a shot of offshore flow Thurs/Fri mornings. If nothing else, winds should be light and variable near shore. Look for rising NW windswell Tues/Wed - shorter period, choppy from a pretty steep angle. By Thursday, a new NW groundswell should fill in from 310-330 - looking good for well overhead sets (perhaps larger) at top NW facing breaks. This storm is still coming together so i'll update more mid week. Cya in the water.

Swell from Typhoon Choi Wan Begins.....

Quick update tonight - swell from Typhoon Choi Wan is starting to show to our north - 8-9 at 2o seconds. Solid. Look for swell to increase all day Saturday and get quite large before dark. Sunday/Monday - super strong swell with double to triple overhead waves at standout NW facing breaks. Swell will start in the 285-300 range and then move more into 310-315 later Sunday into Monday. Winds still a bit tricky, but should be light to variable near shore for the AM sessions. Cya in the water.

Stubborn Marine Layer - Typhoon Choi-Wan Weekend Swell

Evening - marine layer refuses to budge. When high pressure set up in the Great Basin and a thermal low set up in the Central Valley over the weekend - we didn't get enough movement West from the Central Valley thermal low to essentially squash the marine air and allow the offshore flow to migrate all the way to the ocean. So we have cool air, dense fog, light south winds nearshore - but inland temps are soaring. We might get a north gradient late in the week - if this ramps up - it could be strong enough to scour the low clouds and fog out. As for the weekend - Typhoon Choi Wan merged with a frontal low in the Gulf of AK - and turned into a super system - pumping out long period WNW swell (285-305) for the upcoming weekend. Swell will be on the rise Friday night, with head high to well overhead surf Saturday afternoon and overhead to double overhead + for Sunday (for NW facing breaks like Ocean Beach). Early buoy readings from the Western Aleutians were showing deep water swell at 22ft 17 seconds. Between now and the weekend - we still have a small WNW swell in the water and some pulses of SW. So still plenty of surf to ride. Cya in the water.

Arctic Surf Film

This looks like an interesting flick.

Swell, hot temps, offshores****

Evening. Hot weather rolling in and will stick around all week. Looks like the warmest days near the Coast will be Monday, Tuesday. Still some fog around tonight - but that should get scoured out Monday. We have plenty of swell around - back to back mid period WNW swells filling in tonight and sticking around thru Thursday. Swell direction 285-300 - mostly 10-12 second periods. By the weekend - still looking for swell from Typhoon Choi-Wan, which right now is curving NE and looks to make a run east across the North Pacific most of the week. As a result, by next weekend we could see a nice shot of WNW swell with longer periods. I'll update mid week. Good week to call in sick. cya in the water. **** - Note on weather conditions near the Coast - s/sw flow and fog along with a very weak onshore gradient is keeping things cool and foggy along the coast. This marine inversion appears to be trapped under the high pressure building aloft. Temps may be much cooler than forecast near the coast - unless the offshore push takes hold all the way to the ocean. That is the forecast - but remains to be seen if it develops.

Forecast Video 9-17

Hey Everyone, trying out a video forecast - check it out!

Current NW fading slowly, ramps back up Thursday

Current WNW swell is fading today and tomorrow - but very solid this am with buoys reading 8-9 ft at 11 from 300. Winds are light/variable. Probaby pick up some from the West in the pm. Right now our next swell is due in Thursday/Friday with deep water swell projected at 8-9 ft at 12-14 sec from 289-296. Winds look to stay more on the light side all week for the morning sessions, maybe a bit of funk here and there - but no major blow. Might see a light offshore event starting Friday and lasting thru Sunday if forecast stays on track. All n' all - something to surf for the next 5-7 days - size, shape and winds will depend on your location. The storm track in the North Pacific is active - welcome to the 2009-2010 Fall/Winter surf season in Northern California! Get some.

Here it comes...Updated Friday AM

Buoys as of Fri AM - Central Alaska - 31 ft at 14 sec, Papa Buoy (600nm offshore) 15 ft at 14 sec. Solid. Weekend swell is on the way. Saturday afternoon is when the real deal should start with head high plus waves later in the day. Sunday - expect some double overhead sets as this swell peaks. Winds look to stay light (we had a nice glass off tonight) thru the weekend. We also have a few weather systems headed our way - with the system late Sunday into Monday giving us our first chance of rain this Fall. Long range models continue to show storm activity in the Gulf of Alaska next week giving us more swell. More on that later in the weekend.
If you like the big stuff - I think Sunday may be your kind of day at places like Ocean Beach. Cya in the water.

