BajaNomad

NWS

Chupacabra - 11-27-2013 at 11:05 PM

I'm heading down early Fri AM:

High Surf Advisory

COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
756 PM PST WED NOV 27 2013

...HIGH SURF AND STRONG RIP CURRENTS FOR ORANGE AND SAN DIEGO
COUNTIES THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING...

.A LARGE WEST NORTHWEST SWELL...GENERATED BY A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC...WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE COASTAL WATERS
THURSDAY AFTERNOON...PEAKING THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS ELEVATED SWELL
WILL RESULT IN HIGH SURF...MAINLY ALONG WEST FACING BEACHES. SWELL
AND SURF WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

CAZ042-043-281200-
/O.CON.KSGX.SU.Y.0010.131128T2200Z-131130T0200Z/
ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-
756 PM PST WED NOV 27 2013

...HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THURSDAY TO
6 PM PST FRIDAY...

* WAVES AND SURF...SURF 5 TO 7 FEET WITH SETS TO 9 FEET ALONG
WEST FACING BEACHES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND NORTH OF NEWPORT
BEACH IN ORANGE COUNTY.

* TIMING...THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.

* TIDES...HIGHEST HIGH TIDES AROUND 6 FEET DURING EARLY-MORNING
WITH LOWEST LOW TIDES BETWEEN ZERO AND 1 FOOT IN THE LATE
AFTERNOON. MINOR TIDAL OVERFLOW IS POSSIBLE DURING THE TIMES OF
HIGHEST HIGH TIDE.

* IMPACTS...STRONG RIP CURRENTS ARE LIKELY...ESPECIALLY DURING
THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON WHEN THE HIGH TIDE
TRANSITIONS TO LOW TIDE...RESULTING IN DANGEROUS SWIMMING
CONDITIONS. MINOR FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS ALONG THE
BEACH... LIKE PARKING LOTS...IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A HIGH SURF ADVISORY MEANS THAT HIGH SURF WILL AFFECT BEACHES IN
THE ADVISORY AREA...PRODUCING RIP CURRENTS AND LOCALIZED BEACH
EROSION.

&&

$$

JT

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU.
PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING LINK TO GIVE US FEEDBACK
ON THE NEW BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT:

HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/SURVEY/NWS-SURVEY.PHP?CODE=CHMBHS

shari - 11-28-2013 at 07:24 AM

woo hoo....Woody will be back just in time eh! Looks like we will get an 8 footer tomorrow here...nice. Finally a wave for the snowbirds at the places that shall remain un named.:lol:

Ateo - 11-28-2013 at 07:44 AM

It's gonna be pumping. I'm thinking of heading south as well.

Chupacabra - 11-28-2013 at 08:37 AM

The entire surfing population has been Jonesing for weeks and it's a major holiday weekend...no way I'm surfing up here.

A second reinforcing swell is also due Sun/Mon, so it should be good for a while.

woody with a view - 11-28-2013 at 01:34 PM

just wait and see the crowds trying to get home Sun night!

Chupacabra - 11-28-2013 at 02:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
just wait and see the crowds trying to get home Sun night!


Forget that...I'm coming back either Monday or Tuesday night!

Just got the truck packed at ready to head out at 0-dark-thirty.

Ateo - 11-29-2013 at 08:25 PM

shari - 11-30-2013 at 08:00 AM

some nice big sets rollin in here this morning!

Chupacabra - 12-3-2013 at 08:37 AM

Quick report:

Left Friday early AM. My buddy bailed at the last minute so I went solo. Decided to drive to Erendira area and check out the various reefs, beaches, and the rivermouth there and to the north.

Friday: It was booming, 2X to occasional 3X overhead, very consistent, dangerous. Took me almost 30 min just to get out, then I caught a few. Finally got pounded and washed up exhausted. The swell was raw, not that clean, and quite dangerous. Not much wind all day though.

Saturday: Dropped down to 1.5-2X OH by morning. Much cleaner, easier paddle out. Got a whole grip of good ones, then the wind came up late morning.

