Deal Alert! Get ...Lost!

With the unofficial start to summer kicking in yesterday, you don't have much longer to get your summer wardrobe. And trust me, you don't want to go to Hollister and get laughed off the beach in your pseudo boardshorts. Best bet is to go to the source and get the original anti-establishment clothing ...Lost. San Clemente's most beloved children (or hated depending on who you ask) have teamed up with Seshday to offer boardies for around $30. Pretty unheard of considering Hurley has boardshorts around $130. Seriously. Some of the most colorful characters in surfing have rocked the planet logo- Chris Ward, Mason Ho, Gorkin, and Randall.

3 Days @ Rocky Point- Ma$on Ho from rory pringle @ conceptblue on Vimeo.

Just look at your local police blotter and chances are the guys in the mug shots are wearing ...Lost. They're even throwing down T's for $9.99. And with all Seshday sales, they only last a couple days or until they're sold out so don't wait!

THE Surf Report 5/27/11

It’s always something.

SURF:

Kind of a fun week we had for surf. Some leftover SW from that beast 8 days ago and a little NW windswell mixed in. Conditions were nice too- almost seemed like summer. Today we have building NW windswell with some smaller SW that showed up last night. Waves in most areas from the combo are chest high with head high sets- and slightly bigger south county SD.

Unfortunately we have a very late season cold front moving into the area this weekend (Tahoe is actually getting a dusting of snow- amazing that it’s almost June) and it’s going to kick up some more NW windswell for us. South county SD will get some overhead sets from it by Saturday eveing into Sunday. Glad we’re getting the swell, bummed we’re getting the wind. Underneath the short period NW swell the SW will continue. But it’s going to look like a washing machine out there late Saturday into Sunday. Once the front blows through Sunday evening, we’ll have leftover NW/SW for chest high waves and clean conditions. I guess 1 out of 3 clean days this Memorial Day weekend is better than nothing. Water temps are almost mid-60’- hopefully the NW wind on Sunday won’t drop it to under 60. Ouch. Tides the next few days are about 2’ at 5am, 4’ at 7am, down to 1’ at 1pm, and back up to 5’ at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf .

FORECAST:

After a mixed bag of waves and weather this weekend, we’re due for more swell next week and hopefully cleaner conditions. Models call for a smaller NW windswell to hang around early in the week with another slight bump towards Wednesday. We also have building SW towards Tuesday afternoon- and it looks good. Probably head high+ in north SD and overhead in the OC. With the combo SW/NW the middle of next week, should be a good day of surf. Models also show another storm lining up in the southern hemisphere the next couple of days which would give us another solid SW towards late next weekend.

WEATHER:

As advertised above, we’ve got a very late season cold front coming through the region this weekend. Temps will be about 15 degrees below normal. No real rain is forecasted (except I ate my words a couple weeks ago on that very same forecast) and the real impact will be wind and clouds. Not a good way to kick off the unofficial start to summer. Things look gloomy Saturday afternoon through Sunday. By Monday the skies clear and temps rebound slightly. Next week looks to be seasonal with low clouds/fog in the morning burning off to cool sunshine in the afternoons.

BEST BET:

Before the winds really kick in Saturday, you might be able to get some fun SW/NW early Saturday morning. If not, wait for that new solid SW and NW windswell to show Wednesday and hopefully the weather will cooperate by then.

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

The report card for clean San Diego beaches is in and it’s looking pretty good. The San Diego Union Tribune this past week reported the following:

“No heat wave is on tap for local beaches this Memorial Day, but visitors who venture into the surf anyway have a pretty good shot at not getting sick. County beaches continue to rank among the best in the state for water quality, according to the 21st annual report released Wednesday by the environmental group Heal the Bay in Santa Monica. For the past year, none of the San Diego region's beaches earned Heal the Bay's "beach bummer" distinction for being among Southern California's most polluted spots, down from one -- in Mission Bay -- last year. And, the county by far had the most spots in California that earned an A+ for cleanliness during dry weather. "The beaches are good but we still need to ... monitor these beaches to understand where the problem beaches are," said Kirsten James, water quality director for Heal the Bay. "And we still need to focus on the wet weather period because in San Diego, beachgoers are in the water year-round." For wet-weather water quality, the group gave a handful of spots in the region D or F grades, including the San Luis Rey River outlet in Oceanside, the projection of Avenida de la Playa at La Jolla Shores, the projection of Carnation Avenue in Imperial Beach, and Border Field State Park near the U.S.-Mexico border. Heal the Bay also noted that several sewage spills during last winter's storms fouled local coastlines. The future of the annual analyses and similar products updated online is in doubt because there's no known funding source to continue beach water testing in San Diego County beyond this year, and similar funding woes plague the rest of the state. The cost of San Diego County's program is more than $300,000 annually. So what are the cleanest waters at San Diego County beaches? Here’s the best:

Oceanside

• Tyson Street

• Forster Street

• St. Malo Beach

Carlsbad

• Cerezo Drive

• Palomar Airport Road

Encinitas

• Cardiff Campgrounds

• George’s beach break

Solana Beach

• Fletcher Cove

Del Mar

• 15th Street

Ocean Beach

• OB Pier

• Ladera Street

Point Loma

• Point Loma Treatment Plant

• Point Loma Lighthouse

Coronado

• Ocean Boulevard

• North Beach, NASNI Beach

• projection of Loma Avenue

As far as the ‘Beach Bummer’s go for California, stay away from these spots. Unless you like getting unidentified illnesses:

• Cowell Beach (at the wharf), Santa Cruz County

• Avalon Harbor Beach (Catalina Island), Los Angeles County

• Cabrillo Beach (harborside), Los Angeles County

• Topanga State Beach (at creek mouth), Los Angeles County

• Poche Beach, Orange County

• North Beach Doheny, Orange County

• Arroyo Burro Beach, Santa Barbara County

• Baker Beach (at Lobos Creek), San Francisco County

• Colorado Lagoon, Los Angeles County

• Capitola Beach (west of the wharf), Santa Cruz County

Heal the Bay's grading system is based on samples taken by more than 25 state, county and city agencies for fecal indicator bacteria, a widely used proxy for viruses other organisms that make people sick. The group's report card is among the most authoritative annual assessments of beach water quality and it updates online grades weekly based on current tests. While the results of beach water report card are similar from year to year, proponents say they promote fixes by highlighting problematic spots. Also, some beachgoers fear that abandoning regular tests will return California to an era when beach pollution is rampant like it was before Assembly Bill 411 of 1997 became a national model and forced sampling at popular spots along the shoreline. The biggest challenge for beaches statewide remains the same as it has been since 2008: the number of water samples taken has been falling and that means less precise data about pollution. Over the past year, Heal the Bay said roughly 2,800 fewer samples were taken than before budget cuts started under former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some places along the shoreline must be tested by wastewater agencies that discharge to the ocean, but that just accounts for a fraction of the tests taken each summer. Heal the Bay said a "comprehensive" water-sampling program costs $2 million a year for California and adopting new rapid-testing technology would push the bill to $3 million. Federal funding is at about $500,000 for California, leaving a gap that's proving hard to fill. "We don't have any plans to handle it," said Dave Clegern, a spokesman for the State Water Resources Control Board, which has helped to provide emergency funding for beach testing in recent years. A spokesman for Supervisor Greg Cox said county officials aren't expecting any windfall from the state and they have a few more weeks to try to carve out funding in the county budget.

Rapid tests -- which can produce results in a few hours rather than a full day -- were studied in Orange County last year and plans are for a pilot project in Los Angeles County this summer. After that, many beach advocates hope they become the norm. If that happens, daily water quality warnings could be posted by noon, in time for beachgoers to avoid dangerous spots.

BEST OF THE BLOG:

For those of you who missed the blog this week (and I know who you are) make sure to catch up this weekend on the battle in the air- Julian vs. Josh. Or a little mid-week Surf Check. Or check out the new oceanfront restaurant finally going in at Cardiff. Or if you want to see the world’s most crowded wave being surfed by the world’s greatest surfer, then watch Slater destroy Malibu in the blog below. There's something for everyone

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Some of the coolest pics I come across are waves I didn’t even know existed. In the age of multiple surf magazines, websites, tv shows, etc., there’s still some gems waiting to be discovered. Case in point; this rippable little wall in Tasmania. Sure it’s not thumping like Pipe or has superstars like the Superbank; but no one’s out, it looks like a fun day at Trestles, and my gear on the point isn’t going to get jacked. Honey, I’m packing my bags.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn

Domineering

Hangover II Based On My True Story

Founded Chart House With Cabell

Clip of the Day: Kerrazy Kerr

Kerrazy Times - Bali from SURFING Magazine on Vimeo.
Not too long ago (like last week), my favorite surfer was Dane Reynolds. Then he got hurt and I turned my attention to Julian Wilson (yesterday). Well Julian is old news my friends. My new favorite surfer (just today, it will probably change tomorrow depending on what side of the bed I wake up on) is Josh Kerr. The amazing thing about Josh is that yes, he does have his reverse airs down (like everyone else on tour) but he's got a bag of tricks that show so much variation in his airs. Don't believe me? Then check out the clip above with Josh and his mates recently in Bali. Also notice in some of the clips the ridiculously small board he's riding- looks like a 5'6". Gotta get me one of those. The cool thing about Josh is that he's got a full length movie out now that you can download to your computer or iPod/iPad for FREE. Yes, free. Grab it here. Josh is definitely my favorite surfer now (or at least until the clock strikes midnight then it might be Jordy, Wilko, Owen, Dusty, Kolohe, Evan...)