Tracking Decent NW for Weekend

Just shaping up tonight - good WNW swell gaining traction out at the dateline. Look for long period forerunners on the rise Friday - up to 6ft at 17 from 290 (deep water swell height) with period dropping some on Saturday - 7ft at 13-14 sec. This storm is still coming together but this should be a decent pulse of swell for the weekend. Winds looking light Friday/Saturday mornings - especially for the AM sessions. More later in week on this. Fall pattern continues to take shape.

Small NW/Windswell pulses to continue

Evening. Steep angled NW swell filled into today - came in later than forecast. At it's peak mid day, some good size sets were coming in at NW facing beaches - head to several feet overhead. Winds never did quite make it full offshore today, as the low pressure system that moved into the Great Basin lost some gusto. Our current NW swell is winding down tomorrow, but thru mid week there will be plenty of waves about as it combines with N windswell. Wind conditions for the remainder of the week are a tough call. Mainly look for WNW to W/SW winds each day. Lightest in the morning hours. Right now Wed/Thurs mornings look like the best windows for variable winds for am sessions. Should be something to ride each day, just not super clean. I am tracking a small pulse of NW swell for next weekend - (from 290-305) and then a potentially bigger NW swell for Mid September - more on that later this week. We do have some background SW swells in the water all week as well - but much of this energy will be lost under the dominant NW push. Cya in the water.

September!

Well, we have officially made it through another Nor Cal Summer. It's Labor Day weekend and for nor cal surfers, we're like little children awaiting Christmas. Before the weekend outlook - a quick story. You know back in the day, before buoy, wind, weather, cams, swell reports and everything else surfy online - you normally got up in the morning and drove to the beach, taking your chances. I grew up in So Cal, surfing Malibu - and you always got your report from the guy coming your way on the canyon road out to the Bu. A simple thumbs up or down - made your day. I've noticed, driving the roads of Marin - people don't do that much anymore. So I was surprised last weekend when I had my hand out the window with a simple inquiry - I got the old school thumbs up response. Probably another old school type like me that remembers that common stoke. It was cool. As for the weekend - we have a strong low pressure system driving out of the Gulf of Alaska which will bring rain to the NW (and extreme Nor Cal). For us, it's going to cool us down, bring in the fog and the winds for the first part of the weekend at least. Swell looks small today, Friday and then we might start seeing an increase Saturday into Monday. Right now could be looking at surf in the 5-7 ft range at 11-13 sec from 300-302. Depending on how this storm comes together, might be a tad bigger. I think Monday could be the best day for winds - if the storm barrels into the Great Basin we might get some NE/N winds. I'll update Sunday. That's it for now. cya in the water.

New NW Swell arriving

Deep water buoy shows new NW - 4 ft at 14 sec from 310. Problem is we have onshore winds with it and forecast for most of the week. Things dont look very clean. Size will increase during the day with overhead sets at northwest facing breaks. Swell sticks around Tuesday - then fades Wednesday. Put away those party hats for now - as things in both the north and southern pac have slowed again with not much headed our way for the upcoming holiday weekend. Hopefully, it's just a brief break in the action. cya in the water.

Update on Swells - Size Downgraded

Morning - very clean conditions with light to offshore flow. Two swells in the water, SE swell from TS Ignacio at 4.0 ft 11 sec from 170. West swell at 4.5 at 12 from 275. The large swell that was suppose to hit this am - really dropped off as it approached the coast. I still expect some decent size tomorrow with some overhead sets at NW facing beaches - but not quite as macking as initially forecast by models. As for Monday/Tuesday swell - that too looks smaller right now and i'll update on that event over the weekend. If you can get out today someplace - it looks super fun. Onshore flow looks to pick up again as the remnants from Ignacio get caught up in the northern jetstream and blow east of us. This will probably happen over the weekend. cya in the water.

Two More NW Swells to follow

Next "West" shot in the water - looks to hit Friday with deep water swell in the 8-9 at 15sec from 284. Pretty solid. Saturday, period drops to 13 sec, but still size. Look for another NW swell next Monday - deepwater forecast at 7-8 at 15 sec from 302. Tuesday similar size, period drops to 13 sec. Period and size drop out Wed to 6-7 at 12 sec. After that - things may calm down just a bit. However - the pattern is setting up shop in the North Pacific and with El Nino fueling storm development - I think we're in for a very active Fall. **One note - we still have pretty decent south swell in the water all this week too - overshadowed a bit by the run of NW, but for breaks that do well on the cross up in swells - some pretty fun surf. cya in the water.

