THE Surf Report- Early Early Edition

Surf, rinse, and repeat (or if you're a grom, just surf and repeat).

SURF:

Summer has been on track lately. Fun SW swell last weekend, some NW windswell mid-week, hazy afternoon sunshine, and water temps in the low 70's. 

For this weekend, we've got more of the same as a new SW will fill in on Friday for chest high surf and shoulder high in the OC. There will also be a smaller amount of NW windswell this weekend to cross up the SW. 

On a side note, Hurricanes Erick and Flossie are steamrolling straight to Hawaii so don't expect any surf from them here in ol' California. 

And here's some numbers for you to digest:

Tides this weekend are:

• -1' at breakfast
• 4.5' before lunch
• 5' at sunset

And here's the sunrise and sunset (spoiler alert!: days are getting shorter):

• 6:03  AM sunrise  
• 7:48 PM sunset  

FORECAST:

Monday has leftover SW swell before new SSW arrives late Tuesday for more chest high+ surf. That lasts into Thursday. 

We've got a slow weekend before more SW heads our way around the 14th. Hoping to see some head high surf from that storm off New Zealand. And there's always the odd hurricane which may pop up and NOT head to Hawaii. If anything changes between now and then, make sure to check out Twitter/North County Surf.

WEATHER:

Not much change in the near future- just night/morning low clouds and partial clearing at the beaches. Clouds may be quicker to dissipate this weekend along the coast and a better chance of sun by noon. Further out, monsoon moisture is looking to make a return by next Tuesday/Wednesday so expect more humidity, warmer temps, and tropical clouds overhead.

BEST BET:

Friday/Saturday with fun SW swell and smaller amounts of NW windswell to cross it up. 

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Been a lot of talk about sharks in Southern California the past few years. And rightly so; with increased numbers in our waters for a variety of reasons, being smart about when and where you surf is important. But are they really hunting surfers and swimmers? Of course not. if they were, people would be getting bitten every day, all day.  In fact, if you were face-to-face with a shark, what would your reaction be? Do not worry about getting away as fast as possible. Probably the shark will flee from you first. That’s why most attacks on humans are a single bite as the shark realizes they made a mistake. I’ll let the people from Sharks World explain:

While it is true that some shark species are animals that present a sort of danger to people, it is also true that humans have endangered the preservation of many shark species, despite all the physical and physiological adaptations they have achieved through evolution to survive in their natural environment.

The picture of the status of sharks is not encouraging. There are about 12 species considered dangerous for humans, but about 20 are in danger of extinction. How do you explain this? Their indiscriminate and incidental hunting and the destruction of their habitat are the main factors that caused this situation which, joined with the wrong information that most people know about them, endanger their survival which has exceeded hundred of millions of years.

Estimations state that about 100 species out of 470 that exist in the world, are in a status of imminent danger to severe. The organization responsible for classifying animal status, including sharks, is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. From its perspective, all threatened species are under continuous evaluation, and a diagnostic is provided that is an indicator of dangers, causes, and consequences.

The organization has nine categories to classify the status of animals: Not Evaluated, Insufficient Data, Minor Concern, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct. A shark species is considered threatened if the IUCN Red List includes it starting in the Vulnerable status as this category being “less risky” among all the critical levels.

The Near-Threatened category, although it is not an indication of an endangered species, sets a precedent and indicates a potentially endangered species in the future. Vulnerable species face a high risk of extinction in the wild, Endangered species face a very high danger of extinction in their natural habitat and species classified in the Critically Endangered status face an extremely high risk of extinction.

According to IUCN analysts, among the approximately 470 species of sharks, 2.4 percent are Critically Endangered, 3.2 percent are Endangered, 10.3 percent are Vulnerable, and 14.4 percent are Near Threatened. Famous species such as the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) are Vulnerable, although the size of the latter and the ferocity of the first are striking.

