North County New Business News: Somthing Fishy Is Going On...

Besides the surf, greenhouses, and world yoga headquarters, Encinitas is known as the Mexican food capitol of the world. More than Mexico City. No, seriously, look it up. We've got little hideaways like Haggo's to high end Casa de Bandini. From basic Taco Bell to authentic La Especial Norte. From old school Juanita's to, well, old school Las Olas, there's at least 25 joints in town.

So if you're a restaurateur, let's just say the Mexican food market is pretty much covered. So what's the niche that's been popping up lately? Seafood. And with Encinitas being on the ocean, it's a no brainer. From little mom and pop shops like Lobster West to the fancy Pacific Coast Grill. From Josh Kerr's favorite Fish 101 to my grom's favorite Happy Fish, seafood diners are popping up like periscopes (bad pun, sorry). The latest to grace our shores is the Fish Shop on the corner of Highway 101 and I Street.

In the old St. Germain's location, the Fish Shop is the brainchild of Eric Leitstein, owner of the Union Kitchen and Tap, Encinitas Ale House, and a couple more restaurants in PB- like the PB Ale House and another Fish Shop. So far Eric's been on the right track and his recent locations have been busy with good layouts and décor. The Fish Shop's main draw besides the food will be the corner patio which should get a lot of use this summer.  The sign out front says a July opening but I think it will be more towards mid-August by the looks of their progress. Regardless, make sure to stop by in the near future and try it out.

In regards to the greenhouses in Encinitas, we hardly knew ye. From the old Encinitas Ranch fields, to the Hall property now Encinitas Community Park, to the Ecke property on Saxony that Shea homes is taking years to finish, to the 2 new developments east of the 5 in Leucadia, the old flower fields are dropping like flies. And who's the latest to bite the dust? The old grower east of the 5 freeway across from the new Encinitas Community Park in Cardiff.

Looks like 8 homes are being built on MacKinnon Ave., a couple blocks south of San Dieguito Academy. Like the rest of any new development in Encinitas, it's not a big one like Encinitas Ranch or nearby La Costa Valley, because there's no space left; only old greenhouses that are sitting on goldmines They're still a ways away to breaking ground; gotta do that environmental impact report, post the 'New Homes' sign, build the model, etc thing. I don't expect it to be move in ready until late next year.

Bummer to see this old greenhouse go. It was tucked away in a group of old school homes and every December they'd open up their lot and sell some Xmas trees. Cool local vibe. Make sure to check back on the North County Surf blog for updates.

Surf Check

Been kind of a downer lately. Our water temps have dropped the past couple of weeks and no real surf to speak of.

We had a little bump out of the SW and NW yesterday for waist high+ waves around here and the odd chest high+ set in the OC. Today both swells have backed off slightly for waist high sets in north county SD and the odd chest high set in the OC. Water temps have rebounded slightly to 68 and the wind started blowing early this morning out of the W.

Tides the next few days are 2' at sunrise, up to 4' mid-morning, down to 2' mid-afternoon, and up to 6' at sunset.

So is there any hope in sight? Not really unfortunately. The W winds blowing today will increase tomorrow and send some waist high NW windswell our way for Thursday into Friday.

And a few days ago there was a small storm off Antarctica that will give us waist high+ SW swell Friday into Saturday.

The tropics are starting to become active again with some waves of clouds coming off Central America- but no hurricanes to speak of yet.

After that it's looking pretty bad for next week. No storms on the charts from the northern or southern hemispheres. Best case is to get the hurricanes to kick into gear this weekend so we can get some surf early next week!

THE Surf Report- Early Edition

Average is good.

SURF:
Nothing spectacular this week but plenty fun.

New SW filled in yesterday and peaked today with shoulder high sets here and head high+ waves in the OC. Water is still 70 degrees- plus or minus- and the clouds earlier this week have finally given way to sunshine. Tomorrow we have dropping SW swell for chest high sets- with shoulder high waves in the OC- water temps still floating at 70, and the sun should come out mid-day. It's pretty much a repeat on Saturday with the surf dropping a foot. Sunday is even smaller in the waist high range.

Tides the next few days are about 1' early, up to 5.5' mid-afternoon, and down to 2' at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves/weather at Twitter/North County Surf.

FORECAST:

Nothing impressive on the charts but we did have a little storm in the southern hemisphere pull together a couple days ago and we should get some chest high sets late Sunday into Monday. The OC should have consistent chest high sets but that's about it.

Further out, chest high sets from NW windswell is poised to build again towards Thursday in SD. But mid-week... nothing. The tropics are eerily silent and best case would be to see a storm form the middle of next week but even then we wouldn't get surf until next weekend. In a nutshell, nothing of significance is headed our way for next week.

