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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Surfing Baja
There are maps showing the surfing spots along the pacific coast. I've known of the locations for years but I've never seen anyone surfing there. I'm
not a surfer. Are there certain times of the year or moon phases etc that surfers use to decide when to go?
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BajaGeoff
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Location: San Diego and Campo Lopez
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Mood: Heading To Baja!!!
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Hello TW,
It generally depends on the season and where the swells are coming from. In the summer months, most of the swells come from the southern hemisphere,
so beaches in Baja that face south/southwest can get good. In the winter, they come out of the northern hemisphere, so beaches facing north/northwest
can get good.
Right now we are in the transition period between winter and summer, so we are getting combo swells from both hemispheres, making a lot of spots good
all at once!
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tiotomasbcs
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Dummy, I guess you don't sail or watch the moon & tides either. Get a Baja travel book or just go to the beach! No wonder surfers hate this
site! Take me by the hand and show me...
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dtbushpilot
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Location: Buena Vista BCS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tiotomasbcs
Dummy, I guess you don't sail or watch the moon & tides either. Get a Baja travel book or just go to the beach! No wonder surfers hate this
site! Take me by the hand and show me... |
No wonder people are reluctant to ask a legitamate question when there always seems to be some jerk lurking in the shadows with a smart a$$
reply.....dt
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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torch
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Location: O.C. Calif. and BCN
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wow Tio that was as about as aholeish as is gets .
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Sallysouth
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Posts: 1835
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Capo Beach
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Mood: missing Baja...
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Yup, Wrong site for you Mr.Knowitall. Chill dude.
Happiness is just a Baja memory away...
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BornFisher
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Posts: 2128
Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
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I`d have to say that Uncle Tomas is just trolling here.
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaGeoff
Hello TW,
It generally depends on the season and where the swells are coming from. In the summer months, most of the swells come from the southern hemisphere,
so beaches in Baja that face south/southwest can get good. In the winter, they come out of the northern hemisphere, so beaches facing north/northwest
can get good.
Right now we are in the transition period between winter and summer, so we are getting combo swells from both hemispheres, making a lot of spots good
all at once! |
Thank you for the explanation ----from another person who does not surf.
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Sallysouth
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Do you surf ? Diana, whats up? Geoff is telling it like it is and it is spot on.
Happiness is just a Baja memory away...
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Sallysouth
Do you surf ? Diana, whats up? Geoff is telling it like it is and it is spot on. |
Opps, when I said I don't surf either, I was referring to TWs original post where he said he was not a surfer.
My thanks to Geoff was a sincere thanks for explaining it. Even though I do not surf, I was curious and glad TW asked the question. In BA often a
friend will say there is going to be good surf and I always wonder how they know.
Thanks---I should have been more precise
Diane
[Edited on 4-13-2010 by DianaT]
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landyacht318
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Registered: 7-28-2007
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Many factors contribute to whether a particular surf spot will have many people out, or none. In addition to what BajaGeoff said about swell
directions, the tide can have huge effects on some locations. A new moon or full moon is about when the tidal swing is the largest(usually a day
after).
Some locations will love a real low tide, some work better on a high tide, some can work through any tide. Some spots are better on an outgoing tide,
most are better on an upcoming.
Shifting sands can also make or break a certain location.
After the presence or lack of ground/wind swell, what might be the biggest factor in whether you see surfers out or not, is the wind. Wind blowing
from land to sea, is good. It make the waves clean and break in a barrelling/ tubular fashion, if the bottom contours allow.
No wind is also good.
Strong NW winds, or any onshore direction, will make many surfbreaks choppy, with whitecaps depending on the strength. It makes riding waves much
less pleasurable. Early in the morning is usually when the wind is lightest, and can, but not always provide the best conditions for surfing.
Many non surfers believe that strong local winds make for good surfing. It is strong winds a great distance (500 to 10,000 miles)away from land which
create long period ground swells and provide the groomed, well traveled energy which makes the best waves for surfing.
What makes surfing the most pleasurable is trading/ sharing waves with your friends. What makes surfing the least pleasurable are crowds of greedy
narcissists. Surfing in crowded conditions would nearly be akin to getting ready to take a swing at a golf ball, and some yahoo comes running up and
smacks it on your back swing. Or when fishing having another boat dropping anchor right next to you. Or having a lover defiled in front of you.