These are the 25 most threatened species of sharks in the world (in no particular order), classified as Endangered (EN) and Critically Endangered (CR):

1.       Pondicherry shark. (CR).

2.       Dumb gulper Shark. (CR).

3.       Ganges shark. (CR).

4.       Northern river shark. (CR).

5.       Irrawaddy river shark. (CR).

6.       Natal shyshark. (CR).

7.       Daggernose shark. (CR).

8.       Striped smooth-hound. (CR).

9.       Sawback angelshark. (CR).

10.   Smoothback angelshark. (CR).

11.   Angelshark. (CR).

12.   Borneo shark. (EN).

13.   Bizant river shark. (EN).

14.   Whitefin topeshark. (EN).

15.   Honeycomb Izak. (EN).

16.   White-spotted Izak. (EN).

17.   Broadfin shark. (EN).

18.   Narrownose smooth-hound. (EN).

19.   Scalloped hammerhead. (EN).

20.   Great hammerhead. (EN).

21.   Argentine angelshark. (EN).

22.   Taiwan angelshark (EN).

23.   Angular angel shark. (EN).

24.   Squatina punctata. (EN).

25.   Spotted houndshark. (EN).

In the last decades some species populations have decreased up to 90 percent, and some others, up to 70 percent due to anthropogenic causes that kill them directly and indirectly. Disinformation and slow reproduction do not help them to improve the recovery rate of these animals.

Today, sharks face an uncertain future full of risks in a world troubled by environmental problems. If the rate of extinctions increases considerably, in a few years, the seas may be without sharks bringing an enormous amount of environmental consequences with this. 

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Still not sure why Kawhi left Canada for Los Angeles. I would take this empty line-up over crowded Malibu any day. Maybe he doesn't surf?

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
Haven't Peaked Yet

Was Going To Be The Headliner At Woodstock 50

If Kelly Drops In On You At The Surf Ranch, Is He Considered A Snake Since It's His Wave?

THE Surf Report- Early Edition

Pleasant Hawaiian Holiday.

SURF:

Been picture postcard perfect around here lately. Tropical weather, water in the low 70's, a fun S swell- couldn't ask for more. 

Lucky for us, the new fun S swell that filled in last night will hold through Saturday morning around here. Look for chest high surf in north county SD and shoulder high waves in the OC. Sunday backs off to the waist high+ range but at least the water's still warm. We're hitting almost the mid-70's this week and the normal peak of our water temps is usually the 1st week of August- so maybe we'll hit 77-78 degrees late next week? (FYI- La Jolla hit 81 degrees the 1st week of August last summer- right as El Nino was in full swing- so don't expect that this summer). 

On a side note, been a busy couple weeks for shark sightings (and especially the past few days). Lifeguards in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Carlsbad have all seen juvenile great whites cruising the line ups. Juvenile is a relative term since they've been around 8' long. Sharks were here first of course and maybe it's just more people keeping an eye out for them, but just use common sense of course when heading out for your next session. Probably not best to paddle out to a mysto offshore reef in the early morning fog at the local rivermouth which happens to be a seal breeding ground too. Just saying. And here's some numbers for you to digest:

Tides this weekend are:

• 3.5' at breakfast
• 2.5' at lunch
• 6' at dinner

And if you're looking to crack it, get a sunset session in, or anything in-between, here's the sunrise and sunset:

• 5:59 AM sunrise  
• 7:52 PM sunset 

FORECAST:
Early next week looks to have small background SSW swell with an uptick in NW windswell by Tuesday/Wednesday for more waist high+ waves. 

Charts show some fun S swell headed our way late in the week for more chest high surf around Friday. 

The tropics are also coming to life again but most models have the storms headed towards Hawaii- so no surf for us. 

And further out, charts show a solid storm off Antarctica early next week which would give us good shoulder high+ SW swell around the 9th. As long as the sun is out, the water is warm, and tropical clouds are floating overhead- I can wait. Make sure to keep track of the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf. 

WEATHER:

Amazing tropical weather this past week will be replaced by more summer-like night/morning low clouds and sunshine by mid-morning. Look for great weather this weekend and less tropical clouds overhead. By Tuesday of next week, models hint at more tropical weather headed our way and temps to feel slightly warmer due to the increase in humidity (a lot like the past few days)...

