Put A Quarter In The Wave Machine
SURF:
Fun albeit small surf the past few days was met with great weather. Not exactly summer, not exactly winter, but I'll take it. For Friday, the current NW/SW combo sticks around for waist to chest high surf with clean weather.
Saturday sees an uptick in NW wind/groundswell for chest high+ surf in N County SD with shoulder high+ surf in SD. Changes are in store on Sunday as a weak low pressure moves through with more clouds, breezy conditions, and MAYBE some light showers. And here are tides, sunrise/sunset, and water temps for the next few days:
- Sunrise and sunset:
- 6:41 AM sunrise
- 5:25 PM sunset
- Water temps are holding at 57. Just 7 more months until it's a balmy 77!
- And tides are getting extreme this weekend:
- about 5' at sunrise
- up to 6' mid-morning
- dropping to almost -1' around 3pm
- and back up to 1' at sunset
FORECAST:
On Monday, the low pressure system exits the region for more windy conditions and head high+ NW windswell. Tuesday is cleaner with dropping chest high+ NW. Good news is that we have more storms lined up in the N Pacific- nothing like a couple weeks ago- but it should be fun and consistent.
Look for more head high NW groundswell on Wednesday/Thursday as well as next weekend- with potentially bigger surf- and more the week of the 12th? Time for the Emergency Boardriding System again?
WEATHER:
High pressure is still in charge but various storms in the N Pacific are trying to break it down. We have great weather Friday/Saturday then a chance of clouds/light showers on Sunday. Early indications for next week is that it will be mild but models are hinting at more rain the week of the 12th. Here's a quick summary of the week ahead:
- Sunny Friday/Saturday and temps in the mid-60's
- Clouds and a breeze Sunday and MAYBE light showers?
- Clearing and cool Monday with temps near 60.
- Most of next week should be sunny with temps in the mid-60's
- And maybe rain as we head towards next weekend and beyond?
If anything changes between now and then, make sure to click on the button below and follow North County Surf on Twitter!
BEST BET:
Saturday with new fun NW or mid-week with more swell and clean conditions again.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
As we continue with our list of top 5 'sketchiest' waves in California, coming in at #4 this week is actually a big wave surf spot here in Southern California- but the real reason it's so scary isn't the size of the waves per se- it's the toxic water. If you haven't guessed it yet- we're talking about Tijuana Sloughs. Let's start though first with it's unique bathymetry:
Tijuana Sloughs sits just north of the Mexico/United States Border and was formed by the Tijuana Rivermouth. The river is ancient, having formed during glacial times when heap stones were deposited as far out as a mile from shore. During the last glacial melt, the river’s mouth became a massive reef and was covered up with ocean. Kelp beds now grow on the stone deposits, over a mile out- with even the odd plane wreck on the ocean floor.
The Tijuana River, as it enters the Pacific Ocean, is an inter tidal coastal estuary on the international border. Three-quarters of its 1,735 square mile watershed is in Mexico. The salt-marsh dominated habitat is characterized by extremely variable stream flow, with extended periods of drought interrupted by heavy floods during wet years. The estuary – what is now the 2,531 acres of tidal wetlands known as the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve – is the largest salt water marsh in Southern California.
The surfing areas formed by the rivermouth are called Outside, Middle, Inside, First Notch, Second Notch, Third Notch, Mystery Break, and Backoff. Estimates on the distance of where the biggest waves break could be up to a mile offshore.
According to the Surfrider Foundation, the Sloughs produce some of the best big waves on the West Coast. Beginning in the late 1930s, the wave was the gold standard for heavy-water surfing in Southern California. If one wanted to make a name for themself, they first had to make a wave at the Sloughs. Today, the same waves break – big and imposing, the types of waves that can change a surfer's life.