More Gulf of Alaska NW Swell On Way

Damn, that's a nice picture isn't it? Nice low pressure system in the Gulf of Alaska with another storm forming behind it. Look for surf to build from this first storm Wednesday afternoon - with overhead sets - continuing into Thursday morning, with biggest waves early. Look for surf in the 6-8 ft range at 13 sec/dropping to 12 sec on Thursday. Next up, similar size swell pushes in for next Saturday and then even bigger West swell forecast for Monday 8-31. Keep in mind surf heights may change as each event gets closer depending on how the storms develop. Winds still really iffy right now with fog in place and forecast to be on and off all next week. With some hints at some offshore events mid week - but don't count on it. If we're lucky, winds will at least stay light SW to W for the morning sessions. The pattern in the Gulf is setting up and now we need some of these storm systems to come ashore in the NW and dive into the Great Basin to set up some real offshore wind events for September.

Gulf of Alaska Opening For Business

Say it with me - FALL- ahhh. And as if on cue, we've got back to back NW swells forecast for the weekend and mid next week. First pulse due in Saturday, peaking Sunday. Steep angle - 300-315 and mid period stuff - but should be good for head high + sets. Second pulse, moves in next Tuesday/Wednesday - similar angle 300-315 +, may have a bit longer period. This second swell might get a bit bigger too - head high ++. Making things even more interesting, starting tomorrow late we've got a series of back to back SW/S swells to cross things up. Looking for pretty decent deep water swell energy in the 2-4 ft range with periods from 19 to 15 seconds - over the next 9-10 days. Angle of approach will range from 200 to 190 on the south swells. Winds look pretty light for morning sessions through Monday. SW to S to W winds - but in the 5-10kt range. No offshore pattern to take shape - but no blow out either. Should be plenty to surf for the next 7 days and beyond. Cya in the water.

South stirs, perhaps some NW swell next week

Signs of life for the weekend - look for a new SW swell to start filling in over Friday - with most size late in the day. Look for waist high stuff, but getting into the chest/head high range over the weekend. Direction 190-200. Look for a stronger pulse of s swell (180-190) around the 27th thru the 28th of next week. Long range charts also now show a NW Swell for around Aug 23 to Aug 27. Too early to call right now for size/period - but I will keep an eye on it and have an update over the weekend. No real offshores in sight this week - but light s winds, potentially right through the weekend. So some bump, perhaps a little funk here and there - but at least it's not blowing NW at 25kts. cya in the water.

Uneventful week ahead.....

Well those offshores forecast for this past weekend never fully developed. Fog with a southerly surge ruled the coastal weather. As we move into the new week - looks like mainly windswell through next weekend. Winds will diminish overall as we move through the period. So am sessions might feature some light to variable winds nearshore. Looking at the models in the northern hemi, nothing of interest right now. Southern hemi looks to get more active as we move later into August, with the promise of some better long period SW swells due in late in the month. But right now that's just a pipe dream from the models. Until then, enjoy the windswell and hopefully lighter than normal winds. On an El Nino note - final confirmation of the strength of the upcoming event is probable around the 3rd week in September. Most forecasters (including NOAA) agree we're going into an El Nino event - but the actual strength is still to be determined.

Offshores for the weekend

Early Fall pattern starting to establish itself. About a month early. Low pressure system will dive into the NW tomorrow and then into the Great Basin over the weekend setting up a northerly flow over our area. How much winds turn to the NE, still remains to be seen, but winds will definitely be blowing out of the north thru Sunday. Swell wise - windswell will be the main feature in the water, larger than it's been - forecasting 6-8, 9-11 ft stuff Sat/Sun. Short period - probably in the 8-9 sec range. Models have been hinting at some small NW swell early next week - but i've not seen much evidence yet this will develop. So for now, we're kinda in between summer and fall - nothing major from either hemi coming yet - but it's getting closer! cya in the water.

Simmons fish fest at Ocean Beach

So this weekend we busted out our Simmons fishes for some Ocean Beach goodness. I think between the four of us in this picture we must own like 80 surfboards - bunch of freaks. Bunch of old dudes too. L to R:
Wasabi with Jeff Mccallum 5.8 2nd generation Simmons, "Rowfu" with 5.8 Hydrodynamica, the "Colonel" with 5.4 Hydrodynamica simster shaped by Rusty, and Sean with his 5.4 Hydrodynamica Simster. Damn fun rides too. As for surf - did anyone catch that offshore this morning?? First one of the season. Heard reports it was fun. Looks like still small swell the rest of the week, but not completely shut down. Fog is coming back up the Coast tonight so our nice morning weather is gone - but hopefully winds will stay light for AM sessions. Cya in the waters.