BEST BET:

Tomorrow with leftover chest high SW swell or late next week with more S fun swell on the way.

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Interesting weather this past week with a bit of early morning rain drops, the faint roar of thunder over the hills, and temps in the low 70's at sunrise. But on this day in weather history, remnants of a tropical cyclone over the eastern Pacific swept northward along Baja in 1902, bringing rare July rainfall. San Diego recorded 0.83" of rain, a record 1 day rainfall for July that stood until 2015 (a whopping 113 years. That was when remnants of another tropical cyclone (Dolores) pushed the new record to 1.03". Other notable rain totals included 1.53" in Cuyamaca and 0.93" in La Mesa. 

And in 2009, a powerful storm south of Tahiti the week of July 17th sent a booming SW swell which arrived on the 24th and peaked on the 25th. Surf was predominantly 8-12' on SSW facing beaches- with the Wedge hitting 20' and the odd larger set. Two people drowned and hundreds were rescued by lifeguards. Minor structural damage was also reported. 

PIC OF THE WEEK:

As a kid, the surfing world consisted of Australia, Hawaii, and the US- mainly California. Then the internet grew, surfing videos and clips were easier to see, and good surfers started to come out of Florida, Brazil, France, etc. I remember being fascinated by all the good empty surf I saw on the internet from European shores. Even though the world is smaller now and there's thousands of surfers in France, Ireland, Portugal, and thanks to Mick Fanning and Chris Burkard- now Iceland- there's still plenty of fun empty surf if you're willing to look for it- and fork over the airfare for a ticket overseas.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
I Have Magical Powers
Pretty Sure Mueller Kept Saying "Refer To THE Surf Report"

Was Never Convicted Of Starting The '86 Op Pro Riot

THE Surf Report- Early Edition

Where are those hurricanes I was promised?

SURF:

Fun surf earlier this week from a good SW groundswell and smaller NW windswell resulted in head high surf in most areas. That has since tapered off to the chest high range today and tomorrow looks to be waist to chest high from the SW. 

Good news is that a small S swell is headed our way for late Saturday for more chest high sets. That lasts into Sunday. We also get a small boost from NW windswell over the weekend. All in all it looks fun but not big the next few days. Water temps are still nice, but not 'El Nino-like', and holding at 70 degrees. And here's more numbers for you to digest:

Tides this weekend are:

• 5:14 AM low -0.54 ft.
• 11:40 AM high 4.23 ft.
• 4:33 PM low 2.28 ft.
• 10:41 PM high 6.12 ft.

And there's still more than 14 hours of daylight to catch a few waves- but the sun goes down before 8 PM now unfortunately:

• 5:54 AM sunrise  
• 7:56 PM sunset  

FORECAST:

The surf only drops slightly to the waist high+ range late Monday/early Tuesday before another S swell and more NW windswell arrive on Wednesday. Look for chest high+ surf and shoulder high sets on Thursday. That holds into Friday. We then get a little breather late next weekend. 

Models show more S building around the 2nd of August for shoulder high surf again. As far as the tropics go, it's been eerily quiet down there. Forecast charts show some activity early next week which may give us chest high S swell around the 26th and head high in the OC- if things hold up. It's got to kick back into gear sometime, right? Make sure to keep track of the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf. 

WEATHER:

Low clouds/fog may increase slightly Friday/Saturday for only partial clearing at the coast and temps in the high 60's at the beaches. Have no fear though; high pressure is forecasted to increase early next week for more sunshine at the beaches and a chance of thunderstorms in the mountains/deserts- typical for this time of year. Temps at the beaches should rise slightly to the 75 degree range too.

BEST BET:
Next Wednesday to Friday with good S swell and MAYBE some tropical swell again...