North County New Business News

One restaraunt that's been in bad shape the last 10 years was Charlie's on Cardiff's 'Restaurant Row'. The establishment was in need of repair and ultimately shut down during the recession.

As the economy starts to turn the corner, businesses in Encinitas, especially restaraunts, are coming back. If the busy tables of the new Lumberyard Tavern, the opening of Union, the expansion of Beachside Bar and Grill, and the addition of The Moonlight Lounge in Pacific Station are any indication, food joints in town are coming back in a big way.

Charlie's (on the beach just north of the Chart House/Beach House and down the street from Las Olas/Yogi's) was shuttered for about a year then an unknown entrepeneur started to remodel. They unfortunately ran out of money about 9 months ago and Charlie's sat again. Just recently there has been a flurry of activity inside and outside the restaraunt.

I had a chance to talk to the foreman today and he said Solana Beach's Pacific Coast Grill is closing down next week and moving into the space.

Unfortunately Solana Beach loses a good restaraunt but ultimately it's going to a better location and should thrive. The foreman mentioned it's going to take a few months to remodel and it should be open by the end of the summer.

Look for upscale American fair (steak, seafood, and chicken with a twist) and prices for entrees in the mid $20's. I might actually have to wear shoes at a restaraunt finally.

Clip of the Day: Julian Wilson Jamming

Brazil's Nuts from Julian Wilson on Vimeo.

I'm starting to like this Julian Wilson kid. Reminds me of a young Dane Reynolds. Gasp! Is Dane already yesterday's news? Of course not. But while Dane rehabs his knee, Julian is filling the airwaves with his antics. Today's Clip of the Day is from Julian's travels in Brazil. Sure Adriano won the comp, but Julian tore it up in the freesurf sessions. And with the surf looking like it's going to be head high and junky this weekend around town, Julian's clip here gets me motivated to do some airs! Or at least try. Or pretend.

Surf Check 5/25/11

Kind of looks fun today. There's a SW in the water being crossed up by a small NW. When the SW sets show up, waves are chest to shoulder high- bigger in the far north part of SD and OC. The SW peaked last night but there's still fun waves out there. Beachbreaks look best.

We've got great weather on tap today too. Currently the wind is W at 5 this morning and it will turn into the normal 10-12mph sea breeze in the afternoon but sunny skies no less and air temps near 70.

Water temps are slowly creeping back up and are hovering around 63. Now some good news and bad news. Good news is that the NW windswell should increase Friday through the weekend and may be overhead in south county SD. We also should have a small SW showing up too on Saturday. The bad news is that we have a late season trough moving down the coast for the holiday weekend. No rain but thick clouds, cool, breezy SW winds, and drizzle. Monday it should clear out. So even though we have some surf headed our way, the weekend looks to be gloomy. I hate May Gray!

Clip of the Day: Slater Survives!

What do you get when you cross the world's most popular surfer with the world's most populace wave? Slater at Malibu! Yes, the Jimmy Slade Baywatch reunion you've been waiting for (without a drunk Hasslehoff or a plastic Pamela). Sorry, lots of bad jokes. Anyway, that big southwest swell last week rolled through Trestles, Huntington Beach and eventually to Malibu where half of the L.A. County inmates decided to paddle out. And the 18X World Champ (or something like that) decided to have a go at it. Check out his first wave in particular- he must have done 4 solid turns and dodged twice as many goons. Hopefully if you've ever had the urge to paddle out at Malibu and cross the place off your bucket list, you won't after watching this video.

THE Surf Report 5/20/11

Fireworks.

SURF:

The ocean was messing around with small NW/SW for the better part of this week then a late season cold front came through the region Wednesday to give us some jumbled head high NW. Underneath the mess there was a SW stalking our shores. Once things cleaned up Thursday, we had plenty of overhead+++ SW with leftover NW windswell to peak it up. Best spots in the OC were double overhead and the Wedge had the odd triple overhead+++ set to scare the tourists. The SW peaked overnight but we still have plenty of head high+ sets from the SW with a touch of NW to cross it up here in north county today. W wind is blowing already in the 5mph range. The OC continues to see overhead+++ sets.

The SW drops a little more Saturday for head high waves with an odd overhead set in the OC. By Sunday the SW has some leftover shoulder high sets but oddly enough, the north Pacific won’t die late in this season and the NW starts to increase again for head high waves late in the day. We also have a weak front moving in on Sunday so there may be a little bit of junky SW winds in the air. Make sure to hit it early. All in all it should be a fun 3 days of surf this weekend. Water temps are holding in the low 60’s. Tides the next few days are about -1’ at 7am, 4’ at 2pm, and down to 2’ at 7pm. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf.