WEATHER:

The weather is in limbo this weekend. Low clouds should break up by lunch and we've got a little tropical wave moving through tomorrow and Saturday. After that it's back to low clouds in the night and mornings. Models then show high pressure building over the 4 corner states the middle of next week and we'll get a little heat wave with temps in the deserts around 115 and the mid-80's here. Just need some surf to make it a combo!

BEST BET:
Tough call- dying surf tomorrow or a little bump in the SW on Monday. Not too thrilled with either. 

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

If you saw last week’s THE Surf Report, you may remember the story about the anchovies migrating into La Jolla, possibly due to the warm water from El Nino. Seems to happen every 15 or so years when we have the larger than normal El Ninos- we get unique fish to our area. But what will happen if global warming keeps on pace and our ocean warms to unseen levels? Well, the migration of tropical fish as a result of ocean warming will pose a serious threat to the temperate areas they invade, because they like to overgraze on kelp forests and seagrass a new study concludes. And who just happens to have a TON of kelp and seagrass? North County San Diego of course. The harmful impact of tropical fish is most evident in southern Japanese waters and the eastern Mediterranean, where there have been dramatic declines in kelps. There is also emerging evidence in Australia and the US that the spread of tropical fish towards the poles is causing damage in the areas they enter. "The tropicalisation of temperate marine areas is a new phenomenon of global significance that has arisen because of climate change," says study lead author, Dr Adriana Verges, of UNSW Australia. "Increases in the number of plant-eating tropical fish can profoundly alter ecosystems and lead to barren reefs, affecting the biodiversity of these regions, with significant economic and management impacts." And in our case- more blown out days in the surf if the kelp is missing. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. As the oceans have warmed and the climate has changed, hotspots are developing in regions where the currents that transport warm tropical waters towards the poles are strengthening. Increased flow of the East Australian Current, for example, has meant waters south-east of the continent are warming at two to three times the global average. Tropical fish are now common in Sydney Harbor during the summer months. Japan, the east coast of the US, northern Brazil and south eastern Africa are also strongly influenced by coastal currents that transport warm tropical waters. "In tropical regions, a wide diversity of plant-eating fish perform the vital role of keeping reefs free of large seaweeds, allowing corals to flourish. But when they intrude into temperate waters they pose a significant threat to these habitats. They can directly overgraze algal forests as well as prevent the recovery of algae that have been damaged for other reasons," says Dr Verges. Tropical fish expanding their ranges into temperate areas include unicornfish, parrotfish, and rabbitfish. The study authors include researchers from Australia, the US, Spain, Singapore, the UK and Japan. So far we’ve seen:

Southern Japan:
More than 40% of the kelp and algal beds have disappeared since the 1990s, a phenomenon known in Japan as isoyake. Tropical species including rabbitfish and parrotfish appear to be mainly responsible. Although these fish have been present for a long time, their annual grazing rates have increased dramatically as ocean temperatures in winter have risen. Corals now dominate the ecosystem in many locations. The changes have led to the collapse of the abalone fishery.

Eastern Mediterranean:
Tropical fish moved into the eastern Mediterranean from the Red Sea after the opening of the Suez Canal. In recent decades, rabbitfish numbers have increased, resulting in hundreds of kilometres of deforested areas and a 40% decrease in the variety of marine species. As the Mediterranean warms, the rabbitfish are expanding their range westward, putting other shallow ecosystems at risk.

US:
There has been a more than 20-fold increase in the number of parrotfish in the Gulf of Mexico -- a species which consumes seagrass at five times the rate of native grazers. The number of plant-eating green turtles and manatees has also increased.

Australia:
In Western Australia, emerging evidence suggests that increases in the number of tropical fish are preventing the recovery of kelp forest damaged by a heat wave in 2011. In eastern Australia, kelp has disappeared from numerous reefs in the past 5 years and Dr Verges' research suggests intense grazing by tropical fish on the kelp preceded this.

PIC OF THE WEEK:

You know what's great about Canada? Besides Keanu Reeves, Pamela Anderson, Celine Dion, and Bryan Adams? Actually, nothing is great about that group. But besides them, the surf is the real star. The west coast has all kinds of nooks and crannies with amazing waves just waiting to be discovered. If you don't mind dodging Orcas in the line-up and bears on the beach. The east coast on the other hand has point after point after point that will zap your legs of energy after one 1/4 mile wave. Not in the winter time though as there's snow on the beach, 40 degree water temps, and hurricane force winds blowing from the arctic circle. On 2nd thought, Canada isn't that great. The Pic of the Week is just a mirage.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
Ringleader
So Fresh, So Clean
Building a 2.5 Mile Chicama Wavepool Replica With Kickstarter

Surf Check

Not much going on out there unfortunately. June Gloom has finally arrived, our water has dropped from 75 down to 70 (with a couple colder spots unfortunately), and the surf is downright small.

