THE Surf Report- Early Edition

Windy and wild.

SURF:

Been heaps of solid surf this past week. Pretty fun last weekend and then a chance to ride the step up the last few days. If you were following my Twitter feed today, you saw a new big swell was filling in again in northern California this morning. I mentioned the San Fran buoy  had 20’ @ 20 second readings, then it really hit the Pacific Northwest with readings of 25-30’ mid-day.

That bomb of a swell has now hit Point Conception tonight with 18-20’ readings from the NW. What does that mean for us? The swell is pretty steep from the NW so it’s not the best angle to wrap into southern California. But we’ll still see 10-12’ surf down here in north county mid-day and 12-15’ surf in SD. Unfortunately, the storm that generated this swell will also send a cold front through the region tomorrow and we’ll have strong SW winds mid-day that switch to W tomorrow night. Gusts could be 25 mph+ at the coast. By Saturday, the front exits the region and in it’s wake is breezy NW winds. Surf starts to subside to the head high/overhead range on Sunday morning with cleaner conditions.

Water temps are holding in the high 50’s and tides the next few days are 3’ at sunrise, up to 5’ mid-morning, and down to 0’ at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf. 

FORECAST:
Fun surf is on tap next week but some breezy conditions possibly. Looks like another weak cold front is coming through our area Monday afternoon but not as breezy as this weekend’s mess.

That means our surf will pick back up again in the shoulder high range for Tuesday. Surf backs off slightly on Wednesday and then another weak front comes through for more shoulder high waves on Thursday with suspect conditions yet again. For next weekend, models show some disorganized activity off Japan but nothing concrete.

WEATHER:

As mentioned above, we have a front coming through tomorrow which will kick up our winds but won’t drop much rain. Look for semi-clean conditions at sunrise then breezy by mid-morning. That lasts through Saturday mid-day. Showers are on tap with about 0.10” to 0.25” at most. Sunday looks nice and anther weak front moves through on Tuesday and Thursday. Neither look to produce any real rain or wind- just a nuisance to our surfing conditions. Next weekend should be cool and mild.

BEST BET:
Tuesday and Thursday won’t be as big as tomorrow but at least it will be a little cleaner.

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Ever question whether you should paddle out after it rains? Maybe this will sway your decision…

Newsweek reported recently that antibiotic-resistant bacteria may have a new ally in their quest to infect humanity: surfers swallowing seawater. In a study published Sunday in the journal Environment International, researchers analyzed samples of seawater off the coasts of England and Wales. They then surveyed 143 surfers and 130 non-surfing beachgoers in this area. They discovered that the surfers were three times as likely to have antibiotic-resistant E. coli in their stool than non-surfers. Of the survey group, 13 surfers (9%) and four non-surfers (3%) harbored Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, or ARB. Researchers believe that surfers are more at risk of acquiring ARB in affected waters because they swallow so much water while surfing.

Antibiotic-resistance comes from overuse of antibiotics. Cefotaxime is a drug of choice used to treat bacterial infections like E. Coli, but some E. Coli evolved a gene that makes them resistant to the drug. When Cefotaxime kills off most of a bacterial infection, but some resistant bacteria survives, that bacteria has an opportunity to proliferate. The World Health Organization calls antibiotic resistance “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.”

When antibiotics are fed to livestock and farmers use their manure to fertilize crops, the antibiotics in their system can give rise to ARB. When those crops are watered, runoff from the fields sometimes make it into bodies of water. When people swim in that water or swallow it, they are prone to infection. The researchers noted that surfers tend to be fit and healthy and are unlikely to get severely sick from the bacteria. But their infections can still have significant consequences. They could spread the bacteria to anyone they interact with, including the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

Anne Leonard, a research fellow at the University of Exeter and one of the authors of the study, said in a press release that “there is increasing focus on how resistance can be spread through our natural environments.” “This research is the first of its kind to identify an association between surfing and gut colonisation by antibiotic resistant bacteria,” Leonard said. Activities that increase the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria could mean a public health nightmare. In fact, England’s chief medical officer warns of a “post-antibiotic apocalypse” if the issue of resistance is not solved.

The safe alternative? Kelly’s Surf Ranch. Unless someone pees in the pool.

PIC OF THE WEEK:

After seeing how crowded Swamis was during this last swell, it still amazes me that there are still empty surf spots around the world.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
One Of A Kind
Retired At Age 40
My Butler Scrapes The Wax Off My Boards