THE Surf Report- Early Early Edition

Every weekend should be a 4 day weekend.

SURF:
Don't think I've ever done THE Surf Report this early in the week before. I had to though- I plan on eating a mountain of turkey tomorrow and passing out in front of the TV as Romo battles Cam. But enough of my plans for the holiday weekend, what's yours? Surfing high on your list? Good, we've got some waves the next couple days- and weather too.

Today we saw some short interval NW windswell from a low pressure system overhead. Sets were head high in the AM and chest high by sundown. Tomorrow we have more of the same chest high NW windswell as conditions stay breezy. That lasts into Friday. As the junky conditions exit the region by Saturday, the NW windswell goes with it too.

Of special note: The hurricane season comes to a close November 30th and is going out with a bang. Hurricane Sandra, currently located S of Cabo, is the strongest hurricane so late in the season in the Eastern Pacific. It is a category 3 (i.e. a major hurricane with winds of 120 mph+, which happens to be the 9th major hurricane of the season, a record also) and could strengthen slightly tonight. Sandra poses no threat to us and is just barely in our swell window, but the OC could see shoulder high sets late Saturday into Sunday. For SD, not so much.

As far as our water temps go, we're still 5 degrees above normal at 66 and tides the next few days are a monster; 7' after sunrise and down to -1.5' before sunset. Basically the ocean is dropping 8.5' during the day. Amazing.

FORECAST:
Got some good things on the forecast charts tonight.

First up is a fun sized NW swell filling in on Monday for shoulder high sets around town and head high waves in SD.

On it's heels is a small late season S swell for waist high waves in SD and chest high sets in the OC.

And following that is another NW swell towards Thursday for more chest high waves and larger sets in SD. The only fly in the ointment may be another weak cold front coming through on Tuesday but it won't be a big storm at this point.

WEATHER:

As mentioned above, we have a low pressure system in southern California tonight and it's been generating cool air temps and breezy NW winds. That will hold through Friday with another shot of showers late Thanksgiving evening. Our current rain total from last night's storm wasn't impressive- only 0.10" of rain- so I'm still holding my breath for a real El Nino drencher (and I'm getting blue in the face). The weather cleans up Saturday through Monday and another weak cold front rolls through on Tuesday. Probably not breezy like today's system, but maybe a shot at a tenth of an inch of rain again. The 2nd half of next week should be pleasant and seasonal for December. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves/weather at Twitter/North County Surf. 
 
BEST BET:
Monday or Thursday with new NW swells and clean weather.

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

There’s been a lot of talk lately about sharks worldwide which have wreaked havoc at local beaches. From the young surfer killed at Reunion Island, to the shaper on the North Shore who lost his leg, to the 20 great whites seen in a pack off San Francisco, to the visiting Japanese surfer who lost his life in Australia, sharks are getting more press than Trump (thankfully in a sad sort of way). Also getting a lot of press lately are drones. From unmanned drones tracking terrorists to home flown drones buzzing your neighbors, the mini planes in the skies above seem to have a million uses. So where the heck am I going here with the whole shark/drone thing?! The Guardian reported recently that shark-tracking drones are being deployed to protect Australia’s beachgoers following a series of attacks on surfers. Trials will begin next week as part of a strategy by the New South Wales (NSW) government, which will also see high-tech drum lines installed to allow sharks to be hooked, tagged and released further out to sea. The drones will feed images with GPS coordinates back to operators looking for sharks, with the first field tests being conducted off Coffs Harbour. The first of the drum lines will be installed at Ballina, where a 20-year-old local surfer, Sam Morgan, was bitten by a bull shark earlier this month, and where a surfer from Japan, Tadashi Nakahara, 41, was killed by a shark in February.

The baited drum lines, previously used in the shark-infested waters of Réunion Island, instantly alert monitors when a shark has been hooked so it can be swiftly released and moved, unlike traditional lines that are checked intermittently. Helicopter surveillance is being increased as the main summer holiday season gets under way and politicians wrestle with how to balance protecting swimmers and surfers while acting in the best interests of the sharks. The trials are part of a $16 million five-year strategy to combat shark attacks that will include real-time tracking of tagged sharks using 4G technology, with 20 listening stations being built along the NSW coast at known shark attack locations. An app, called SharkSmart (yes, there’s an app for that), will allow members of the public to receive shark alerts in near real time on mobile phones and tablets. Eco-friendly barrier nets will also be installed.

There’s no easy way to reduce shark attacks, but the Australian government’s approach was to use available science and emerging technologies. In total there have been 14 shark-related incidents, one fatal, on the NSW north coast this year. “These are the first of several trials that will get under way across the state’s beaches this summer as we take an integrated approach to working out a long-term solution,” Niall Blair, NSW Minister for Primary Industries said in a statement. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) the high-tech drum lines were more humane than the traditional lines that have been used in Queensland and Western Australia. “We think this is a bit of a game changer for Australia.” However, he agreed there was nothing to stop a shark from returning to the area. Other than a lack of parking, angry locals, or a line-up clogged with stand up paddle boarders. (Wait- that's my reason for not coming back to a surf spot). Regardless, the NSW premier, Mike Baird, said the approach was based on science, not emotion.

Shark-spotting helicopters will fly for at least three hours a day in certain areas during the peak holiday season. Environmental groups have expressed concerns over the drum lines, saying they put dolphins, turtles and non-dangerous sharks at increased risk of injury or death. “Putting the drum lines into a marine park is of concern because there are a large number of dolphins, and critically endangered grey nurse sharks, and turtles, and other things that are likely to become entangled,” Sharnie Connell, founder of the campaign group No NSW Shark Cull, told ABC News. There have been calls for independent monitoring to ensure animals or marine life trapped on the drum lines are released within two hours. The Ballina MP and the NSW Greens spokeswoman for the marine environment, Tamara Smith, has said she will be seeking to join monitoring crews throughout the trial period.

It will be interesting to see how these systems work and if they can be applied to beaches around the world, especially here in the U.S.

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Chris Burkard is one of my all-time favorite photographers. Not only does he take great surf shots, he also has an incredible eye for scenic shots. Today's Pic of the Week combines both; a fun looking empty line-up with a brutally cold snow-capped mountain. One of the few places on earth you can get a few waves in the morning and snowboard before dark; the Big Island and Southern California come to mind as a couple others- a lot friendlier than this bear and orca infested local in Alaska. For more of Chris's work, check out his website here.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
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