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Kelp for a variety of reasons is great for surfers. It keeps the wind chop down, harbors a ton of sea life, and is seen as a health benefit to humans. But it's disappearing of our coast if you haven't noticed the past few years. Scripps Institute of Technology is on the case though and San Diego has agreed to spend $3.6 million studying the region’s kelp forests, a key part of the local ecosystem that scientists say could disappear as climate change spikes ocean temperatures. The money will cover a five-year research partnership in which Scripps has agreed to conduct 450 dives per year at 21 local areas with kelp forests or extensive kelp beds. I'll let the San Diego Union Tribune explain:

The new deal, which the City Council approved last week, extends a partnership that began in 1992 with Scripps, which is part of UC San Diego. The partnership was prompted by a rupture that year of the city’s sewer pipeline off Point Loma, which released 200 million gallons of untreated sewage into waters near the Point Loma kelp forest. The city’s sewer treatment plant on Point Loma has been subject to stricter federal oversight since then. A waiver allowing the plant to continue pumping treated sewage into the ocean depends partly on the city studying how the treated sewage affects local waters, including kelp forests.

The ecological benefits of the forests include serving as a habitat for fish and other species, reducing coastal erosion and acting as a buffer against large waves during storms. The research partnership between the city and Scripps also monitors the effects on ocean life of a second sewer pipe that emits treated sewage near Imperial Beach. City Council last week unanimously approved a five-year extension of the partnership through June 2024.

The kelp analysis is one component of a larger city project focused on ocean monitoring, particularly emerging issues of concern such as climate change and pollution. “It’s one of the most comprehensive programs of its kind in the world,” city marine biologist Tim Stebbins told the City Council’s Environment Committee last month.

The city monitors a 340-square-mile area extending from northern San Diego County to Baja California in Mexico. In addition to dives and water quality monitoring at local beaches, the kelp analysis includes remote monitoring of the region’s two largest kelp forests: one in Point Loma and one in La Jolla. The kelp monitoring typically focuses on an area extending from Cardiff down to the channel in San Diego Bay between Point Loma and Coronado. The monitoring also will help the city meet new requirements for coastal habitats associated with the Marine Life Protection Act, a 1999 state law that requires California to evaluate protected marine areas.

Climate change is a threat to kelp, which typically thrives in the cold water along the California coast, said Ed Parnell, a principal investigator for Scripps who leads the kelp analysis. Cold water provides kelp crucial nutrients for rapid growth, scientists say. Local kelp started to disappear when local ocean waters warmed up in 2014 and continued that trend during the next few years of warmer water. Parnell said in 25 to 50 years kelp may become the exception in local ocean waters, instead of the norm it has been. Scripps has been formally studying local kelp forests and kelp beds since 1971 and more informally before that, officials said. Kelp harvesting, which had been a thriving business, essentially ended in 2004 when the economics changed, Parnell said.

Money for the research is partnership covers mostly labor costs: divers to conduct the research missions, record the data and then analyze it. The project is funded by the city’s 280,000 sewer customers, whose bills are calculated based on expenses deemed necessary to run the sewer system, including the kelp project.

Warm water is great for wearing boardshorts of course but not at the expense of our kelp forests unfortunately. 

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Australia is the best. Not only do they have Vegemite, Occy, and Koala's, they also have Noosa Heads. Sure the crowds are insane, Vegemite tastes like dirt, Koalas have sharp claws, and I have a man crush on Curren, Australia is the best. For more images of thunder from down under, check out Benjamin Gough's work on Instagram @_benjamingough

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
Appetite for Destruction
Hungry Like the Wolf
Just Booked a Surf Trip to Kokomo! 

THE Surf Report

Welcome to summer!

SURF:

It's about time. What seemed like an eternal winter, we're finally seeing good southern hemi swells, the sun is out, Hurricane Barbara was a blast over the 4th, and water temps are hovering around 70. Too bad it has to end this week. Just kidding-  things are looking fun again in the near future. 

First up is a new S swell filling in later today, along with small NW windswell, for chest high sets. The S fills in more tomorrow for shoulder high sets and great weather. Surf on Sunday backs off to the chest high range but still fun and plenty of sun. As mentioned above, water temps are near 70 degrees and here's more numbers to plan your sessions:

Tides this weekend are:

• 3' at breakfast
• 2' at lunch
• 6' at dinner

And there's still more than 14 hours of daylight to get a few waves in:

• 5:50 AM sunrise  
• 8:00 PM sunset  

FORECAST:
After a fun weekend of surf, things get kicked up a notch. We get another bump from the SW on Monday for more consistent chest high surf and a continuation of NW windswell. Beachbreaks should be fun. 