FORECAST:

After a fun weekend of combo surf, the new NW peaks on Monday and it’s joined by another SW in the head high range. Unfortunately that weak cold front on Sunday sticks around on Monday and conditions won’t be the cleanest. Nothing major but just annoying. The NW/SW lasts until Wednesday morning and then the atmosphere cleans up as we get another small shoulder high SW in SD with head high sets in the OC. And models hint at more NW by next weekend. A busy week indeed.

WEATHER:

There’s an old saying that goes something like this: Is there any other job you can think of in which you can be wrong all the time and not get fired? That job of course is a weather man. After I go on and on in last week’s Surf Report about the rain being over for the season, we get over ½” of rain on Wednesday. Classic. Today on the other hand we have nice conditions from weak high pressure and Saturday we’ve got some high clouds and mild conditions overhead. Sunday unfortunately we’ve got another weak front moving through with clouds and a thick marine layer/low clouds for drizzle/light rain. Probably won’t be as strong as this past Wednesday’s front (don’t quote me on that) and we’ll mainly get clouds, a little wind, and a chance of light showers. That clears out by Tuesday and the second half of next week high pressure should take control and we’ll get nice sunny conditions (don’t quote me on that).

BEST BET:

Today is probably the day. Even though we have surf next week too, it won’t be as big as today and there’s that pesky weak cold front coming Sunday/Monday. 2^nd choice would be when the weather cleans up towards Wednesday and getting some of that new small SW or that new NW towards next weekend.

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

And the news you’ve all been waiting for…. The 2011 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Outlook from NOAA has arrived! So let’s face it, the hurricanes (or lack thereof) off Baja and Mainland Mexico the past few years have really sucked. Excuse my French. Seriously though, we’ve been in quite a drought. When was the last time we had a bangin’ hurricane swell roll through here where you were squared?! Probably not since the summer of ’97. Since then it’s been dismal. So what does NOAA have in store for us this summer. Here’s the latest: NOAA’s 2011 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season Outlook indicates a 70% chance of a below-normal season, a 25% chance of a near-normal season, and only a 5% chance of an above normal season. (The eastern Pacific hurricane region covers the eastern North Pacific Ocean east of 140oW north of the equator). This outlook is based on the analysis and prediction of two main climate signals: The ongoing conditions that have been suppressing eastern Pacific hurricane seasons since 1995, and a high likelihood of ENSO-neutral conditions (no El Niño or La Niña) during the peak months (July-September) of the season, but with lingering La Niña impacts perhaps into July. Climate patterns similar to those expected this year have historically produced a wide range of activity. Allowing for uncertainties, we estimate a 70% chance of occurrence for each of the following ranges of activity this season:

9-15 named storms,

5-8 hurricanes,

1-3 major hurricanes,

An ACE range 45%-105% of the median.

The seasonal activity is expected to fall within these ranges in 7 out of 10 seasons with similar climate conditions and uncertainties to those expected this year. They do not represent the total possible ranges of activity seen in past similar years. The 1981-2010 averages for the eastern Pacific hurricane season are 15-16 named storms, 8-9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes.

So there you have it. A below normal season for hurricanes. Again. Man that sucks. 

BEST OF THE BLOG:

Busy week on the blog. Deals from Dragon and Freestyle, wild waveriding from Wilko and Wilson, and local surf checks. Make sure to get lost in the blog below.

PIC OF THE WEEK:

To make the Pic of the Week, I usually have some criteria that needs to be met. Some exotic locale to get you packing your bags. An empty line up shot because you’re tired at looking at your local crowded break. And some kind of photo quality ‘cause grainy cell phone shots are played out. But today I make an exception. The Wedge was BOMBING yesterday and orangecounty.com was there to document it. And considering we haven’t had big surf in awhile, I had to share my excitement with you. Don’t worry, you’ll get the classic empty tropical line up shot next week. But today, enjoy the freak known as ‘The Wedge’.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn

Effervescent

Schwarzenegger Love Child

Like to Watch Resin Cure

Clip of the Day: Wilson and Wilko Go Wild!

Red Belly Black Suit from Julian Wilson on Vimeo.

Arguably the most exciting regular foot and goofy foot in the world right now are Julian Wilson and Matt Wilkinson (with respect to Dane Reynolds who is still nursing an injury and Jadson Andre who's style is a little funky like mine). At any rate, the boys at TransWorld Surf came across this clip recently of Julian and Matt going nuts in north county San Diego (looks to be Trestles- technically north county and somewhere either in Encinitas or Carlsbad by the looks of the water). They put on a small wave clinic a couple weeks ago that makes you want to give up surfing or get a longboard- which is the same thing I guess. Just kidding! Regardless, how they generate speed in such tiny waves is incomprehensible. Maybe Red Bull really does work...

Deal Alert! Almost Free Freestyle Watches!