Tropical Swell for the weekend

Swell from Hurricane Felicia starting to show along our Coast. Look for waves in the 12-14 sec range, probably 2-3 ft. We have a small SW showing too - so there won't be much notable difference, just a bit more consistency. NW Windswell is going to increase over the weekend as NW winds ramp up offshore on the outer waters after our low pressure system came through yesterday. Winds might mess up the morning sessions near the coast - hard to say - best to get up and check it in the am and see if they remain on the lighter side. We might luck out and get somewhat cleaner conditions for the mornings. Longer range, no significant NW swells yet - just looks like NW windswell and S/SW swell.

A hint of Fall....

Ah, a small taste of Fall weather at the Beach today. Sweet south swell nuggies rolling in. Light winds - (was even offshore this am for a time). I surfed mid day - and winds were still calm - super fun lefts coming in - good size at times too. This SW swell seems to have slipped in and caught everyone by surprise with it's size and consistency. Still in the 2-3 ft at 17 sec range (deep water size). Size should peak tomorrow and winds look to stay light. We also have two tropical storms - Enrique and Felicia. Felicia is a Cat 1 hurricane now and has moved into our swell window today with sustained winds of 70k. If she keeps on this course we should have some SSW swell by weeks end and into the weekend. All signs of El Nino my friends - very active Pacific tropic season and nothing doing really in the Atlantic. I'm also watching a storm diving under the Aleutians today and over the next 48 hours - not sure yet if it will fire us a shot - but we could see some small NW windswell from it over the weekend.

Weekend Forecast - Costa forecast for my traveling friends

So around here - the weekend looks small. Small NW swell and windswell is about all we have. Southern hemi is taking a breather. Winds look light thru the morning hours - W to NW 5-10 kts - increasing a bit over the afternoons. The mechanism that fuels El Nino and the transfer of warm water from West to East - is firing up again - which is a great sign. Two more weeks of watching and waiting and then we'll know how strong this upcoming El Nino event is going to be. Certainly looks moderate right now - although some comparisons to the Winter of 1997 are being made - and that was a very strong event. Wait and see. You can already see the impacts, as we've had no hurricanes in the Atlantic - El Nino shuts that down and fuels storm development in the Pacific Basin - hence the stronger south season we're currently enjoying. For my friends going to Costa next week - look for 2-4 ft surf Mon/Tues - more 2-4 Thurs/Fri and then possibly a bigger swell hits for Aug 6-9. So you guys should have a fun week of surf. Attached pic is one more from Malibu during the big swell on the 24th, 25th.

Malibu (July 25, 2009)

Check out this vid from Malibu over the weekend.

Gulf Wakes, more S/SW swells

Well, depending on what part of the Coast you were on over the weekend - you're were either really stoked or perhaps a bit disappointed. This large swell was certainly selective on what south/southwest facing beaches it chose to hit with it's full force. Pictures are from the Wedge and then one from one of our own local spots up on the Marin Coast. As for the surf ahead - the Gulf of Alaska is coming to life just a bit - with a storm now under the Kuril Islands which may send us a mid period NW swell late this week. We have back to back S/SW swells due as well - however these will be much smaller and a bit more shadowed than our swell winding down right now. Basically looks like something to surf right thru the week - with perhaps light winds in the morning hours increasing each afternoon. Still looks as if we're pushing towards a moderate El Nino event. Another couple weeks and we'll know for sure. Cya in the water.

All eyes to the south

Upcoming south swell will be the biggest we've seen around these parts in quite a while for a number of reasons:

First off - the storm that created the swell was pretty close to us (by southern hemi standards) at around 3600miles. The storm continued to move north during it's life - with a strong fetch of winds and no shadowing from the Tahitian Islands. Bascially a direct shot to CA - with swell energy mainly from 190-191 degrees. As a result - top south breaks could see some doubleoverhead set waves with many places going several feet overhead - primarily Friday and Saturday. Check the buoys late Thursday for the first signs of energy - this should be long period stuff. Friday - all day will be solid - from sunrise to sunset. Plenty of size around Saturday and Sunday and even Monday. Could be one for the record books for sure. I'll try and update late Thursday or Friday - especially if there is any change to the incoming swell trains. cya in the water.

