Windy, cold, rainy. Must be spring.
SURF:
Another fun week of surf was ruined by a winter type storm yesterday. What should have been a good SW and NW combo Thursday was destroyed by 25mph W winds. On the brightside, I guess there were waves?! Today there is plenty of head high+ NW/SW waves but the wind hasn’t stopped blowing from the W yet. If you really had to surf, you might be able to get some high tide reforms later. If you’re from the East Coast, this is heaven. Tomorrow the wind and NW/SW starts to back off. Looks like shoulder high waves most everywhere from the combo swells again and sunny skies. Sunday there isn’t much SW left but we do have a slight shoulder high bump again from the NW and good conditions. Tides the next few days are around 0' at breakfast, 3' after lunch, and down slightly to 2’ sunset. Water temps are almost 60 but will drop a couple degrees due to all the W wind- make sure to get that new $79 fullsuit from Seshday (more on that below). And as always, keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf.
FORECAST:
After the swells drop this weekend and conditions clean up, we’re left with dropping chest high NW on Monday. Tuesday looks small but we may start to have some waist to chest SW show on Wednesday. Hopefully the southern hemisphere comes to life so we’ll get some solid SW in the near future; tired of this NW windswell/groundswell junk! Further out, we may have some more NW towards next weekend and maybe some more fun SW if the models hold up. Nothing too exciting next week- typical spring weather and small but fun rideable surf…
WEATHER:
This low pressure system above us doesn’t want to go away. We started to get some clouds and S wind last Wednesday which turned into clouds, showers, and lots of W wind yesterday, and it looks like more of the same today. For Saturday the storm exits for sunny skies and NW winds. Sunday we get back on track with nice cool sunny weather. Next week looks to be typical springtime weather- low clouds and fog in the morning breaking up to sunny skies and temps in the low to mid 60’s. Hopefully by Thursday we get more sun and temps in the high 60’s.
BEST BET:
It’s a tossup- should be some leftover NW/SW tomorrow for shoulder high waves but NW winds from the exiting cold front. Or wait until Sunday when the NW is dominant for shoulder high waves and cleaner conditions. Or if you’re a south swell guy, wait until Wednesday for smaller chest high surf and sunny skies with light winds. Nothing all-time but at least you have choices.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
The travel website Trip Advisor just listed their top 10 beaches to visit. They are:
1. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
2. Cape May, New Jersey
3. Panama City Beach, Florida
4. Miami Beach, Florida
5. Sanibel Island, Florida
6. Clearwater, Florida
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
8. Captiva Island, Florida
9. Poipu, Hawaii
10. Siesta Key, Florida
Obviously these people don’t surf. Seriously- Myrtle Beach is the best beach in America? Have they never been to Hanalei in Kauai? Home to a world famous right, empty beaches, and palms swaying in the sun! Obviously they need to travel more. Guess they’re into rollerblading, overweight tourists with bad tans, and cruising the boardwalk in Camaros. Super fun. If they really want to know what the top 10 best beaches are, they should have asked me. I would have told them:
1. Hanalei, Kauai. Point break surf, beach break surf, warm water, and scenery that’s unparalleled.
2. Tavarua, Fiji. Where else can you get world class surf AND find a spot where your girl is more than happy to park it poolside with a mai tai in hand and a good book to read for 6 hours?
3. Lahinch, Ireland. If you can work off that Guinness hangover, then you’ll wake up to empty pointbreak after pointbreak after pointbreak.
4. North Shore, Oahu. No explanation needed.
5. Hossegor, France. You may need to mortgage your house to afford the plane ticket, but the beachbreaks are unsurpassed and the food isn’t too shabby either.
6. Maldives, Indian Ocean. Literally, it’s on the exact opposite side of the world so the plane ride as well as the airfare will kill you. And I haven’t even talked about the cost of your chartered boat yet. But waves and scenery are worth cashing in that 401k.
7. Chicama, Peru. Check out the Pic of the Week and then you’ll realize.
8. Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Heaps of big empty beach break surf and big city action. Sure the water’s cold, but that’s what fullsuits are for.
9. Gold Coast, Australia. This was tough to put on my list due to the crowds. But with all the legendary warm water barrels in the area and partying with Mick and the boys at night, it’s too good to pass up.
10. Santa Barbara, California. There’s a reason the two best surfers of all time (Slater and Curren- but you knew that) spend a good portion of the year here. If you don’t know by now, go find out before the NW swells are over this year.
BEST OF THE BLOG:
With all the cold water, winds, and rainy conditions, it’s amazing the wetsuit companies want to put their fullsuits on sale already. You can actually get a high end NEW 4/3 for just $99. Don’t believe me? Then check out the rest of my blog below! And before I forget, there’s some amazing footage of Dane Reynolds to get you amped for the weekend.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Considering how many Brazilians have made the tour in the last 10 years, it’s only time before the rest of South America gets on board. Like Peru. With waves like this, how come no one from Peru is world champ yet?! If you want to see more loooooooooong lefts, make sure to check out Inka Natura Travel.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Authoritarian
Harvard Dropout
Paddling to Cortes Bank For A Quick Sesh