Remember those Freestyle Shark watches you wore as a kid? You thrashed the hell out of them in the surf and street and 'they kept on ticking' (that's another company's slogan- don't sue me). Well Freestyle didn't go away, they kept coming out with bigger and better watches. Sure the 80's are all the rage again and you can still get the Shark, but if you want to look like a baller, then check out the deals on Seshday today. They've got killer metal watches like the one above for around $60. Women's waterproof watches for under $30. And if you still have a soft spot for that old Shark, they've got 'em too for around $25. Hellmen Cory and Bede trust them in big surf so you should too. And with all Seshday deals, once they're sold out, they're gone. So do it now before it's too late! But if you had a watch already, then you wouldn't be late in the first place...

Surf Check 5/16/11

Ever heard the old saying "when it rains it pours"? That's how this week is shaping up. Today we have some small NW/SW combo swells- again- but it looks kind of fun in a small surf-wear no leash kind of way. It's clean and sunny finally and there's no one out, so why not get on it if you've got the time.

Further out we have another cold front coming through the region tomorrow which should give us a shot of showers. After I had just predicted no more precip and typical May Gray conditions for the rest of the week, the models have to spite me. Won't be a strong front but we may get 1/4" of rain out of it and some junky winds.

Luckily for us, that exits the region by Wednesday and we should start to clean up. I was hoping we'd see some inconsistent SW start to show by late Wednesday from that new solid swell headed our way but as of this morning that swell hasn't hit Cabo or even mainland Mexico yet. Best case is probably Thursday and that should last into Saturday. We should have head high to overhead waves in SD with 10'+ sets in the OC. Since we also have all that activity in the northern Pacific, we should have some NW wind/groundswell crossing up that SW and maybe the beachbreaks will hold. And as luck would have it, the models are showing another weak front coming through towards Friday evening/Saturday. If that's the case, Thursday afternoon and Friday morning are probably the call to get some of that good SW headed our way.

Deal Alert! Dragon Days Are Upon Us!

Can't believe it but summer is only 5 weeks away. This May Gray will start to burn off and you'll need good shades to protect your eyes. Today's Deal Alert is brought to us by the crew at Seshday and it's full of premium Dragon eyewear. Want to look like Fanning?

Big Glass Of Goldcoast Yes from Mick Fanning on Vimeo.

Then grab some guys shades for under $40. Shades for the ladies around $30.

Maybe clothes are your thing and looking like stylemaster Dorian is your calling . Then throw on a Dragon tee for under $10. And summer won't last forever (unless you live in the tropics) but we don't, so take advantage of cheap snowboarding goggles and hit the mountain like legend Jamie Lynn. With prices under $50 you'll want to take two 'cause you'll end up losing a pair anyway.

Do it now though because with all Seshday deals, they only last for a limited time...

THE Surf Report 5/13/11

Hope.

SURF:
From summer to winter to spring; the weather has been all over the place the past 10 days. We had a little fun SW for the weekend and then a cold front Monday whipped up some NW windswell. That died mid-week. Surf has been on the small side but at least it’s been trying. We’ve had a combo SW/NW the past few days and that is the case for Friday. Looks like the NW windswell pulses up slightly on Saturday for chest high waves. Nothing real but rideable. Sunday into the first part of next week looks to be about the same- small SW/NW swells for waist high+ waves. Water temps are creeping back up and have held into the low 60’s. Tides the next few days are about 4’ at breakfast, 0.5’ after lunch, and 5’ at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf. 


FORECAST:
Good news is that a storm has been brewing down in the southern hemisphere and it’s in our window thankfully. We should get our first real SW of the year by Wednesday. Look for north SD to have head high+ waves and the OC to have overhead+ sets. South SD should be around shoulder high. Weather looks to be typical gloomy May Gray but who cares- good surf is coming finally. That swell should last into Friday.

WEATHER:

Typical low clouds and fog in the nights and mornings are on tap for the near future. Some days may fluctuate with more drizzle than others but it’s looking pretty typical for this time of year. Temps will be holding about 65 degrees. Nothing exciting to report.

BEST BET:
Considering it’s been small and uneventful, any kind of surf is a best bet. Luckily for us, we have a good SW showing up mid-week so Wednesday is the call. I’ll be at Lowers if anyone needs to get a hold of me.
 
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
So I think it’s safe to say our rainy season is over. Yes, I know the season doesn’t ‘officially’ end until June 30th, but that weak storm we got on Monday only gave us 0.02 inches of rain and that might have been the atmosphere’s last gasp until the Aleutian storms kick back up in November. On that note, how did we do with this ‘dry’ La Nina? Pretty good actually. Here’s the latest totals:
-LAX: 17.3” so far. Normal is 13.15” for the entire season. So in total, it’s about 135% of normal. In comparison, last year was 12.35” for the entire year.
-John Wayne Airport (inland from Newport Beach): 17.5” so far. Normal is 12.76” for the entire season. So in total, it’s about 140% of normal. In comparison, last year was 14.58”.
-Oceanside Airport: 20” so far. Normal is 11” for the entire season. So in total, it’s about 190% of normal. In comparison, last year was 13”.
-San Diego Lindbergh Field (on the bay). 12.25” so far. Normal is 10.5” for the entire season. So in total, it’s about 115% of normal. In comparison, last year was 10.77”.
Models show the La Nina breaking down and we’ll be back to a normal winter for 2011/2012. What does that mean? Probably normal consistent surf and average weather conditions. Of course, nothing is normal with mother nature so who knows…

BEST OF THE BLOG:
There’s a lot of changes about to happen the next 5 years at Ponto and Leucadia- some good, some bad. Some may stimulate the economy, some may look like overdevelopment. Get the facts below and form your own opinion.