Solid SW Swell due Thursday to Sunday

Tracking a pretty solid SW swell (185-195) which will start filling in Thursday afternoon and peak Friday. This swell should be good for head high plus sets at south facing breaks - with perhaps some even bigger sets at times. Right now we could see deep water swell at 3-4 ft at 19 sec on Friday during the peak of this swell with similar energy Saturday when the period drops to 16sec. We've also got some NW windswell due to hit late in the week - as well as the potential for a mid period NW swell from 290-310. So from Thursday thru Sunday of the coming week we should have plenty of waves about. We're also suppose to see a pretty strong high pressure set up from the desert SW - with very warm temps. The North Pacific is showing some very early signs of life - with systems tracking across under the Kuril Islands and into the Eastern Gulf of AK. Another 2-3 weeks and we should have a pretty clear picture how strong (and more importantly if) we're moving into an El Nino phase for the Fall/Winter season of 2009-2010. Stay tuned.

Fall Quiver...wishful thinking...

Bored to death this weekend - started pulling out the boards for that first run of good Fall waves and weather - can't get here soon enough right? L to R: 6.6 Flyer, 6.6 Flyer 2/quad, 6.9 Black Beauty. On ground - 6.4 Hess Pacheco Quad. Until then - windswell remains the main feature - stuff in the 7-9 sec variety - yummy. Maybe some glimmer of hope towards the later part of July with some storms stirring in the South Pacific. Also watching Hurricane Carlos and Trop Storm Delores for any sign of relief. Ongoing signs of some storm development in the North Pac. But right now not calling anything. Take what you can get and be happy!
cya in the water.

About as bad as it gets around here

Ugh, NW winds, fog, short period crappy windswell - we're in the middle of summer and it's pretty damn bad. The only long term hope is that all signs continue to point to El Nino - and a very strong event at that. Supporting this, is a low pressure system forecast to develop on Monday out in the West Pacific, which could set up some small 12 sec windswell - nothing epic, but given it's mid summer and a low pressure system is forecast to gain some traction - another possible sign of El Nino. At the same time - a big gale way down under is forecast to get going around 7-16 - so will keep an eye on that system and the Gulf Low. Between now and then - it's windswell and that's all you get.

SW Pulse in the water

Smaller than modeled SW in the water - 2.7 at 17 sec from 200 or so degrees. Winds are blowing hard from the NW - so get someplace protected that also likes a s/sw swell. Fog has been disrupted by high pressure and wind building to our N. SW swell should stick around and start fading tomorrow. Maybe some ongoing s/sw pulses during the week - but nothing epic. Windswell will be on the rise too and water temps will start to fall the longer these nw winds blow. Right now nothing of major significance from the north or south hemi long term. It is July - so have faith my brothers and sisters - we're that much closer to Fall!

cya in the water,
Wasab

Solid run of south swells coming up

Morning - the summer of good south swell action looks to continue 4th of july weekend right on through the week of july 6th. Back to back swells will start showing this coming Thursday with probably some of the better days looking like Sunday the 5th and Tues the 7th and Wed the 8th. The fog is coming back unfortunately, and looks to be in full force for the upcoming weekend, as another strong low comes into the NW creating a stronger onshore push. We might get some lighter winds nearshore - we'll have to see. I'll tweak things on the upcoming swells this coming Friday/Saturday when i have a better handle on the deepwater size to be expected. But right now looks pretty decent. Cya in the water.

"Searching for Michael Peterson" trailer

Legendary MP - trailer a film about his life. Looks pretty cool. If any of you ever watched Morning of the Earth - 70s classic from Director Albert Falzon - has some amazing footage of MP and others. MP's life was pretty tragic and complicated, yet he was and remains one of the most influential surfers of all time.

Series of south swells starting next weekend

Morning - Windswell remains our main source of swell right now - at least thru the week. A pretty steep South is due around these parts this coming weekend - Fri to Sun - angle of approach around 180-190 - size still TBD. Beyond that - another storm is forecast to form down under New Zealand on 6-25 lasting thru 6-28 - this should send up some decent swell in the 17 sec range - the following week (probably towards the 4th of July). NW winds look to continue most of the week over the outer waters, perhaps calmer in the mornings nearshore - water temps have dropped again - 50 degrees - thanks to a week of NW gale blow over the weekend. First Tropical Storm of the 09 Season has formed off Mexico - Andres - doesn't look to be a swell maker for our region, but may kick up some short/mid period stuff for Cabo. More and more forecasters are hinting at the formation of what could be a very strong El Nino for Fall/Winter this year - which could be a great source of swell in both hemispheres later in the year. that's all for now - cya in the water.