Sunday: Down in the chest-to-shoulder high zone now, beautiful weather, glassy all day, super fun waves that provided some nice relaxing sessions after all the drama of Friday and Saturday. The sunset session was spectacular with great shape and acid-trip colors.

Monday: Surf picked back up a bit to the headhigh zone on sets, had a nice two-hour session then packed it up and headed back north. Stopped at Puerto Nuevo for an early lobster dinner and to let the border rush hour die down. Crossed at Otay ready lane with a 30 min wait.

Sweet.

MMc - 12-3-2013 at 08:44 AM

:tumble::tumble: Went to a island a got about the same size on Friday. fun:yes::yes:

jasper234 - 12-7-2013 at 07:23 PM

Chupa -

Thanks for this post, you have no idea how informative it is for me. My son and I drove down to Cobbles/Shipwrecks Saturday and it was relatively flat, to our dismay. It's been a long time since I frequented northern baja and I forgot the area south of Colonet gets pretty well blocked on a NW swell. On Monday it was still flat and we headed north to Punta San Jose which I knew was going to be flat but I wanted to show my son. We drove right by Erendira! I have never been down that road but when I got home and looked at the map, I realized the area north of Colonet to about Punta Cabras MUST pick up NW swell. You just confirmed it. Many thanks!
Quote:
Originally posted by Chupacabra
Quick report:

Left Friday early AM. My buddy bailed at the last minute so I went solo. Decided to drive to Erendira area and check out the various reefs, beaches, and the rivermouth there and to the north.

Friday: It was booming, 2X to occasional 3X overhead, very consistent, dangerous. Took me almost 30 min just to get out, then I caught a few. Finally got pounded and washed up exhausted. The swell was raw, not that clean, and quite dangerous. Not much wind all day though.

Saturday: Dropped down to 1.5-2X OH by morning. Much cleaner, easier paddle out. Got a whole grip of good ones, then the wind came up late morning.

Sunday: Down in the chest-to-shoulder high zone now, beautiful weather, glassy all day, super fun waves that provided some nice relaxing sessions after all the drama of Friday and Saturday. The sunset session was spectacular with great shape and acid-trip colors.

Monday: Surf picked back up a bit to the headhigh zone on sets, had a nice two-hour session then packed it up and headed back north. Stopped at Puerto Nuevo for an early lobster dinner and to let the border rush hour die down. Crossed at Otay ready lane with a 30 min wait.

Sweet.

EnsenadaDr - 12-7-2013 at 08:05 PM

My son stays in La Jolla, California while not living in Sydney, Australia and surfs Baja Malibu and San Miguel. He did some surfing in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca last year and is returning with his boss from Australia there, he found it to be an exceptional surfing area even though he says the horseflies decend on your back even with a tee shirt on and bite your back. He is willing to forego that again to travel to Mex to surf. He likes surfing Bird Rock in La Jolla. He also enjoys La Fonda area.
Quote:
Originally posted by jasper234
Chupa -

Thanks for this post, you have no idea how informative it is for me. My son and I drove down to Cobbles/Shipwrecks Saturday and it was relatively flat, to our dismay. It's been a long time since I frequented northern baja and I forgot the area south of Colonet gets pretty well blocked on a NW swell. On Monday it was still flat and we headed north to Punta San Jose which I knew was going to be flat but I wanted to show my son. We drove right by Erendira! I have never been down that road but when I got home and looked at the map, I realized the area north of Colonet to about Punta Cabras MUST pick up NW swell. You just confirmed it. Many thanks!


Quote:
Originally posted by Chupacabra
Quick report:

Left Friday early AM. My buddy bailed at the last minute so I went solo. Decided to drive to Erendira area and check out the various reefs, beaches, and the rivermouth there and to the north.

Friday: It was booming, 2X to occasional 3X overhead, very consistent, dangerous. Took me almost 30 min just to get out, then I caught a few. Finally got pounded and washed up exhausted. The swell was raw, not that clean, and quite dangerous. Not much wind all day though.

Saturday: Dropped down to 1.5-2X OH by morning. Much cleaner, easier paddle out. Got a whole grip of good ones, then the wind came up late morning.