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Ever wonder why Jimmy Buffet was such a big fan of the Caribbean? Was it the laid back island life? Was it the rum? Was it the possibility of finding buried treasure? Was it the cheeseburgers in paradise? Actually, I think this shot from stellar photographer Geoff Ragatz explains everything. Think I’m going to pack my boards and head to Margaritaville. For more of Geoff’s work, head to Surfline/Geoff Ragatz.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
Diabolical
Used to Date Pippa
ESA All Star

Surf in Style- Ponto and Leucadia Go Upscale

If you've been surfing the north county coast the past few years, then you've definitely seen or heard about the changes going on in south Carlsbad and Leucadia. The area's been sleepy since the area was a train stop back in the 1800's. But there are a changes comin'. Currently there are 3 hotels and mixed use area in the works for Ponto with the first hotel, the Hilton, being slated for completion summer 2012. The San Diego Union Tribune shed some light on the progress of the Hilton this past weekend:

CARLSBAD — Concrete flowed from thick hoses as construction crews worked to lay the floor for underground parking last week in what will soon be Carlsbad’s newest attraction, the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa. The project is the first of what could eventually be several significant developments that would transform the character of south Carlsbad near Batiquitos Lagoon.

The resort, across from the beach at Ponto Road and Carlsbad Boulevard, is at odds with trends in the region, where many hotels are changing hands or are being foreclosed upon. Wavecrest Hotels and Resorts — which also owns the Hilton Garden Inn near the beach south of Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad — is having the new Hilton built. Noticing droves of hotels but a general lack of resort-quality inns near the ocean, Wavecrest began buying land in 2001 for the project and by 2006 had acquired five properties totaling eight acres. Plans call for 215 rooms, a pool area that faces the ocean, a seven-room spa, large indoor and outdoor meeting spaces including a wedding venue, and a restaurant. Wavecrest hopes to build the resort for less than $55 million. When finished, the resort will staff more than 200 employees. Consulting and construction will provide work for about 250 people, the company estimated. Builders broke ground in January and hope to complete the project by June 2012, but say they are ahead of schedule and it could open sooner.  The project, which secured financing in January, is hailed by the building and hospitality fields as somewhat of an anomaly, rising from the ashes of a recession that devastated the construction and lending industries. “It was tough for everybody in the country, but for us on this project, we own the property free and clear, and we were just methodically going about our business getting the approvals, getting the plans,” Wavecrest President Bill Canepa said. “It didn’t cause us to slow down or make any changes.” Canepa, who was named Businessperson of the Year in March by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, said the land was collectively valued at $20 million, and it acquired it for about half that.  Occupancy at Hilton Garden Inn stayed above 80 percent even during the worst of times, he said, and is typically much higher. That success has made his company confident that a luxury resort under the Hilton banner will succeed in North County. The number of visitors to San Diego County was projected to be up 3 percent over last year in the first quarter based on figures from January and February, and tourism spending was up 7 percent, according to the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. In Carlsbad, hotel occupancy rates were about half full at 54.3 percent in the first quarter of this year, down 7.5 percent compared to the same months last year, according to data provided by destination marketing organization Visit Carlsbad. The county as a whole was up 4.5 percent at 65 percent occupancy.  Some other California destinations did a little better in the first quarter. Santa Barbara was at 60 percent, up 9 percent; Newport Beach and Dana Point were at 65.2 percent, up 9.9 percent; and Anaheim was at 68.1 percent, up 7.8 percent. The region’s performance was likely due to bad winter weather, said Visit Carlsbad Executive Director Sam Ross. Occupancy in the county was trending upward, though, and was at 70.2 percent in March alone. Carlsbad’s relatively poor performance compared to the region may have to do with La Costa Resort and Spa closing 240 rooms for renovations, Ross said. He said the new Hilton resort will provide some much-needed revitalization in southern Carlsbad. “It will be good for North County. It will give travelers another option for (staying) on the beach,” Ross said. “It is amazing that a hotel is being built after the recession we’ve been going through and kind of are still in.” South Carlsbad, which city officials say is blighted by the Encina Power Station’s 400-foot-tall smokestacks, is a focus for city redevelopment. It has three planning subdivisions, one of which is Ponto. The city’s plans for the coastal land include three hotels, condominiums, time shares and shopping areas. The Carlsbad Hilton Oceanfront Resort & Spa marks the first of those plans to come near fruition. Housing and Community Services Director Debbie Fountain hopes the resort will encourage other developers to build there. “The economy definitely has a major impact on any of those kinds of projects moving forward,” Fountain said. “Obviously it’s a big boost to the economy in Carlsbad to think about having a new 215-room resort and spa, and to have it happening in the redevelopment area sends a message that this a good area to develop in.”