Nice South, Possible Offshore winds mid week

Morning - nice run of south swells in the water since this Friday past. Weekend was pretty sweet at the Beach and that trend continues today. We have a very steep south hitting - almost 4 ft at 17 from 165 - those places that can pick up that steep of an angle should be really good today. This south looks to stick around thru mid week and the flow is forecast to turn more offshore as we move more into the week as well - so conditions look pretty nice. What is causing all this weird windless weather and warm water temps? Well, La Nina is dead - she's gone and hopefully wont bother us again for a while. We have warmer water temps across the Pacific basin - from West to East, the jetstream is quite active for summer - which is also a possible sign of an El Nino pattern starting to take shape for the Fall. The southern hemi has been more active than in the past couple years - especially in the favored swell corridor by New Zealand - which gives us those nice long period souths like we've had of late. So get out there and enjoy. Cya in the water.

Somewhere in Northwest Mexico

Just back from a week in NW Mexico. Let yourself mindsurf this wave. This is Friday past, epic conditions, probably the best I've seen at this spot in three years. I had this break with one other guy for four days before the rest of our crew showed up and crowded the line up - ha. It was well worth a touch of the flu, the shits and sore muscles like I've never experienced. Going back in August and hopefully October. As for surf around these parts - small south continues but winds are problematic. Look for a series of south pulses to keep up through next week. Nothing huge, but something to surf. Get to Mexico if you have a chance in the next two weeks - as it looks like swell will be steady in that part of the world. Cya in the water.

South on the way for early June

Morning - not much relief in sight until around June 4th - that's when a nice size south should start showing and run through Jun 7th. Between now and then, windswell looks to be what we have with sw to w fog winds each day right on through the week. Could see a bit less wind by the weekend. We'll have some background south Friday through Sunday as well - but nothing to get that excited about. The swell next week is certainly one to keep an eye on - if it comes together as promised and doesn't get shredded by NW winds as it comes around Pt Conception - could be some fun waves. I will not be updating the blog 5-31 to 6-7 as I will be off the NW Coast of Mainland Mexi surfing! Will post pics the following week. Pic today is a buddy emerging from a warm Mexican barrel two summers ago. cya in the water.

Good time for golf

Both South and North Pacific locked down in high pressure mode. The No Pac is basically asleep now for summer. Windswell will continue to be the best hope we have for swell. Could see an uptick in South swell by the end of the week, but whatever does come through is going to remain very small. Winds look problematic most of the week with south to west fog winds. Long range models don't show anything of interest in sight. Could see a pattern change down under sometime mid next week - but right now that's just the models guessing. The good news - La Nina is basically dead in the Pacific. The atmosphere needs to stablize for the next couple months and warm water has returned to the East Pacific. We still have a very cold pool of water off the California/Pac NW Coasts - from months of north winds and high pressure - but that too should start to ease as we move through summer. If things continue, we'll possibly see good storm development in both North and South Pacific for Fall of 2009. cya in the water.

Farewell to a Friend

We said goodbye to a great friend yesterday. Our Bernese Mtn Dog Brady - she would have been 12yrs this August. She was brave, kind, smart, loving and the best friend to both myself and my wife. Our lives were better with her around and she will be deeply missed around the house. If you own a pet, give them an extra hug today and appreciate their presence in your life.

Small South/Windswell - Good time to grab a fish!

Very small/steep angle (180+) south filling in tonight - getting hammered by the north winds and windswell down thru Point Conception. Look for maybe 2 ft at 17 sec tomorrow and then swell will fade out on Sunday. Windswell really looks to rule the day for the next week - with N/NW winds pretty much everyday. Not much else doing. Some cool fishes posted here. Top photo - 5.8 Hydrodynamica Simmons and 5.8 Larry Mabile keel fin fish. Bottom photo - 5.8 Jeff Mccallum 2nd generation Simmons with keels. Ah summer, always a nice time to test pilot some new shapes. Makes the most of the mush - but these boards fly if you can land some clean face time. Cya in the water.