On Tuesday the SW/NW builds some more for shoulder high surf and that lasts into Wednesday. 

We then get a breather the 2nd half of next week before more chest high S shows up around Monday the 22nd. As far as the tropics go, it's been a pretty slow start to the season considering we're in a slight El Nino pattern. Things can change pretty quick so make sure to keep track of the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf. 

WEATHER:

Great weather on tap this weekend after the night/morning low clouds/fog burn off. Look for temps in the high 70's, plenty of sun, and your typical sea breeze. Low clouds/fog should be more extensive the middle of next week then we get more sun towards next weekend again. Pretty straightforward. And no monsoon moisture (i.e. tropical clouds) to speak of in the near term.

BEST BET:
Fun on Saturday with new S/NW then good on  Tuesday/Wednesday with a slightly better SW/NW.

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

As you may or may not know, in addition to studying meteorology in college, I also had a geology minor. Surfing of course consists of 4 parts- waves, weather, bathymetry, and the actual wave riding- so geology and what makes waves break was of interest to me. In regards to geology, one of the forces that shapes our coastlines, mountains, deserts, etc. is unfortunately earthquakes. The recent quakes in Ridgecrest, CA were significant due to their size- the largest ones being 7.1 and 6.4 over the July 4th weekend. My son and I were hiking in the area just the week before and we marveled at the forces that shaped the mountains in the Eastern Sierras. If you're unfamiliar with Ridgecrest and the surrounding mountains, it happens to be off highway 395, a short 1 hour drive from LA and 3 hours from San Diego. The area is home to Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States at 14,505'. (And if you're wondering, yes, the highest peak in the world Mt. Everest was also caused by tectonic forces. It sits at 29,029', incredibly twice the height of Mt. Whitney). In regards to Whitney, it got me thinking- just what exactly made this massive peak? Turns out, lots of earthquakes forced this massive granite slab into the sky; the largest one in modern times happens to be a 7.4 on the Richter scale on March 26th, 1872. Amazingly, that's not the biggest in recent history for California. Here's the list...

• 7.9 at Fort Tejon (i.e. the 'Grapevine' between LA and Bakersfield on the 5 freeway). This quake left an incredible 220 mile crack in the ground. 
• 7.8 in San Francisco. The great 1906 quake. Possibly 3000 people were killed which is significant because the population at the time was only 400,000 people. That's 7.5% of the population. Also 50% of the population was displaced due to the quake. 
• 7.4 in Owens Valley (i.e. Mt. Whitney area) in 1872 as mentioned above.
• 7.4 just west of Eureka in 1980
• 7.3 in Kern County in 1952. Unfortunately there were also three magnitude 6 or greater aftershocks within 5 days of the main 7.3 quake. 
• 7.3 in Landers in 1992
• 7.2 in Mendocino in 1923 and Cape Mendocino (about 150 miles away) in 1992
• 7.1 in Lompoc in 1927
• 7.1 in Ludlow (east of Barstow- you know where this is you River Rats) in 1999
• 7.1 in Ridgecrest just last week as mentioned above
• 7.0 in El Centro in 1940

So if you're keeping score, that's 11 earthquakes of 7.0 or stronger the past 162 years. That may seem like a long time but if you've been here in California long enough, expect to see a very large quake once every 15 years. That's 1 too many for my liking. 

PIC OF THE WEEK:

It's amazing what people seek out to surf now. Back in the day it was perfect Pipeline or the long rights of Rincon. Now it's the ugliest, meanest, thickest, coldest beast they can find. Before you know it, someone's going to recreate this in a wave pool and charge people to get slammed.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
Miraculous
Long Lost Winklevoss Triplet
Doctor Discovered Saltwater In My Veins