On the Leucadia side of highway 101, The Leucadia Mainstreet Association has been busy at work trying to breathe life into the local businesses. As one of the City Council’s high priority projects, in early 2008 the City initiated a streetscape project to enhance the North Coast Highway 101 corridor.  Community input has been utilized to create a concept plan for beautification, landscape, pedestrian, circulation, traffic management, and parking improvements for an approximately 2.5-mile stretch of North Coast Highway 101 (A Street to La Costa Avenue). If it's anything like the revitalization of downtown Encinitas, they're on the right track as this redevelopment helped the city get through the recession virtually unscathed. It was one of the few towns in America the past few years where businesses were being built instead of boarded up. The diagram above is a quick look at just the area between La Costa Avenue and the famous Log Cabin apartments. You'll notice new benches, trees, walking trails, roundabouts, etc. Below is a brief description of some of the features they'll be adding.

RECOMMENDED PHASING IMPROVEMENT	DESCRIPTION
A Street to North Court	Implement/construct all the improvements associated with the approved concept plan/Alternative 4A from A Street to North Court.
La Costa Roundabout	Construct the roundabout at La Costa Avenue.
Hawk Pedestrian Crossings	Install the infrastructure to accommodate the future Hawk Pedestrian Crossing signals concurrent with construction of any other improvements.
Road Diet Striping	Stripe the Northbound Traffic lanes with a Road Diet – extending from North Court to Bishop’s Gate (Sea Bluff entrance).
Tree Plantings	Provide 101 tree plantings and irrigation systems where possible without conflicting with future phases of work.
Grandview Avenue Roundabout	Initiate discussions with NCTD to obtain authorization for encroachment into NCTD right-of-way.

Whether or not you agree with the changes, the bottom line is that it will probably stimulate the local economy. And unfortunately Leucadia needs some help as the NCTD keeps cutting down the 'diseased' trees along the railroad tracks and there is a lack of foot traffic in the area which hurts local businesses. For Ponto, they already ripped out the plants and trees years ago, graded the land, and put up chain link fences so something needed to be done. Whether they overdevelop is another question. Just please don't put make it another Newport and put in a a marina and harbor at Batiquitos Lagoon!

Demo Today- Channel Islands, O'Neill, and More!

The crew at Surf Ride are having a mega surfboard and wetsuit demo today at Seaside Reef. Looking for a board to ride in the summer slop? Today's the perfect day with the small swell, low tide, south wind, and overcast skies. Why not ride a Whip like Slater rides. Heard about the Hyperfreak O'Neill wetsuit hype but haven't seen one yet? With water temps hovering around a cold 60 degrees, there's no reason not to slip one one today. Not sure how Firewire surfboard technology works? Ask the rep this morning. Swap out some FCS fins and find the right combination for speed and looseness on your board. That and a million other things going on this morning from 8-2. Better than mowing the lawn today so get on it!

THE Surf Report 5/6/11

Typical.

SURF:

Not much surf this past week but man was the weather all-time. Small SW was met with a touch of NW for mainly waist high+ waves around town (except Lowers which had chest high+ waves but were only for a privileged few- more on that in the blog below) and temps at the beaches hit the low 90’s. Of course all good things must come to an end and May Gray showed up yesterday for low clouds and fog in the night and morning. Today we’ve got similar conditions with just small SW and a touch of NW for waist high waves and chest high sets in the OC. Looks even worse than that first thing this morning because the tide is low, it’s overcast, and we have light SE winds from the eddy spinning up. Saturday the fog/low clouds last a little longer, we get a slight bump from the SW for waist high waves with inconsistent chest high sets, and small NW mixes in. By Sunday the SW holds and new NW windswell starts to kick in. Low clouds and fog may last through the day at the beaches unfortunately but at least we have some small rideable swell in the waist-chest+ high range. Nothing exciting this weekend- oh- except Mother’s Day- so get your surf on Saturday and hang with your mum on Sunday. From all that upwelling caused by the NNE winds this past week, water temps dropped to the mid-50’s. Thankfully some S winds are on tap for this weekend and next week so the water temps should rebound to the low 60’s by next week. Tides the next few days are about -1’ at 7am, 3’ around 2pm, 2’ at 6pm, and back to 3’ at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf! 