Solid Late Season West

Evening - solid West swell starting to show tonight - deepwater at Pt Reyes is 5 at 14 from 290 (Pt Arena is 12ft at 13 sec.) Size will continue to increase overnight with well overhead to double overhead sets at the best deep water spots on Monday. Size sticks around Tuesday (all energy from 270-300), perhaps drops a bit and then another reinforcing shot builds back in on Wed for more well overhead and double overhead sets. SE winds forecast on Monday as the next slug of Pacific moisture moves ashore. Light S winds 5-10kts on Tuesday, and S 5-15kt on Wed. Look for a return to NW winds on Thursday and Friday as high pressure builds back in to the East Pacific and the pressure gradient tightens up. Make the best of this West swell - could be the last one we see for a while with some push. cya in the water.

Could be worse.......

Just back from five days in LA - super nice south swell hit down there - surfed overhead Malibu on Friday and Saturday with 500 of my closest friends. We may have the fog and wind and junky windswell - I'll take that over the madness to our South. As for us - not much relief in sight this week - light NW to W west winds next cple days - followed by a shift in the winds to the SE/South/SW towards the weekend. Very small, uneventful surf through the weekend - with maybe a little pulse up towards the end of the week. Winds will remain on the LIGHTER side, so that is one thing going in our favor. Chance of rain as we move through the week - especially Friday thru Sunday. Here's another OB macker from that Big Monday a few weeks back - just to remind all of you it does get damn fine around these parts! cya in the water somewhere.

First Good South headed our way

Morning - first decent south of the season headed our way - with long period energy due to be on the rise Wed/Thurs. Deep water swell should be in the 3-4 ft range at 17-20 sec from 192-198. There are two pulses to this swell and if the 2nd part lives up to forecast that may come in at 4-4.5 at 16-17 from 180-186 over the weekend. That could be on the high side - but we'll see. If you can get to So Cal or points further south - this swell should really be pumping. Winds dont look too bad until Fri/Sat when they turn to the NW - so this swell is going to march up the Coast with very little interference. We have a chance of very light rain showers over the weekend - but that is starting to look less and less likely. Pattern in the North Pac is looking meager - so make the best of what you can get over the next week. Finally - if anyone has OB pics from yesterday send them along and i'll post. I came over the dunes at Judah for a mid day sesh and I swear it looked and felt like Baja. cya in the water.

Cold Water, Offshores late weekend....

Morning - water temp is 46.8 this am - brrrrr! Winds continue at the outer waters and will increase again this afternoon. We could get lucky and have light winds Fri/Sat mornings at the Beach - then more offshore winds for Sun/Mon - with very warm air temps possible all the way to the Coast. We have a new NW swell on tap, building slowy during the day on Friday - with more size on tap Sat/Sun. If all the conditions come together Sat/Sun could have very clean conditions with waves a cple feet overhead at times. Looking out a week - we could have a pretty decent S/SW swell from 4-24 thru 4-28 - more on that mid/next week. Could be a really good time to head to points south and score. The source of this storm is down between New Zealand and South America which is always a good source of southern hemi energy this early in the season. Finally, picture here is from last summer - not really a secret spot in Nor Cal - but a day when all the pieces came together for an epic sesh. We're lucky up here because you can still find magic when you know where to look. Cya in the water.

New swell filling in - heavy winds to come, offshore later in week

Evening - new NW swell showing at buoys - 5 ft 20 sec from 310. This will continue to increase overnight and max out Mon/Tues. Expect deep water swell in the 8-10 ft range at 15 sec Monday - with a lot of wind chop/windswell mixed in. Heavy NW winds at 20-30kt - with occasional gale force gusts Monday night to 35kt. Size still around Tuesday with combined seas in the 10-13 ft range. Winds stay heavy through the week -with the possibility of offshore flow starting after Thursday, as a a low pressure system will be diving into the Great Basin. Models always over forecast offshore flows this time of year, but keep an eye on this site and i'll update later in the week. Winds certainly nearshore could go N/NE. Should be plenty of energy to surf the next couple days, just find someplace nice and protected. cya in the water.

Pics from OB - Monday April 6th.

For those of you out Monday at OB - these pics for you. What a day. All the elements came together for epic surf and weather. Photos by JR Hussey - www.jrhussey.com.

More swell on tap for today and Thursday - but wind is a bit suspect at the moment. However we have some nice long period swell in the water again at 5ft 20 seconds - which will continue to increase overnight. Won't be as big as Monday - nor as clean - but some waves around if you know where to look.
cya in the water.

