Thank you for waiting.
SURF:
Not much surf this past week but I've got good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first? The good news? Ok, here goes: We've got surf coming! The bad news? It's not that big. Still no major storms in the Pacific is leaving us high and dry (that goes for the rain too). Today we had a small waist high+ NW wind/groundswell that was filling in with MAYBE chest high sets in SD. That will last into Saturday.
On Sunday we get a little bump from the NW again, this time with chest high sets here in north county SD late in the day and slightly better in southern SD. Water temps are in the low to mid-60's and here's the tides and sun info for ya':
- Sunrise and sunset are:
- 6:13 AM
- 4:51 PM
- And tides this weekend are:
- 5' at sunrise
- 0' after lunch
- 3' at sunset
FORECAST:
The new boost from the NW on Sunday continues to fill in Monday along with small late season SW. Look for chest high surf on Monday at the best combo spots. Tuesday morning starts off the same and it drops slightly through Thursday morning.
Further out, models show the potential for shoulder high NW next weekend and head high in SD. The models though have been overselling it the past month so take it with a grain of salt. There may also be small late season SW again around the same time but the potential bigger NW will overide it. Further out, the storm track may start to lower finally, so we could see more fun W swell around the 21st. Make sure to check out Twitter/North County Surf if anything changes between now and then.
BEST BET:
Monday and Tuesday with combo swell or next Saturday if the forecast charts aren't tricking my eyes.
WEATHER:
Still no storms in sight so we're going to have these on again off again mild days. Look for high pressure to build slightly tomorrow for nice weather into Saturday and minimal low clouds/fog. Then the low clouds/fog return Sunday/Monday and then slightly nicer weather for Tuesday/Wednesday. And then... maybe more low clouds/fog later in the week. Not sure what the hold up on the rain is, but we're already 3/4" behind in our rain total for the season. Let's go storms!
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
We all know how wave pools make waves; there is an energy source that pushes against a body of water and the result is a moving body of water that tumbles on to the shallow end of a pool. But how are ocean waves created? The simple answer is wind? But how does that wind make an actual 50' wave at Mavericks? Let's start at the beginning...
There are 3 factors at play to create waves.
1. The size of a storm: If a storm is the size of Texas it will make a bigger swell than if a storm is just the size of Delaware.
2. Duration of the wind: If you get a wind gust that lasts a few seconds, you won't see surf from it. But if you get 50 mph winds blowing for 4 days, it will keep building upon the swell it created.
3. Strength of wind. 5 mph winds won't give you enough energy to make good surf- but 150 mph winds sure will.
2. Duration of the wind: If you get a wind gust that lasts a few seconds, you won't see surf from it. But if you get 50 mph winds blowing for 4 days, it will keep building upon the swell it created.
3. Strength of wind. 5 mph winds won't give you enough energy to make good surf- but 150 mph winds sure will.
So how does the wind translate to an actual wave? Waves of course are most commonly caused by wind (or Kelly Slater for $50,000 a day). Wind-driven waves, or surface waves, are created by the friction between wind and surface water. As wind blows across the surface of the ocean or a lake, the constant disturbance creates a wave crest. These types of waves are found globally across the open ocean and along the coast.
Once waves start to form from the wind, this energy passes through water, causing it to move in a circular motion. However, water does not actually travel in waves. Waves transmit energy, not water, across the ocean and if not obstructed by anything, they have the potential to travel across an entire ocean basin.
More potentially hazardous waves can be caused by severe weather, like a hurricane. The strong winds and pressure from this type of severe storm causes storm surge, a series of long waves that are created far from shore in deeper water and intensify as they move closer to land. Other hazardous waves can be caused by underwater disturbances that displace large amounts of water quickly such as earthquakes, landslides, or volcanic eruptions. These very long waves are called tsunamis. Storm surge and tsunamis are not the types of waves you imagine crashing down on the shore. These waves roll upon the shore like a massive sea level rise and can reach far distances inland.
The gravitational pull of the sun and moon on the earth also causes waves. These waves are tides or, in other words, tidal waves. It is a common misconception that a tidal wave is also a tsunami. The cause of tsunamis are not related to tide information at all but can occur in any tidal state.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
I haven't seen one in real life since all I surf is point breaks, but my beach break friends call this an 'A-Frame'. I guess the A stands for Awesome?
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Go-Getter
Started A Free Ridesharing Service A Decade Before Uber And Lyft Called 'Parenting'
It's Been Flat For So Long I've Forgotten How To Surf
