Prepare for landing.
SURF:
Been darn fun around here lately. Good weather, lots of NW/SW swells, and the line ups have been relatively quiet as everyone is surfed out. If you're not tired already, you will be after this weekend. We've got more NW tomorrow that will join our existing SW. Look for shoulder high sets again.
FORECAST:
If you weren't tired last week from the surf or from the upcoming waves this weekend, then you'll definitely be surfed-out next week. On Tuesday Olaf peaks with head high sets from the WSW and more NW arrives. By Thursday Olaf is dead but we've got overhead NW showing from a good storm forming this weekend in the Aleutians with overhead++ sets in SD. The only downfall is that the models are predicting rain and stormy weather. Next weekend things should clean up as more solid NW arrives for Halloween. Trick or treat? All treat.
WEATHER:
Nice weather is in store for the weekend as high pressure is in control. Look for temps in the low 80's at the beaches. Weak low pressure moves in for Monday and the clouds kick up and cool things down. Tuesday is a transition day as a low pressure system moves towards southern California. Could this be the start of our El Nino winter? At least look for a chance of rain towards Wednesday into Thursday- it's still too early to predict how stormy we'll get. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves/weather at Twitter/North County Surf.
BEST BET:
Most likely this weekend through early next week as we've got plenty of swell from all directions and great weather. Or the 2nd half of next with bigger surf but potentially stormy weather. So clean weather and crowds or lumpy bumpy solitude? What's your fancy?
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
The North County Surf Blog talks about surfing a lot (ok- all the time), but I never talk about where waves come from. Sure we know where babies come from (stork), where my paycheck comes from (modeling), the Kardashian’s talent (no clue), but the source of waves? Time for me to explain with a little help from my friends at NOAA.
During your early morning surf check, you hope to see corduroy to the horizon; waves transporting water from one place to the next. Though waves do cause the surface water to move, the idea that waves are travelling bodies of water is misleading.
Waves are actually energy passing through the water, causing it to move in a circular motion, much like a buoy or pelican floating on the surface. When a wave encounters an object at the surface, the object appears to jump forward and upward with the wave, but then falls down and back in an orbital motion as the wave continues by, ending up in in it’s original position. If you imagine the water in the wave following this same pattern, it’s easier to understand ocean waves as simply kinetic energy moving through seawater. In reality, the water in waves doesn’t travel much at all. The only thing waves do is transmit across the sea is energy.
The idea of waves being energy movement rather than water movement makes sense in the open ocean, but what about at the beach, where waves break on shore? This phenomenon is a result of the wave’s orbital motion being upset by the seafloor. As a wave passes through water, not only does the surface water follow an orbital motion, but a column of water below it (down to half of the wave’s wavelength) makes the same movement. As a wave approaches shallow water, the lower portion of the wave starts to slow down and compress, forcing the top of the wave to pitch. Eventually this imbalance in the wave reaches a breaking point, and the lip comes crashing down as wave energy is dissipated into the surf.
So where does a wave's energy come from? There are a few types of ocean waves and they are generally classified by the energy source that creates them. Most common are surface waves, caused by wind blowing along the air-water interface (i.e. storms), creating a disturbance that steadily builds as wind continues to blow and the wave crest rises. Surface waves occur constantly all over the globe, and are the waves you see at the beach under normal conditions.
Adverse weather or natural events often produce larger and potentially hazardous waves. Severe storms moving inland often create a storm surge, a long wave caused by high winds and a continued low pressure area. Storm surges are a minor disturbance in deep water, often less than one meter high, but intensify as they move into shallower water. Submarine earthquakes or landslides can displace a large amount of water very quickly, creating tsunamis. Storm surges and tsunamis do not create a typical crashing wave, but rather a massive sea-level rise upon reaching shore and are extremely destructive of course. So for now, enjoy the energy from storm generated waves and head to the hills when the ground shakes!
PIC OF THE WEEK:
There's been a lot of talk recently about wave pools and artificial waves and the such. Surf Snowdonia in England has shown that fun man made waves can make for an entertaining surf contest. But before we get ahead of ourselves, what if we just improve what we already have in the ocean? Like today's Pic of the Week at Scripps Pier. A wave that's walled, weak and flat 365 days a year, I've made into a world class spot with modern technology. Partially using existing science and materials that UCSD engineers already had on the pier, I made minor modifications to their equipment, added in modern wave pool technology, and applied it to the ocean. Not to bore you, but using water flow dynamics of W=3x (7.556/Y)^ squared and a proprietary formula of wave science (56ST) X 3.14(p)i = 23.23.4/8r - 34Y/32@900 (where r = low tide), I can turn any crummy break into Rincon. I'm currently in the patent process, but when completed, I'm going to open a surf resort at Scripps in La Jolla and charge $50 per wave. You can pre-pay with your credit card here on the North County Surf Blog.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Been Called Exquisite
The New Wink Martindale
Did A Curren Head Snap And Now I'm Wearing a Neck Brace
