THE Surf Report

Summer's Comin' In Hot! 

SURF:

Had some small fun waves this past week but questionable conditions. High pressure to the east of us baked the deserts in 120 degree+ weather but here along the coast? Partly cloudy conditions and NW winds. The result was air temps in the high 70's and a drop in our water temps. Looks like we've got milder conditions this weekend along with small combo swell Friday/Saturday. 

A solid storm off Antarctica last week is sending a good SW swell our way (more on that below) so we might see chest high+ sets on Sunday as the swell fills in. And with the milder conditions, the winds should continue to blow from the SW which will help warm up our water temps. And here's the tides, sun, and water temps for the next few days:

• Sunrise and sunset:
• 5:41 AM sunrise. 
• 7:59 PM sunset. 
• And on that note, the longest day of the year will be this Sunday with the sun staying out until 8 PM in San Diego. Happy Summer everyone!

• Water temps dropped to the mid-60's (or worse) here in So-Cal due to the WNW winds the past few days. But today we're back to SW winds so keep your fingers crossed for high 60's by Sunday...

• And the tides are all over this weekend:
  • 4' at sunrise
  • 1' at lunch
  • 6' late afternoon
  • 4' at sunset

FORECAST:

So I'm going to turn on the Emergency Boardriding System. Before you freak out though, let me tell you why: Looks like the storm that generated our incoming SW swell on Sunday was pretty solid and we should see the biggest SW swell we've seen all summer- at least here in San Diego. Looks like late Monday into Wednesday morning will have at least head high surf with better spots in far N County SD and the OC going well overhead. 

Then there's a slightly smaller storm behind it that will give us shoulder SW late Friday into Saturday. 

I'm also turning on the EBS because there really isn't much swell behind it; forecast models show a potentially small storm in a few days which may give us waist high+ SW around July 4th weekend. So if you miss out next week, you really miss out. 

WEATHER:

Pleasant weather here at the beach as long as you don't mind June Gloom. Better than 100+ degrees inland I guess. The strong high pressure the past few days will start to weaken but only gradually- and we're looking at mid to low 70's at the coast and if we're lucky- partly sunny skies. The overcast conditions may hang around along the coast- but if that means SW winds and warming water temps- then fine by me. If anything changes between now and then, make sure to check out North County Surf on Twitter!

BEST BET:

Next week with the return of the EBS. Stoke! 

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

If you're a fan of ocean buoys like I am (and who isn't?!), it used to perplex me that a 3' wave at 5 seconds wasn't as big as a 3' wave at 20 seconds when it hit our shores. But I learned over the years that there's a ton of variables as to why that is. But before the big reveal, a refresher course first:

The waves you and I surf on are generally created by wind. 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 continual disturbance creates a wave crest.

As waves emerge from their wind source (like a storm), they tend to organize and line up the further removed from the storm. Waves during a storm may only have a 1 second swell period between wave crests (i.e. whitecaps). Locally generated windswell in the outer waters of Southern California may be a 7-10 second interval once it reaches our beaches. Hurricane swell off Baja? Maybe a 10-15 second interval. And swells reaching us from far away Antarctica? Sometimes 20+ seconds.

Once a wave is formed, its energy passes through the water, causing it to move in a circular motion. The only thing the wave actually does is transmit energy across the sea.

The idea of waves being energy movement rather than water movement makes sense in the open ocean, but what about on the coast, where waves are clearly seen crashing onto shore? This phenomenon is a result of the wave’s orbital motion being disturbed by the seafloor. As a wave passes through water, not only does the surface water follow an orbital motion, but a column of water below it (down to half of the wave’s wavelength) completes the same movement.

As mentioned above, waves move in a circular motion with longer period swells having deeper kinetic energy below the surface. So groundswell with a 20 second period may have its kinetic energy reach under water to a depth of 1,000' and a 5 second windswell type wave will start to feel bottom at a depth around 65'. 

So why does the depth of the kinetic energy beneath a wave matter? Well, as a wave approaches shallower water, the energy underneath starts to slow down and compress, forcing the wave at the surface to crest higher in the air. Eventually this imbalance in the wave reaches a breaking point, and the crest 'trips' over itself and comes crashing down as wave energy is dissipated into the surf. 

And when referring to 'longer' period swells, that's in regards to the the distance between each crest. But what about the actual length of the wave? That's important too. It's easy to see if you're standing on a cliff. You'll see a set coming in and the first wave may actually start breaking at a spot like Cardiff Reef and the same wave will break moments later at Swami's- a distance of 2 miles! Shorter interval windwell though? That wave may only be 100 feet in length. As a wave though moves down the coast, it may start to lose its strength as it needs to bend and fit the contour of the coastline. Rincon is a good example of that. The waves on the outside at Indicators will be bigger than by the time they hit the inside of the Cove. 

Based on the knowledge above about waves losing their size as they bend to fit the shoreline and the energy beneath a wave, what if they hit a deepwater canyon instead and bend back towards itself? Depends if it's a short interval swell or a long interval swell. The kinetic energy of a long interval swell will feel bottom and hug the edge of the underwater canyon and refract as it heads towards shore. As it bends back inwards, the formerly straight swell bends inwards and creates a larger wave from the added energy. Shorter period swells? Not so much. If you'll remember, they're also shorter in length and hence have less wave to work with in regards to bending back inwards. So on a day in which the surf is 3' at 20 seconds from the NW, Scripps Pier in La Jolla may be 6' but just down the beach at La Jolla Shores- flat. Why? The swell was bending in the Scripps Canyon and heading towards the pier- and away from La Jolla Shores. And for shorter interval swell- let's say 3' at 10 seconds? The wave won't bend as much in the canyon and will most likely continue its march to La Jolla Shores. The result? 3' surf at both La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier. So now I know. 

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Most photos I see of Japan are of busy streets and the frantic energy of Tokyo. And rightfully so; with Japan roughly being the same size as California but over triple the population (40 million vs. 130 million), there's not a lot of room to spare. But then photos like this prove me wrong. As was written in the first issue of Surfer Magazine “In this crowded world, the surfer can still seek and find the perfect day, the perfect wave, and be alone with the surf and his thoughts.” Moral to this story? Get out there this weekend and explore! 

Keep Surfing, 
Michael W. Glenn
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