Most spots are knee high with waist high sets from the NW/SW. We also have some pretty low tides in the morning and along with the slight S wind and overcast conditions, the small swells are looking pretty unappealing.

Tides the next few days are -0.5' at dawn, up to 5.5' in the afternoons, and down to 1' at sunset. Water temps have also dropped slightly due to a variety of factors and are hovering around the high 60's/low 70's.

As far as our weather goes, June Gloom has finally arrived. I thought we might be past the worst of it when it didn't arrive in May, June, and early July, but I was fooled. Looks like the low clouds may hang around at the beaches all week. High pressure is forecasted though to return early next week with more sun and warmer temps towards Monday.

So if you don't mind a little gloomy weather, then you'll love the upcoming surf this week. We had a fairly large storm a few days ago- not strong but broad- and we'll get some head high sets from it tomorrow afternoon into Friday. The OC will get overhead lines. No NW windswell to break up the swell, so beachbreaks will be walled.

On it's heels is a smaller storm that will send out a SSW swell late Sunday and peak Monday. Look for chest high waves here with shoulder high sets in the OC.

And further out, models show a little storm trying to organize but it's right on the edge of our swell window. Hopefully we'd get a small S swell from it towards 7/25.

The north Pacific is fairly dormant and the tropics are on standby oddly enough- even though we're moving into high gear for hurricane season. But that all could change in the matter of a few days down there. So get the good SW swell this week while you can!

THE Surf Report- Late Edition

Chillaxin'

SURF:
4th of July weekend couldn't have been better- solid S swell, warm water, and tropical clouds overhead. That's what makes this country great!

The S lasted longer than expected too with the OC seeing fun waves until mid-week. Today is pretty much flat with mostly sunny skies and wind out of the WSW at 10. At least the water is still hovering around the mid-70's. Luckily for us the nice weather will stick around this weekend, the warm water temps will hold, and we've got a little combo swell filling in this weekend.

First up is a small storm in Antarctica that is sending us fun chest high sets from the SW late Saturday. Look for it to peak on Sunday.

We also have NW winds blowing in the outer waters today that will give us waist high NW windswell on Sunday. The result is small surf tomorrow but fun waist-chest high combo surf on Sunday.

Tides the next few days are 0' at sunrise, up to 4.5' at 10:30am, down to 1' at 4pm, and back up to 4' at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves/weather at Twitter/North County Surf.

FORECAST:
The fun little combo swell rolls into Monday and starts to fade by Tuesday.

On it's heels though is more SW swell from a good storm in the southern hemisphere. Look for chest high sets by Tuesday afternoon and shoulder high sets in far north SD county on Wednesday. The OC sees head high+ waves.

Models have another small storm reorganizing in the wake of the Wednesday swell and we should get more chest high SW surf towards next Sunday (and head high in the OC). No NW on the charts unfortunately to break up the SW lines but all in all some waves the 2nd half of next week.

WEATHER:

The warm water temps are influencing a couple things lately- the 'June Gloom' is having a hard time sticking around and the low temps at night are almost 70 degrees since the warm air coming off the ocean makes it feel tropical around here. High pressure will strengthen slightly this weekend with tropical clouds probably arriving late Sunday or Monday. The low clouds in the night/mornings will also break up a little bit earlier too- so instead of waiting until mid-morning for the sun at the beach, you may see it around 7am by Monday. Good conditions will last at least until mid-week.

BEST BET:
Sunday will have a fun little combo swell but Wednesday's southern hemi looks to be a little bigger. Regardless, the water's warm and the sun's out.

NEWS OF THE WEEK:
All the talk of El Nino is usually centered around the winter months and rightfully so. That's when the biggest surf and most destruction occurs; usually from beach erosion, flooding, or mudslides. But we can't overlook the great start we've had this summer with the building weather phenomenon. We’ve already had the strongest hurricane on record for May (Amanda), the quickest intensification of a hurricane on record (Cristina went from a tropical storm to a category 4 in about 24 hours), and it's the first time we’ve had two category 4 hurricanes before the month of July even started. Our water temps are also ridiculously warm- and that's been the case since early June. Currently most beaches are between 73-75 degrees from L.A. to the Mexican border. The average this time of year is around 67-69, so you can see we're already 5 degrees warmer than usual. And the warmest water temps normally peak around early to mid-August, so we should have 4 more weeks of the ocean warming up for us. And with the warmer than usual water, the fish have been a bit confused. Did you see the millions of anchovies this week off Scripps Pier in La Jolla? If not, have a look...