Strong NW Swell overnight into Monday

Evening -

Very strong off season NW swell just showing at the coastal waters buoys. Last night saw some decent 18 ft at 15-16 sec energy show at Papa Buoy - that swell is filling in now - with buoys to our north in the 9-10 ft range at 15-16 - and SF showing some nice 4ft at 17 sec stuff. Expect this energy to increase overnight and peak on Monday. Certainly at OB look for 1.5 to dble overhead. Still should be some strong energy on Tuesday. Right now winds look very light E on Monday - lighter S/SE flow later in the day. Light S/SW winds on Tuesday. Cutoff low meandering offshore will bring a chance of rain to the region Tues eve into Wed. Look for another strong NW swell later in the week. More on that to come. Get some on Monday - looks like a solid morning.

NW Swell on tap later in the weekend

Morning - NW winds continue today over the outer waters, nearshore winds are coming from 350, which is sideshore/offshore for OB. Not really that clean, and some big windswell in the water at 11 ft at 10 from 320. Image at right shows a Pacific storm (actually two storms) winding up in the Gulf. The first will bring us chance of rain Monday into Wed - and swell from this storm should start heading up on Sunday with the real energy actually coming in on Monday. Could see deep water swell of 6-7 from 16 on Sunday and then 10-11 at 16 on Monday. Direction 295 +. Winds should be "lighter" on Saturday morning from the N/NW - with good size windswell around staying in about the same range as today (10-11 ft). Winds will veer to the south on Sunday and get pretty strong in the 10-20kt range. That second storm is going to chug up into the Bering Sea, but may kick up some swell for mid next week. More on that Monday. You might find some surf Saturday so go seek it and i'll cya in the water!

Winds Continue - NW Swell over the weekend, Storms next week

Afternoon - NW winds are continuing and will get stronger on Thursday into Friday. Dropping down a bit on Saturday. NW winds right now at the SF buoy are gusting to 31kts - water temp a balmy 48.7 degrees. Look for NW winds and swell to build in on Saturday - deep water swell could be in the 10-12 ft range on Sat. Then Sunday winds will shift to the South, as the first in a series of winter like storms - roar ashore. Stay tuned later in the week for a better look at the upcoming swell/wind events.

cya in the water,

NW winds all week

Morning - NW winds will continue all week - with gale force gusts at times over the outer waters and short period, fairly large windswell. Wind protected spots are probably your best shot. There is a chance of some WNW swell mid week from a storm coming together out in the Pac, this energy will serve to reinforce the dominant windswell. If the nearshore winds veer a bit more NE or E depending on the location of high pressure all week, some of the more exposed beaches might see early mornings with some sideshore or offshore flow, but i wouldn't count on it. I hit some of those NW windprotected spots over the weekend and the surf was pretty fun.

cya in the water.

DARK FALL TRAILER

Hey Everyone - this looks like a cool film about our East Coast brothers. Coming this Summer.

Weekend Forecast

Morning Everyone. NW flow nearshore has slowed a bit, but still some funk and warble today with windswell in the water. Our weekend swell is at the SE Papa Buoy (600nm offshore), just filling in over the past 6 hours or so - showing some decent energy in the 10ft at 15 sec range (deep water swell). This should be filling in tomorrow, later in the day - thinking it's going to be 5-7 ft by the time it hits our shores. Winds tomorrow morning could be light in the am, stronger in the afternoon. We have two wind patterns right now - the upper flow is N/NE and the lower altitudes is more West. This is why we're not getting a super clean offshore flow. Sunday will likely have more NW onshore flow in the morning as another storm passes to our NW. Tides are very low in the mornings and high mid day. On a bright note - the sun is out and it's a beautiful day. Cya in the water.

NWs blow

Morning - NW winds blowing, look a bit lighter near shore. Wind slop in the water. Water temp is 49.3 and still falling.

So good friend of mine is making these cool boardstands (I just got one). Great for repair work and taking off wax. If you want more info on how to get one - let me know.

Hoping offshores tomorrow morning with more northerly flow.

New Sims Fish on Order

So check this out - a Sims inspired fish, shaper is Jeff McCallum in So Cal. He is shaping me this board in a 5.8 by 23 by 3 - should be arriving soon, pretty stoked to get it as well. I figure the one in this shot is around 4.10. I've ridden a good friends replica of the Sims, and I have to say they are an amazing surf - part skateboard, part glider - hardest part of riding a board like this is keeping it in the critical part of the wave. So much speed down the line, easy to outrun most of the ocean. Surf it vertical and you'll be doing coping-inspired turns off the top. I ordered this board through Graham down at Shelter Surf in Long Beach - great guy, so if you need to get hooked up let me know.