FORECAST:

The only good news about the gloomy weather from the weak fronts coming through is that they kick up our winds off central CA/Pt. Conception. Sunday the NW windswell starts to build and by sundown we should have some shoulder high waves in north SD/OC and slightly bigger in southern SD. South OC stays about the same from the combo SW/NW swells. By Monday it’s pretty dreary around here with the thick low clouds and drizzle (more on that below) but we do get some good NW windswell out of it. Beaches will be lumpy from the short interval swell and we may have some S winds but head high waves will be found. South SD should even have some overhead sets. Tuesday morning the NW starts to back off and we’re left with some small waist high+ SW in SD and chest high+ in the OC. The second half of the week looks like we have some fun chest high SW lining up with more NW windswell towards Friday. Nothing too exciting happening in the southern and northern hemispheres but there will be some waves to be found.

WEATHER:

Typical May Gray is in store this weekend with low clouds and fog on tap for the nights and mornings and hazy afternoon sunshine in the afternoons. Sunday it may be hard for the low clouds/fog to burn off as a weak trough moves through California. By Monday it’s downright cloudy around town and we may even see some drizzle or light rain. Temps this past week hit the low 90’s at the beaches- by Monday of next week it will be in the low 60’s. A 30 degree swing. Bummer. Tuesday looks cool and cloudy again but weak high pressure starts to build and we should see some more sun and temps in the high 60’s by mid-week. By Friday another weak front is forecasted to come through just to the north of us which will kick up the low clouds and fog again. Nothing unusual for this time of the year but depressing nonetheless.

BEST BET:

Another conundrum- Get some solid NW windswell Monday but ugly conditions? Or wait for it to clean up and get smaller SW by Thursday? You know me- take the swell, ugly conditions, and no crowds.

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Before you can surf, you need waves. And before you get waves, you need swell. And before you need swell, you need a storm. And before you get a storm, you need the basic ingredient- wind. But how do we get wind in the first place? Our friends at Answer.com have the um, answer. Wind is caused by air flowing from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. Since the Earth is rotating, however, the air does not flow directly from high to low pressure, but it is deflected to the right (in the Northern Hemisphere; to the left in the Southern Hemisphere), so that the wind flows around the high and low pressure areas. This effect of the wind "feeling the Earth turn underneath it" is important for very large and long-lived pressure systems. For small, short-lived systems (such as in the cold outflow of a thunderstorm) the wind will flow directly from high pressure to low pressure.

The closer the high and low pressure areas are together, the stronger the "pressure gradient", and the stronger the winds. On weather maps, lines of constant pressure are drawn which are called "isobars". These isobars are usually labeled with their pressure value in millibars (mb). The closer these lines are together, the stronger the wind. The curvature of the isobars is also important to the wind speed. Given the same pressure gradient (isobar spacing), if they are curved anticyclonically (around the high pressusre) the wind will be stronger. If the isobars are curved cyclonically (around the low pressure) the wind will be weaker.

Near the surface of the Earth, friction from the ground slows the wind down. During the day, when convective mixing is stirring up the lower atmosphere, this effect is minimized. At night, however, when convective mixing has stopped, the surface wind can slow considerably, or even stop altogether.

Wind can also be thought of one way that the atmosphere moves excess heat around. All wind is, directly or indirectly, helping to transport heat either away from the surface of the Earth, where sunlight causes an excess of energy buildup, or from warm regions (usually the tropics) to cooler regions (usually the higher latitudes). Extra-tropical cyclones accomplish much of this heat transport outside of the tropics, while in the tropics the trade winds, monsoons and hurricanes transport much of the heat.

Of interesting note: The highest wind speed ever recorded on the surface of the Earth was 231 mph on April 12 1934, atop Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. This high-elevation weather station experienced the winds of an extremely strong jet stream that had descended unusually low in the atmosphere. Think of that the next time you’re ticked off a 15 mph sea breeze blew out that new swell!

BEST OF THE BLOG:

If you want to see the future, then it’s time to check out the Nike 6.0 contest at Lowers this week. In particular the Dusty Payne/Kolohe Andino heat. Basically Dusty killed it and still lost with a 9 and an 8 to Kolohe. Both guys were blowing up and the surfing was nuts. Just check out the vid on the blog for confirmation. Or if you’re a sidewalk surfer, make sure to see the Alien Workshop deals at Seshday. All that and more in the blog below! 

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Best feeling in the world. You’ve been watching the charts all week in anticipation of a solid storm. The night before you can’t sleep because all you can think about is getting some solid carves in on long walls. You wake up at 5am, load your gear into the car and head on down to the beach at sunrise. Can’t get your suit on fast enough, then walk the down trail (more like run) and there it is- corduroy to the horizon. No one’s out and you can’t really tell how big it is. Do you run back to the car and switch the 6’2” under your arm for a 6’6”? Or do you say ‘screw it- I’m out there!’ As Billabong says “Only A Surfer Knows The Feeling”.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn

Rolling Stone

Chippendales Dancer

Best Bottom Turn In The Business