Amazing. Best part is around the 34 second mark; you can see the anchovies spreading in a circle to move away from a leopard shark. So with all the warm water, how come we haven't gotten much hurricane surf this summer? Well, summer just technically started 3 weeks ago, so the water temps haven't peaked yet as mentioned above.

There's also a pool of cool water (relatively speaking to hurricane development) off Baja, so when a storm forms off mainland Mexico and moves into our swell window, it starts to die. So when will that pool of cold water start to warm up? Hopefully soon.

The real bulk of the hurricanes happen mid-July to mid-September so we haven't even hit the meat of it yet.

Also, worldwide, hurricane activity peaks in early September. So we still have a shot of getting solid hurricane surf in the next couple of months here. So hang in there! Things will only get better. And we're not even talking about the El Nino this winter!

PIC OF THE WEEK:

Since the Chargers aren't back in action yet, the Padres stink as usual, hoops are hibernating, US soccer is out of the World Cup, and the surf is flat today, then there's no excuse not to watch the J-Bay contest at aspworldtour.com. Arguably the world's best right hand point, this place begs for on the rail surfing. So enjoy the Pic of the Week and reminisce what Rincon was like back in the early 1900's.

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
Fabled
Now The 2nd Most Popular Person In Cleveland
Been Holding My Bottom Turn For 3 Hours Now

THE Surf Report- Early Addition. Again.

God Bless Antarctica.

SURF:

Had a late season W swell earlier in the week and combined with some lingering SW swell, there were some fun head high sets around town. Both swells have since backed off and in it's place today is some small tropical storm Douglas S swell and a touch of tiny NW windswell for waist high+ waves in north county SD and shoulder high sets in far N OC as it's picking up the steep S swell from Douglas better.

As we roll into tomorrow, we get a continuation of the Douglas S swell and a pick up slightly in the NW windswell late in the day.

We also get the start of a new S swell from Antarctica that flared up about a week ago. It was pretty solid but unfortunately just outside out swell window. We should though see head high waves on Saturday with overhead sets in the OC. Not a bad 4th of July weekend. We even get some 'tropical' clouds too (more on that below). Sunday the swell and great weather holds. Water temps are fantastic- but you knew that already since they've been at least 70 for a month now- with temps in La Jolla today reading 73 and here in north county 72.

Tides the next few days are 2' at sunrise, 1' at breakfast, up to 4.5' late afternoon, and down to 3' at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves/weather at Twitter/North County Surf.

FORECAST:

The good S swell will linger into Monday morning and the rest of next week looks pretty bad. No storms = no surf.

Models show a little SW swell trying to form off New Zealand in a few days that may give us chest high waves around the 12th. So until then, enjoy the 4th!

WEATHER:

Not a big fan of May Gray or June Gloom (which we had this past week- the clouds had a hard time burning off at the beaches). But that's all about to change tonight as high pressure builds over the Four Corner states. The low clouds/fog will get squashed at the coast and we'll have abundant sun and temps in the mid-high 70's. The monsoonal thunderstorms are also brewing in the desert SW today and a couple waves of clouds will come our way this weekend. The first may give us 'tropical' weather tomorrow with scattered high clouds and increased humidities (think Hawaii without the expensive airfare). The 2nd wave only makes it as far as our local mountains in the form of some big puffy clouds (along with thunder and lightning). That lasts through Monday. High pressure slightly weakens towards the middle of next week for temps in the low to mid-70's and a few more night/morning clouds/fog. Summer looks to be right on track.  

BEST BET:
Was there really any doubt? Late Friday through early Sunday with great weather, solid S swell, a touch of NW windswell, and water temps in the low 70's. Fireworks all the way around!

NEWS OF THE WEEK:
Just in time for the 4th of July weekend, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) thought it was a good time to scare the pants off everyone with their 'Beach Dangers' story. You know, things like Tsunami's, Shorebreak poundings, and Sharks. No story though on angry locals. If you want a good fright, have a gander at the following 'Public Service Announcement'...

RIP CURRENTS
Rip currents account for more than 80 percent of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards. They are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore that quickly pull swimmers out to sea. Rip currents typically extend from the shoreline, through the surf zone, and past the line of breaking waves. The best way to stay safe is to recognize the danger of rip currents. If caught in one, don't fight it! Swim parallel to the shore and swim back to land at an angle. Always remember to swim at beaches with lifeguards.

