Can I rest now?
SURF:
We finally get to sit back, relax, and assess the damage.
Winds have backed off, the surf has dropped, and it feels like winter in San Diego (sunny skies and 70 degrees). I'm going through withdrawals! Bring me surf!
Luckily for us, we have new WNW filling in on the buoys tonight. Tomorrow morning we'll have head high waves with overhead sets and some bigger waves in SD. Nothing huge like we've seen the past month- but still plenty of waves. Saturday starts to drop and by Sunday we've got chest high waves and great conditions. As the WNW backs off, we'll see a little background SW too over the weekend.
Beware the tides though! We've got a 6' tide at sunrise, down to -1' after lunch, and back up to 3' at sunset. Water temps have dropped to 58 thanks to all the wind lately. Time to dust off that 4/3.
FORECAST:
No big surf to start the week but at least the weather will be incredible and we'll have little shots of WNW and SW headed our way for waist to chest high surf.
Models show a good storm forming in the N Pacific next week which may give us 10'+ WNW surf again next weekend. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves/weather at
Twitter/North County Surf.
WEATHER:
This is what winter is supposed to look like in southern California; now that the windy/wet storm has left: strong high pressure has set up behind it and we've got offshore winds the next few days. Nothing too strong but gusts in the early mornings/late nights around 15-20 mph at the beaches and during the day, temps in the high 70's. Those early morning sessions should be killer (just pick your high tide spot wisely). The weather starts to cool down the 2nd half of next week but no rain through at least the next 7 days.
BEST BET:
Tomorrow- peaking WNW and offshore winds in the AM. Or maybe smaller combo swell on Saturday and still great conditions.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
We spend a lot of time analyzing waves above the ocean surface, as in, ‘The waves were 6’ and firing today!’ (Hawaiians on the other hand would say that same wave is only 3’). But do we really know what happens below the ocean surface? With all the shark attacks the past few years, you probably don’t want to know what’s beneath you in the line-up.
But there’s actually some useful information underwater. Like a wave will start to break when it reaches a water depth of 1.3 times the wave height (so an 8’ wave will generally break 10.4’ of water). Or that wind generated waves move in a circular oscillating motion (as opposed to tsunami generated waves which are initiated with a push and result in a destructive surge). And today’s topic: Bathymetry! Now before you stop reading this and go straight to the Pic of the Week, here me out. Our friends at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration give the term ‘bathymetry’ as “Referred to as the ocean's depth relative to sea level, although it has come to mean “submarine topography,” or the depths and shapes of underwater terrain. In the same way that topographic maps represent the three-dimensional features (or relief) of overland terrain, bathymetric maps illustrate the land that lies underwater. Variations in sea-floor relief may be depicted by color and contour lines called depth contours or isobaths. Bathymetry is the foundation of the science of hydrography, which measures the physical features of a water body. Hydrography includes not only bathymetry, but also the shape and features of the shoreline; the characteristics of tides, currents, and waves; and the physical and chemical properties of the water itself.” For our sake today though, we’ll just stick to bathymetry.
So why is it important? Let’s look at the obvious answer: Black’s Beach in La Jolla. The offshore canyon makes some of the best A-Frame peaks in the world. As a wave enters the underwater canyon, it starts to feel bottom and bend towards the wall of the canyon. As it does, it wraps on itself (or even subsequent waves behind it) and creates wedges. The dreamy bowly peaky kind.
You’ll also notice that if you ever take the road down to Blacks on the south end of the beach, the waves are significantly smaller down there in comparison to the surfing spots North Peak and South Peak. That’s because the canyon is aimed directly at the road and the waves bend away from it- towards South Peak and eventually North Peak.
The same effect happens to Scripps and La Jolla Shores. The head of the canyon is aimed at the lifeguard tower at La Jolla Shores and the waves bend up the beach towards Scripps Pier. I’ve actually been taking my groms surfing down there this winter when it’s been 10-12’ and out of control up and down the coast; La Jolla Shores will actually be 2-4’ and manageable. But what about the rest of the coast? Is there any other canyons you should be aware of?
Our friends in the OC have Newport Point to be thankful for. Remember Hurricane Marie? Newport Point was 20’ and bombing- thanks to the offshore canyon. Is there any more canyons you ask? Of course- but you’ll have to find them yourself. Just check out NOAA’s bathymetry website
here. As you search, remember that the closer the canyon is to shore (as in the case of La Jolla and Newport), the greater the effect will be. Too far offshore and it will get diluted by the time it reaches the beach. Other than that- happy hunting!
BEST OF THE BLOG:
There's been some far fetched ideas floating around lately- like sending a man to Mars, the Chargers moving to L.A., putting Trump in office, and building a pier in Carlsbad. The most plausible could be putting a pier in Carlsbad- especially on a stretch of beach that could use a little TLC in the quality wave department. Get the details in the blog below.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
If I've died and gone to heaven, I don't want to know.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Hero
On Walkabout. But On A Well Defined Trail. And Home By Dark.
Made A Homemade Wave Pool In A Billabong