Imagine anything , relatively solitary, that you enjoy to do, and have it ruined by the presence of others. Perhaps they are a good and respectful
people, but would it not be better if they were good and respectful somewhere else? If the others have no respect or any otherwise desirable
character attributes, then it is difficult to not be overwhelmingly angry at their presence. We surfers realize we are our own worst enemies.
Crowds in Surfing are incredibly frustrating, and why emotions can get so high when one cannot escape them, especially when going to great lengths to
do so, then finding that many others have the same Idea/location in mind, and bring their 'at home' attitude with them.
When a surfer has had all the conditions come together- swell, wind, tide, time, remote location, and friends to share it with, it is simply magical
experience, and that location forever becomes etched in that person's conscious.
When one hopes to repeat this experience, and finds all the conditions come together, except there are 150 others there, and then seeing it advertised
online, well it is enough to cause some surfers to verbally attack DavidK, rationally or not.
[Edited on 4-13-2010 by landyacht318]
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Lee
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Location: High in the Colorado Rockies
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One surfer who's OK with Nomads
| Quote: | Originally posted by TW
There are maps showing the surfing spots along the pacific coast. I've known of the locations for years but I've never seen anyone surfing there.
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What spots have you seen no one surfing at?
San Pedrito broke OK this year. When it did, lots of surfers were out. When it breaks big, LOTS of surfers are out. Cerritos is a good place
for beginners -- rent a surfboard there and give it a try. Pedrito is not for beginners and further up the coast at Pastora, beginners will get
hurt or run over or both.
The Cape is a great place when the Southern swells come in.
TioTomas might have been having a brain fart. He's not a bad guy though his post was over the top.
Since you know where the breaks are, seriously, get in the water!
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DianaT
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Landyacht318, I appreciate your explanation as it is very well stated about lots of the elements of surfing and what it means to many.
As I said, I am not a surfer, but from what I have been told by ones who do surf is that it is only polite for one person to take a wave.
Thus I was surprised when I was taking pictures of some surfers in front of our house in Baja.
These guys are members of our local surf club and one of them is a very good friend of ours. When I gave the cd of photos, I asked him about sharing
that wave ---at first there were three of them on the same wave. He said that for them, it was a part of the fun and the challenge. They like
sharing the same wave.
I guess it is a difference in cultural norms---I don't know.
[Edited on 4-13-2010 by DianaT]
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landyacht318
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"I guess it is a difference in cultural norms---I don't know."
Much truth to that. Riding the same wave as a friend can indeed be a lot of fun. But in good conditions, for one friend to 'drop in' without
permission on another friend who had priority can cause the friendship to suffer. It can be very disrespectful. When A stranger does so,
intentionally, more than once, flared tempers can burst, especially in good conditions, or large conditions, or waves of consequence. Or if one person
lives there, and the other person who shows no respect does not.
Pages could be written on surfing etiquette. And some rules change in different locals/ cultures. Don't get me started on the Brazilians.
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jeremias
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Posts: 218
Registered: 12-11-2009
Location: Huntington Beach, El Sauzal, BCN
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Mood: Muy Tranquilo
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are those waves in Asuncion?
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by jeremias
are those waves in Asuncion? |
Yes, they were in front of our house, but they are not always there.
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landyacht318
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Psssst, you were supposed to say.
" Those waves were at "spot x" somewhere on the west coast."
 
[Edited on 4-13-2010 by landyacht318]
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jeremias
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Posts: 218
Registered: 12-11-2009
Location: Huntington Beach, El Sauzal, BCN
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Mood: Muy Tranquilo
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Your secret's safe with me, and 2000 of my surfer buddies...
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by landyacht318
Psssst, you were supposed to say.
" Those waves were at "spot x" somewhere on the west coast."
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Actually, the local surfers used to keep the real surf spot secret, but now they hold tournaments there once in a while and would really like to see
some gringo surfers participate.
[Edited on 4-13-2010 by DianaT]
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DianaT
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OK, since we are learning about all things surf, edumacate me about this.
We have a couple of people who have and continue to collect some old surfboards for us to donate to the local team----some in good shape and others
need repair, but our friend is good at repairing and we have taken repair items to him. Thank goodness the local surf board maker was willing to talk
on the phone with him or we would have bought all the wrong stuff.
However, for the most part, we have had a difficult time getting anyone to part with old surfboards----even ones that are doing nothing but collecting
mud in the backyard.
A local lifeguard here in Imperial Beach explained it to me that surfers are very, very sentimental and they don't part with old boards because each
board has a special memory attached to it.
Your take???
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