SHOREBREAK

A shorebreak is an ocean condition when waves break directly on the shore. Both small and high waves can be equally as unpredictable and dangerous and typically form when there is a rapid transition from deep to shallow water. The power of a shorebreak can cause injuries to extremities and the cervical spine. Spinal cord injuries most often occur when diving headfirst into the water or being tumbled in the waves by the force of the waves. Be sure to ask a lifeguard about the wave conditions before going into the water.

LIGHTNING
Since 2006, an average of 33 people have been killed annually by lightning in the United States. Already in 2014, seven people have died due to lightning strikes. There is no safe place outside when thunderstorms are in the area. When thunder roars, go indoors!  The safest places during lightning activity are substantial buildings and hard-topped vehicles. Rain shelters, small sheds, and open vehicles are not safe.  Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder crack before going back to the beach.

TSUNAMIS
A tsunami is a series of ocean waves generated by any rapid large-scale disturbance of the sea water. Most are generated by earthquakes, but may also be caused by volcanic eruptions, landslides, undersea slumps, or meteor impacts. The tsunami wave may come gently ashore or may increase in height to become a fast moving wall of turbulent water several meters high. Although we can’t prevent them, the effects can be reduced through preparedness, timely warnings, and effective response.

SHARKS

Shark attacks, though rare, are most likely to occur near shore, typically inshore of a sandbar or between sandbars, where sharks can become trapped by low tide, and near steep drop offs where shark’s prey gather. The relative risk of a shark attack is very small but should always be minimized whenever possible. To reduce your risk don’t swim too far from shore, stay in groups, avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight, don’t go in the water if bleeding from a wound, leave the shiny jewelry at home, and avoid brightly-colored swimwear.

JELLYFISH
Keep an eye out for jellyfish. All jellyfish sting, but not all have venom that hurts humans. Of the 2,000 species of jellyfish, only about 70 seriously harm or may occasionally kill people. When on the beach, take note of jellyfish warning signs. Be careful around jellies washed up on the sand as some still sting if their tentacles are wet. Tentacles torn off a jellyfish can sting, too. If you are stung, don't rinse with water, which could release more poison. Lifeguards usually give first aid for stings. See a doctor if you have an allergic reaction.

HEAT
Too much heat and sun can spoil a vacation. Heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States, causing more deaths than floods, lightning, tornados, and hurricanes combined. Heat disorder symptoms include sunburn, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Spending the day at the beach can lead to any of these disorders but the most visible is sunburn, which can take up to 24 hours before the full damage is visible. When a burn is severe, accompanied by a headache, chills, or a fever, seek medical help right away.

RED TIDES
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) (popularly referred to as red tides) are dense populations or "blooms" of algae that form in coastal waters. A small percentage of these blooms can be toxic to marine animals and humans. People can get sick by swimming directly in the water and by eating contaminated shellfish. If a sufficient amount of toxins are ingested, the results can be fatal. Scientists can forecast the timing and location of blooms. This allows coastal managers and public health officials to make decisions regarding shellfish harvesting and beach closures to ensure the health of both residents and visitors.

WATER QUALITY
Coastal beaches are among the most treasured natural resources in the nation, but beach closures or advisories caused by poor water quality often prevent the public from enjoying these resources. As water flows from land to coastal waters, it is often contaminated by untreated sewage from boats, pets, failing septic systems, fertilizers, and spills from hazardous substances. High levels of bacteria and other chemicals in the water can cause gastrointestinal illnesses in those that swim directly in the water. When visiting the beach, be aware of all beach closures and advisories.

MARINE DEBRIS
Our oceans are filled with items that do not belong there. Huge amounts of consumer plastics, metals, rubber, paper, textiles, derelict fishing gear, vessels, and other lost or discarded items enter the marine environment every day, making marine debris one of the most widespread pollution problems facing the world's oceans and waterways. Often this debris, or litter, ends up on our beaches damaging habitats, harming wildlife, and making it unsafe for beach goers to walk along the shoreline and swim in the water.

PIC OF THE WEEK:

What's the most iconic American surf spot? Pipeline? Malibu? Windansea? My vote is the Wedge. Hard to argue when the 'American' Corp of Engineers built the spot (inadvertently of course- but still- it's good ol' fashioned American ingenuity). And isn't America a melting pot? The Wedge is too- it's two swells meeting up to make one of the best- and freakish- waves in America- or even the world for that matter. For more great shots of America, check out Rob Gilley's work on Surfer Mag's website. Happy 4th everyone!

Keep Surfing,

Michael W. Glenn
Mr. Nice Guy
Uncle Sam's Uncle
Leasing The 'California Kid' Nickname From Joey