Tijuana Sloughs sits just north of the Mexico/United States Border and was formed by the Tijuana Rivermouth. The river is ancient, having formed during glacial times when heap stones were deposited as far out as a mile from shore. During the last glacial melt, the river’s mouth became a massive reef and was covered up with ocean. Kelp beds now grow on the stone deposits, over a mile out- with even the odd plane wreck on the ocean floor.
The Tijuana River, as it enters the Pacific Ocean, is an inter tidal coastal estuary on the international border. Three-quarters of its 1,735 square mile watershed is in Mexico. The salt-marsh dominated habitat is characterized by extremely variable stream flow, with extended periods of drought interrupted by heavy floods during wet years. The estuary – what is now the 2,531 acres of tidal wetlands known as the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve – is the largest salt water marsh in Southern California.
The surfing areas formed by the rivermouth are called Outside, Middle, Inside, First Notch, Second Notch, Third Notch, Mystery Break, and Backoff. Estimates on the distance of where the biggest waves break could be up to a mile offshore.
According to the Surfrider Foundation, the Sloughs produce some of the best big waves on the West Coast. Beginning in the late 1930s, the wave was the gold standard for heavy-water surfing in Southern California. If one wanted to make a name for themself, they first had to make a wave at the Sloughs. Today, the same waves break – big and imposing, the types of waves that can change a surfer's life.
Why is it then, that one of California's premier big-wave spots goes largely unridden? Even though every other beach in the San Diego County is at capacity with surfers, the Sloughs are empty. And on most days, they remain that way. Some surfers still ride waves at the Sloughs. But for the most part, even surfers – historically brazen about what they'll endure physically to sneak in a good day's surf – won't enter the water. This because, in addition to serving as one of the few legitimate big-wave destinations in Southern California, the Tijuana Sloughs act as the unloading dock for the Tijuana River, on the receiving end of some of the most toxic water on earth.
The flow – thousands of gallons of unfiltered garbage and raw sewage pumped down untreated and fast-running from the ancient Tijuana River, collecting debris and human waste along the way – spills out right along the U.S./Mexico Border, tenths of a mile from the lineup at the Sloughs. Estimates are that 200,000 people are likely dumping untreated human waste directly into the river upstream.
The Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System is measuring the reach of the Tijuana Plume, with graphics and data that track the far-reaching effect of the Tijuana River. But the evidence is striking to the naked eye. Stand at elevation above the Sloughs, and you'll see a plume of brown water forcing its way into the otherwise blue Pacific, working its way north to Imperial Beach and Coronado.
During the winter months, the beach at the Tijuana Sloughs is almost perpetually closed. Still, the lure to ride perfect uncrowded big surf is too much, and a select few surfers continue to paddle out despite the plume of sewage coursing through their takeoff zone. Predictably, most of these people have stories of strange internal and external illnesses – the most extreme of which include hepatitis – so they pick their surfing dates wisely.
Hope though is on the horizon as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepares to break ground in a few years on a $630 million vision for stemming much of the water that flows from Mexico through the concrete channel. The agency’s blueprint calls for everything from expanding facilities north of the border that treat wastewater from Tijuana to building an additional pumping system in the river. The EPA has already secured roughly $300 million in federal funding to help realize the binational vision.
BEST OF THE BLOG:
Attention fellow surfers: The North County Board Meeting has a special event this month and you don't want to miss it. From the wave wizards that brought you Waco Surf, Shizunami Surf Stadium, and now Brazil's Boa Vista Village surf pool, you are cordially invited to C3 Bank in downtown Encinitas at 5:30 PM on Thursday, February 23rd to hear what American Wave Machines has next up their sleeve. Sponsored by Patriot Risk Insurance Services, join us to learn about the latest wave pool technology, network, and enjoy some food and drink with the group. For more information, please feel free to reach out to northcountyboardmeeting@gmail.com. Thanks for the support and we'll see you on the 23rd!
Looking to be a foremost expert on mysterious diseases AND get paid to surf? Well, have I got a job for you! Apply today at our Tijuana Sloughs office!
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Unrestricted
Opening For Beyonce'
Michael Would Go
