SURF:
Fun surf the past week as good conditions made even the smallest days a blast. That may change next week but before I get ahead of ourselves, let’s get through the weekend first.
We had a small SSW fill in today for waist high waves along with small background NW swell. Best spots had inconsistent chest high sets. For tomorrow the NW backs off while the SSW hangs around for waist high+ surf. Saturday both swells are pretty meager.
On Sunday new small SSW shows up late in the day while new NW windswell/groundswell also picks up. Best spots will be back to chest high again. The condensed version of the story is that it will be small this weekend but not flat.
Tides this weekend are 5’ at sunrise, down to 0’ after lunch, and back up to 3’ at sunset. And our water temps are still high 50’s. Wear a 4/3 if you got ‘em. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf.
FORECAST:
Still no big storms on the horizon.
The small SSW from Sunday peaks on Monday for waist high waves again while more NW windswell should arrive on Tuesday for chest high surf.
After that, models show another weak storm in the Aleutians that could give us chest high sets again from the NW on Thursday. And between all of that… is small background SW swell. Nothing impressive but we’ll have waves. One fly in the ointment is the chance of showers next week (more on that below). So if we do have waves, it may be blown out. As soon as I see big surf on the horizon, you'll be the first to know...
WEATHER:
As mentioned above (twice actually), forecast charts are
finally showing showers in the forecast. Not a real storm mind you, but
showers. But we’re so in the hole when it comes to rain this season, I shouldn’t
be making fun of it. We’ll have great weather this weekend with high pressure
in control and temps in the mid-70’s. By Sunday high pressure backs off, the
low clouds make a return and Monday afternoon we should see some light showers
into Tuesday. Wednesday will be a transition day as another low pressure system
heads our way for Thursday/Friday and more showers. All in all we could get ½”
of rain. For comparison’s sake, the big storm we had last month dropped 2”+ of
rain, so next week’s wet weather is just a drop in the bucket.
BEST BET:
Pretty much any day the next few days with small surf and
clean conditions. More rideable small surf next week too but the showers will
put a damper on things.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
One of the best and worst things about the ocean are rip
currents (sometimes incorrectly called rip tides). Let’s have a look:
·
Best:
o
Create sandbars
o
Take you back out to the line-up like a conveyor
belt
o
Turn mushy waves into a bowly pocket
affectionately called ‘rip bowls’
·
Worst:
o
Rip currents can tear a wave to shreds
o
Losing your board and having to swim against one
o
Waves can lose energy/size if they meet dead on
So just what is a rip current- and why do some people call
them rip tides? Well, rip currents are found along most coastlines (whether the
ocean or large bodies of water like the Great Lakes) and can be deadly if
you’re not prepared. A rip current is a strong, narrow, fast-flowing current
directed toward the sea (instead of the beach like the direction of waves) that
travels up to 5 mph- which may not seem like much unless you’re trying to swim
against it at 3 to 4 mph and getting dragged out to sea. (FYI- Michael Phelp’s
top speed is 6 mph so this doesn’t pertain to him I guess. Only Neptune can
take him down). Rip currents usually develop close to the shoreline in shallow
water (vs. deep water like the middle of the ocean). At it’s core, rip currents
happen because of the first law of thermodynamics, also known as Law of
Conservation of Energy. This states that energy can neither be created nor
destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another. So
if a wave breaks towards shore, where is that energy going once the wave has
dissipated? Back out to see in the form of a rip current.
For rip currents to form though, there must be areas close
to the beach where some waves break (i.e. reefs, sandars, points, etc.) and
other areas where they do not (like a channel). As waves enter the shallow
water they "shoal" – increase in height – and through their momentum
they begin to force water towards the shoreline. Once the waves begin to break
– so decrease in height – this momentum is reduced, opposed by another force
known as a pressure gradient. This opposing pressure gradient causes the sea
surface level to rise up by a few inches where the waves are breaking.
As the surface level of the sea where the waves are breaking
over the sandbars is slightly higher than where the waves are not breaking, a
current forms from water that is essentially flowing "downhill" from
where it is higher to where it is lower. These are called feeder currents, and
where they meet between sandbars (i.e. channels) their flow turns away from the
shore and becomes the strong rip current that travels through the deeper water.
So why are they dangerous? Rip currents are dangerous because
they carry anything in the water seawards to deeper waters, and are not easy
for swimmers and surfers to detect. A swimmer in shallow water is likely to
drift with the feeder currents along the shore without noticing, at which point
they may be carried into the main rip current. Very quickly, they are carried
out to sea and out to depths where swimming back to shore may be laborious. At
this point swimmers frequently panic, often with tragic results. Those attempting
to swim back towards the shore against the rip current will quickly tire as the
rip will generally be too strong even for the most competent swimmer (unless
your Michael Phelps but I already mentioned that).
A couple simple tricks can be used to spot rip currents
before you enter the water. First is to see if there are any channels (i.e.
deep water) between waves. A second way is to basically see mini rapids heading
out to sea. This is all good and well if the waves are defined with sandbars or
reefs as the ‘mini rapids’ will be visible in the deep water channels. But if
you’re at a walled beach break, it will be a free-for-all out there with waves
breaking all over the place and disguising the rip currents.
Now if you’re stuck in a rip current, the best course of
action is to wave your arms like crazy and hope the lifeguard is attractive.
Don’t quote me on that. The real best course of action though is to not swim
against it and paddle sideways, out of the current, and back towards the safety
of shore.
As far as rip tides go, they are also currents but caused by
(wait for it- drum roll please)… tides. They are caused by tidal flow in
confined areas such as inlets. Two instances that you may know of are the
jetties at Ponto in Carlsbad and the harbor entrance at San Francisco. In the
case of Ponto, have you ever surfed out there with the tide going from high to
low? As the tide drops, the pull of the ocean sucks the water out of the lagoon
entrance and a rapid is formed as the water goes out to sea. In the case of San
Francisco, it’s Ponto on steroids. There’s a great wave though at the mouth of
the bay called Fort Point. A great wave with an incoming tide- not so good on
an outgoing tide as you’ll get sucked out to the hazardous north Pacific. This
phenomenon though has made quite the sandbar a couple miles out to sea called
the Potato Patch. If surfing 50’ waves with great whites and container ships
are your thing, have a good read here.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
If J-Bay is known for it’s freight train rights, what is
this wave known as? A runaway locomotive? The little engine that could (break your
back)? Bullet train bottom turns? Goin’ off your rails on the crazy train?! I
give up.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Everything is Beknownst To Me
Tabloid Fodder
Editor Of The TransWorld Surfering Journal
