The coldest winter I ever spent was my summer in San Diego.
SURF:
Kind of a down week around here. Not much surf and not much sun. Today is the same unfortunately but at least the sun is trying to peek through.
Tomorrow looks the same then late Saturday we should get a little bump from the SW and a little more sun. Nothing big- maybe chest high sets- but at least we can look forward to the first day of summer if nothing else.
Water temps are slowly inching up towards 67 degrees and tides the next few days are -1' at sunrise, up to 4' at noon, down to 2' late afternoon, and up to 4' at sunrise.
FORECAST:
Things are looking up next week. We had a good storm a few days ago that will start arriving on our shores late Monday and peaking on Wednesday with head high sets. Even have some NW windswell on the charts coinciding on Wednesday also. Beachbreaks should be fun.
After that we get some reinforcing little SW swells every few days through the end of the month. Basically fun little surf and average weather. Make sure to keep up to date on the surf by visiting
North County Surf on Twitter.
WEATHER:
The summer that never was. Or at least the spring that never was. We are on track for 2 straight months of clouds at the beaches while inland it bakes. Actually had the sun break out in the afternoon at the beaches yesterday and we may have some relief again this weekend, then the clouds return early next week for more clouds/fog at the beaches and cool temps again. Not a good way to start summer!
BEST BET:
Wait until mid-week when we get a better SW groundswell and reinforcing NW windswell.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
And the race is on! As you’ve probably heard in recent years, there’s been a big push to make surfing available to the inland masses. For one it’s a new avenue to make money in the hospitality industry and secondly it’s a new channel for the surf companies to sell more product (i.e. they’ve run out of surfers on the coast to sell new boardshorts to). So how come wave pools weren’t profitable in the past? First and foremost, the waves sucked (excuse my French). You really weren’t surfing- just bobbing up and down in a pool of 1’ so-called waves. Disney had the business model right with Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando- build a resort and entertainment around it- but you weren’t allowed to surf it- just run into each other on boogie boards for safety reasons. The surf industry, hospitality execs, and some scientists finally put their heads together and figured out that if you build a resort, retail, AND a wave you can surf, there might be some money in it for all involved. That is all coming to a head this summer at
Surf Snowdia in England this summer as guys from the
Wavegarden are beefing up their technology and launching a 6’ wave August 1st.
On it’s heels closer to home is
NLand Surf Park in Austin (Yes- Texas. Home to Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, oil, SXSW, and Tim Duncan). And they of course promise 6’ waves also (along with a couple side pools with 1-3’ waves for beginners). First let me say, I applaud their efforts. If they want to build a 6’ wave in the middle of nowhere, I’m all for it. Especially when I have to visit the in-laws for Thanksgiving and I’m landlocked for 4 days- having a 6’ wave at my fingertips is a godsend. So where does that leave us? Well, we’ve all heard the sad story of the Ron Jon Surf Park in Florida that never was, so I’m not getting my hopes up until I see actual 6’ waves being ridden August 1st in the UK. But we’re just 6 weeks away from it happening so I have a glimmer of hope.
Which brings us to today. I’ve seen some press lately about
Quiksilver licensing their name to ‘surf’ themed hotels. Seems harmless enough- Quiksilver puts their name on everything- from bed sheets to boardies. And I’d rather stay at a surf themed hotel than one that’s named Motel 6 and most likely a murder occurred the night before. The second part of the story goes on to say they are in negotiations to buy an old golf course in Palm Desert- like the Palm Desert next to Palm Springs- right over the hill from Southern California. The one that’s 105 degrees today while the coast is socked in fog with 65 degree air and water temps. A win-win; we can drive over the hill, get some warm sun finally, and have a cold one by the pool.
And then I read (drum roll please- and you probably guessed already)- the resort/retail complex is being built around a 6’ wave pool. I know, I know, “I’ll believe it when I see it”. But the fact is that the hospitality industry (and surf industry) is willing to take a stab at it finally with Surf Snowdia and NLand Surf Park. My guess is the biggest problem won’t be the waves itself- I think they’ll beef the thing up- especially since Quiksilver is a ‘surf’ company and Bob McKnight is attaching his name to it. I think the biggest issue will be the sustainability of the whole project (i.e. will there be enough people go to the resort and spend money on drinks, retail, hotel rooms, etc. to support the entire complex). My guess is yes since the Palm Springs area is already popular with close to 10 million people in Southern California being within 2-3 hours of drive time and a little festival called Coachella bringing masses to the desert every year. So when will it open? I have no idea unfortunately. They are still working out the details on the land purchase, then there’s the environmental impact reports, then construction of course, and testing of the wave, blah blah blah. So maybe 3-5 years? Regardless, if I’m using a walker by then, at least my groms will be stoked (and my wife content at the spa).
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Continuing on the Quiksilver theme, I did some snooping around and found out where the inspiration came for their logo. Now that the mystery's solved, I'm off to find the Loch Ness Monster.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
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