Sunday: Down in the chest-to-shoulder high zone now, beautiful weather, glassy all day, super fun waves that provided some nice relaxing sessions after all the drama of Friday and Saturday. The sunset session was spectacular with great shape and acid-trip colors.

Monday: Surf picked back up a bit to the headhigh zone on sets, had a nice two-hour session then packed it up and headed back north. Stopped at Puerto Nuevo for an early lobster dinner and to let the border rush hour die down. Crossed at Otay ready lane with a 30 min wait.

Sweet.

Chupacabra - 12-14-2013 at 07:56 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jasper234

I forgot the area south of Colonet gets pretty well blocked on a NW swell. On Monday it was still flat and we headed north to Punta San Jose which I knew was going to be flat but I wanted to show my son. We drove right by Erendira! I have never been down that road but when I got home and looked at the map, I realized the area north of Colonet to about Punta Cabras MUST pick up NW swell. You just confirmed it. Many thanks!


Another very important point to consider is swell periodicity. Long period swells (ca. 16-20 seconds) tend to wrap in very nicely around points and reefs even when the direction is not optimal. Most of the classic Baja pointbreaks need a long period swell to work at their best; it's the wrap that makes them great.

Medium period swells (12-14 sec) can be good at both beach and reefbreaks, with less wrap than the longer period swells.

Short period (6-10) can be excellent at beachbreaks, but reefs and points are usually junky. Short period windswells are hit or miss but can be super fun. For example, Scripps in La Jolla loves windswell and can be great when other areas are trashed.

So the main players are size and direction, but period is what puts English on the ball and figuring that part out can really help you decide where to go.

Check out the National Data Buoy Center if you want to be able to check out real-time data regarding swell height, direction, and period:

Buoy data

For example, I often check out the Harvest Buoy (46218) the evening before, knowing from experience that San Diego lags about eight to twelve hours behind so it's a great predictor for the morning session. Click on the graph icons to get a chart of dominant wave height, period, and direction:

Height

Period

Direction

Choose the appropriate buoys for your situation, and learning to interpret this data is fun and will take you way beyond what you can get from commercial forecasting services!

jasper234 - 12-21-2013 at 07:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Chupacabra
Quote:
Originally posted by jasper234

I forgot the area south of Colonet gets pretty well blocked on a NW swell. On Monday it was still flat and we headed north to Punta San Jose which I knew was going to be flat but I wanted to show my son. We drove right by Erendira! I have never been down that road but when I got home and looked at the map, I realized the area north of Colonet to about Punta Cabras MUST pick up NW swell. You just confirmed it. Many thanks!


Another very important point to consider is swell periodicity. Long period swells (ca. 16-20 seconds) tend to wrap in very nicely around points and reefs even when the direction is not optimal. Most of the classic Baja pointbreaks need a long period swell to work at their best; it's the wrap that makes them great.

Medium period swells (12-14 sec) can be good at both beach and reefbreaks, with less wrap than the longer period swells.

Short period (6-10) can be excellent at beachbreaks, but reefs and points are usually junky. Short period windswells are hit or miss but can be super fun. For example, Scripps in La Jolla loves windswell and can be great when other areas are trashed.

So the main players are size and direction, but period is what puts English on the ball and figuring that part out can really help you decide where to go.

Check out the National Data Buoy Center if you want to be able to check out real-time data regarding swell height, direction, and period:

Buoy data

For example, I often check out the Harvest Buoy (46218) the evening before, knowing from experience that San Diego lags about eight to twelve hours behind so it's a great predictor for the morning session. Click on the graph icons to get a chart of dominant wave height, period, and direction:

Height

Period

Direction

Choose the appropriate buoys for your situation, and learning to interpret this data is fun and will take you way beyond what you can get from commercial forecasting services!


Chupa -

This is absolutely great info, many thanks of sharing. Will definitely check it out and use it as suggested.

On a side note, took my son down to K-38 last Sun/Mon and had a blast surfing the inside right. Pretty decent NW swell, son caught the wave of his life (so far).